Safety warning issued over viewing solar eclipse

Wiltshire will fall into early darkness next week, during the biggest solar eclipse since 1999.

The Moon will pass directly between Earth and the Sun, obscuring 90 per cent of the sun from the county.

The eclipse will begin at 6.17pm on Wednesday 12th August with maximum occultation at around 7.12pm. The natural display will finish at 8.06pm.

Because the eclipse will take place as the sun is setting, a high, open site with an unobstructed western horizon is the best place to view the eclipse.

Encouragingly, the weather forecast is for clear skies.

The UK Health Security Agency has offered advice on how to view the eclipse safely.

Eclipse-watchers should never look at the sun directly.

Ordinary sunglasses – even very dark ones – are not safe, because they do not block enough harmful solar radiation and can allow serious retinal damage.

Safe options include:
Use genuine eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer meeting ISO 12312-2:2015(E) standards.
View indirectly using a pinhole projector.
Do not look at the sun through binoculars, a telescope, camera or other optics unless they have a correctly fitted specialist solar filter.

Because Wiltshire will see a partial eclipse, there is no point at which it is safe to view the sun with the naked eye.

The best places in the county to see the eclipse include:
Cley Hill, near Warminster — Probably the strongest practical choice, with elevated ground and broad westward views.

Warminster Town Park — Best for eclipse-watchers who prefer an organised public event. Starquest Astronomy Club’s free public viewing runs from 5pm to 8.30pm, offering expert guidance.

Avebury Stone Circle — A memorable, atmospheric setting with relatively open skies, though pick a position away from trees, crowds and any westward obstruction.

The Ridgeway, especially the exposed stretches around Barbury Castle — Recommended for panoramic views of the westerly horizon.

Milk Hill and Tan Hill – Wiltshire’s highest points sit next to each other in the Vale of Pewsey, near Devizes and offer decent views to the west.

Barbury Castle, near Wroughton/Swindon — A hilltop setting on the Ridgeway with expansive views makes this a good for the low evening sun.

Hackpen Hill, Broad Hinton – Its exposed Ridgeway position gives wide, near-360° views, including the essential western horizon where the low evening sun will be during the eclipse.

For stargazers who want to make a night of it, the eclipse coincides with the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower.

Around 150 meteors an hour can be seen under dark, rural skies.

The near-new moon should mean little moonlight, giving unusually favourable meteor-viewing conditions.

The best period is generally after midnight and before dawn, when the Perseids’ radiant in Perseus is high.