Total Solar Eclipse

On Monday a good portion of North America is going to experience a total solar eclipse, expect social media feeds to be full of it. A bit late to organise a trip see it now (unless I can get somewhere like Niagara Falls for 2pm tomorrow) so I looked at future eclipses.

The next one 12th August 2026 crosses North to East Spain which would be much easier to visit, so I know where I’m going on holiday in a couple of years! After that it’s North Africa in 2027 also touching Gibraltar.

Unlike an aurora at least you know where and when they occur, as long as the sky is clear. Is an eclipse on any one else’s to do list, or all ready done list?

A partial eclipse will be widely visible across North America but the path of totality is quite narrow.

One of my sons lives in upstate NY and Rochester, where he lives, is right in the middle of the path of totality as the eclipse crosses the border with Canada.

Would love to be in Spain 2026 for the next one.

Good article on the BBC about this

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68726825

Nice piece about UK view of it too

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68731785

I was on a beach near st ives in 1999 for the last one, inevitably it clouded over about an hour before and we never got a clear view of the totality, though the cloud was thin enough to still see it a bit- never really got a sense of the corona or anything. But tbh it was still seriously cool even despite that, not just that it got dark but the light we got was just weird, really flat and unearthly, I remember this huge sense of unreality, like we’d fallen into a photo. If video game graphics had been any good in 1999 I’d have probably said it was like being in a video game.

But then I was pissed and stoned on a surf beach with a whole lot of other people who’d decided to get pissed and stoned on a surf beach and watch an eclipse so that probably played a part. I’d have had a good time even if they’d forgotten to turn the sun on that day. Not entirely sure how nobody drowned though.

Never thought of travelling to do it again, actually a lovely idea, quite tempted now. If this US one is anything to go by you want to book waaay in advance though, Arkansas is full.

i went to see one in france a long time ago. If im around in 2026 i’ll go to spain

Northwind
Full Member
I was on a beach near st ives in 1999

I was at work on the Isle of Sheppey.😁

We all went outside and used welders masks to look at the sun.

It was really odd for the whole world to have the lights dimmed, almost unsettling but very cool at the same time.

Must have been scary as hell in antiquity when they had little idea what caused an eclipse. You can see how it would be linked to The Gods or a bad omen.

I was on top of Ben Hope for the annular eclipse in May 2003. A lot of celebs (Patrick Moore, Brian May etc) were down on the coast in Durness but missed the best bit due to a sea haar.

Saw a partial one here in Madrid maybe 10-15 years ago? Was very cool – the sudden drop in temperature, weird shadows, and the eclipse itself of course. I’m looking forward to the one in 2026!

Like northwind I went to Northern Cornwall to watch the 1999 eclipse. Although very thin cloud meant we couldn’t see the corona we got a great view of the sun’s disc progressively disappearing entirely. And as we went up a hill near St Agnes we had a great view of the shadow heading across the Bristol Channel towards us and then disappearing south over to the Lizard.

I’m seriously thinking of going to Spain to get another chance.

Remember kids ba careful. Don’t be a …..

I was living in Southern Germany in 1999 so was directly on the line of totality of the one that crossed Europe that August. Went out into the countryside with hundreds of others and got a great view. Was very eerie when it went dark as all the birds and animals went completely quiet for a couple of minutes.

I was in the west of Ireland for the 1999 one and it was weird. For today’s we’re meant to get a partial eclipse but it’s raining. As usual.

Would love to see a total eclipse one day.

I was in Bradford in 1999 so only got a partial but it was exciting enough anyway! Made a pinhole camera with 2 pieces of paper to watch it.

I remember we were very amused at Patrick Moore on TV saying “this is a very exciting moment” in the most lugubrious, sleepy bored sounding voice 🤣

I watched the 1999 total eclipse on Perranporth beach in North Cornwall.

I remember the mad crowds and traffic chaos as much as I remember the total eclipse itself!

We saw very little of the warm up, as the Sun moved into alignment, but a very late break in the cloud saved the day and we saw totality and maybe a minute either side.

It was a strange experience, eerily quiet and just odd to find yourself in the dark during the middle of the day. The sight of the Moons shadow racing across the sea just prior to totality was very cool too.

