Solar eclipse 2026 live: What time eclipse starts as stunning show moments away

Mirror reporter Saskia Rowlands has sent the following from Lands End in Cornwall.

People have travelled from far and wide to catch a glimpse of the eclipse at Land’s End.

Susan Carpenter, 70, drove down to Cornwall from Newbury, Berks, this morning with her husband, daughter and grandson.

She told us: “For the last eclipse in 1999, we took our children to Devon and we’ve brought our grandson so he can experience an eclipse.

“The last one [eclipse] was phenomenal —it was at 11 in the morning.

“Everything went black and the birds went to sleep and as it went over the birds started to wake and you get the dawn chorus. The children couldn’t believe it. It’s a really good experience.”

Steve Lipscombe, from Mitcham, South London, watched the 1999 eclipse from Devon, but last minute cloud cover obscured his view.

He said: “I was in Penzance with the Radio 1 roadshow they did back then.

“It was a lovely day like today, but it went cloudy just as the eclipse was starting to happen, so we basically missed it, which was terrible — I’d travelled 300 miles there and back, so I’m back again today for take two.

“I like celestial things, I’ve seen many shooting star showers – but there’s not another eclipse for 65 years in this country.”