Eclipse August 2026

GDB2222

There’s a solar eclipse in 4 months time, and I wondered what other people are doing about it? I’m planning to stay in London where it is a 91% partial eclipse, and I have some cheap eclipse glasses in my Amazon basket.

Are others simply ignoring it, or travelling somewhere where the eclipse will be total, or just staying put?

What means of viewing the eclipse will you be using?

flaneurs_lobster

Not sure I'd want anything "cheap" for looking at the sun….

Got a decent site that shows where totality (is that right?) and partiality will be?

Frozen_up_north

Northern Spain, Iceland, or Greenland to see a total eclipse. Partial eclipses are nothing special. I have been on the centre line of several eclipses, the best for me were in Mexico in 1991 and India in 1995.

Use a pin hole in a card to project the image of the partial eclipse, or project the solar image onto card with a small telescope or a pair of binoculars. You can see sunspots with the projected image from a small telescope too. No need for special eclipse glasses, it is important to avoid directly looking at the sun.

p00hsticks

If I had the money and inclination I'd be heading to Norther Spain to view totality (weather forecasts for Iceland and Greenland won't be favourable) but I won't be doing anything special to see the partial eclipse.

I was one of the few in the UK lucky enough to see the UK one in 1997 down in Newquay - witnessing a total eclipse is a truly awe-inspiring experience. A partial eclipse, even at 90% comes nowhere near it.

flaneurs_lobster

If I had the money and inclination I'd be heading to Norther Spain to view totality (weather forecasts for Iceland and Greenland won't be favourable) but I won't be doing anything special to see the partial eclipse.

I must find a larger scale map but I wonder if Donostia / San Sebastián sneaks into full eclipse? Quite fancy a few days of pintxos-crawling.

JGB1955

My daughter and family are off to Majorca to see the end of the eclipse. Booked 2 years ago! Less than 2 minutes of total eclipse on 12 August (Son-in-law's birthday) - lets hope it's better than the last one in Devon….

spenderdave

Saw the 1999 eclipse at Salzburg Castle - with loads of other eclipse travellers. Once you have seen totality then partial ones are pretty boring. Not sure I will be in a position to go to Spain this summer though.

SiliconChip

I had considered going to northern Spain this year but a recent knee replacement that I'm still recovering from has put paid to that, but I'd alway thought that next year's eclipse in southern Spain would be a better bet anyway as clear skies are more likely there. Actually, Gibraltar might be a good option, 4 minutes 28 seconds of totality.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_August_2%2C_2027

la531983

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6666709/eclipse-august-2026

With all due respect nobody in the UK may as well bother pay it any attention, 91% was similar to what I experience in the UK in 1999 (?) and you could barely tell the difference.

twopenny

I've seen a total eclipse. Interesting and should be experienced once in real life.

Between cloud and time of day it's all a bit iffy in this country. I would use my camera which has a viewfinder and adjustable (flip) screen and adjustable light going through so like having a small tablet in front of you. That's safe on the eyes I believe.

I wonder if you used a tablet with the brightness turned down to view through the camera (screen big enough to shield your eyes) if that would work?

This is just the place to ask 😄

Frozen_up_north

"I wonder if you used a tablet with the brightness turned down to view through the camera (screen big enough to shield your eyes) if that would work?"

I wouldn't bother, just hold a pair of binoculars projecting the suns image onto a white wall or card. If you want to be fancy, make a cardboard shield to cast a shadow with another one to project the image onto.

This DIY project from the Sky at Night program shows another method.
https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/diy/build-solar-projector-observe-the-sun