A colleague asked me if I’m staying up til 2am to watch the solar eclipse. Dead set, straight out asked me.

The solar eclipse, at 2am.

We saw the 1999 one. So glad I made the effort. Again it just popped through the clouds at the last minute. Apparently the descending cold air in the totality can punch a hole in this cloud. I grabbed the telescope and saw some prominences. But it was the dark that really made it, with all the bird song etc.

I’m somewhere where we’ll get a 20% eclipse, will it be noticable (shadows, temperature etc)? Can’t get hold of eclipse glasses here so have to try and blag it by doubling up sunglasses

The 1999 one was amazing.

Not for the sun/moon thing but listening to the birds all roosting. Totally surreal atmosphere. Loved it.

5lab – doubling up on sunglasses is not recommemded as an acceptable substitute for eclipse glasses.

I remember the 1999 one. I was on my year in industry placement and my boss took his kids to Cornwall to see it. His wife went on Concorde for the “chase the eclipse” flight. 😳

Spain 2-26 sounds cool, be good to see a full one at least once and I guess Spain at least has a better chance of clearer weather!

@5lab – I’ve seen a couple of partial eclipses in the UK and unfortunately 20% will barely be noticeable.

If you have the right glasses or use a pinhole/screen you will see a small nibble from the sun’s circle at max, and if you look carefully you might spot some effects on shadows such as from leaves of plants but you might not: this sort of thing becomes much more noticeable at 50% +

But going down to 80% sunlight from 100% will be imperceptible in terms of brightness and effects on wildlife.

Plus what Frank said.

1999 – travelled down to Plymouth by train from Shrewsbury with my dad & brothers. It made for a fair old day out, but as others have said the weather was a bit overcast so we experienced the peculiar darkness and flat light and quietening of the birds etc. But missed the actual extinguishing of proper sunshine and the moon’s shadow. It was still pretty weird.
I’ve seen a couple of other ‘partials’ since and do have access to a suitable handheld filter that I can look through, plus a couple of filters for camera lenses.

My wife (the keen astronomer) and I went to Idaho to see the 2017 eclipse.  We had perfectly clear skies and it was an impressive sight. We recoreded the event (from a camera we did not touch) .  The most interesting part was the over reaction from the Yanks with their whooping and hollering !!

We had to book accomation years in advance and we just managed to squeak into a motel.

We plan to see the Spain one too.

2015 partial in the UK was decent, around 80% and noticeable but agree much less would be a bit meh.

Nice bit of data visualisation here

If you do go and see it can you please take some jaffa cakes and film yourself saying ‘total eclipse’ in a slightly Swedish accent and then eat the jaffa cake?

Hope the MAGAs don’t panic and go all Nightfall on us.

My bother/sister in law (who were significantly high-up members of the James Webb Telescope team and live over in LA) were massively looking forward to it. It was cloudy. Oops.

From the clips I’ve seen on BBC you’d have had more luck hearing the birds go quiet at a Cup Final.  How to spoil a unique moment observing the awesomeness of nature by screaming your silly head off.

The BBC coverage on the news was bloody awful.

The most interesting part was the over reaction from the Yanks with their whooping and hollering !!

******g septics…… “get in the hole”! Bloody do one!

In 1999 my mate Buttbutt and I rode over to the pits near Lakeside (shopping centre, not the snooker place) with an Old Holborn tin full of pre-rolled joints.

Thanks for the heads up on Spain. Have put it in our calendar and were planning on being over that way in 2025….might hand around a little longer.

Hope the MAGAs don’t panic

******g septics…… “get in the hole”! Bloody do one!

The ITV news just now featured someone of a similar persuasion who basically said “It proves the existence of God”.

Err, no. No, it doesn’t. Quite the opposite in fact. Silly sod.

Yup it was mostly unnoticeable here, got a couple of snaps using a DSLR at smallest aparture, lowest iso, fastest shutter, and holding sunnies over the lens but otherwise nothing. Off to Spain in 26 then

I hear a Mexican tv news show got quite a view of the Eclipse.

Theres been some good footage of it, but this really is the nuts.