Total solar eclipse crosses parts of Europe tonight

The Moon will pass directly between Earth and the Sun on Wednesday 12 August, producing a total solar eclipse across a narrow track that crosses a wide band of north and central Spain, a sliver of Portugal and parts of Greenland and Iceland. Much of western Europe including the UK, France, Belgium, Switzerland and northern Italy will see a deep partial eclipse as the Sun sets. In Spain the total eclipse will peak between 20:26 and 20:33 local time depending on location. The Royal Observatory Greenwich calculates the partial eclipse in London will begin at 18:17 BST, reach its maximum at 19:13 BST and end at 20:06 BST. The UK will see about 96 percent coverage in Cornwall, about 93 percent in the west of Scotland and about 92 percent in London, making this the deepest UK eclipse since the 1999 totality and the next UK totality is not expected until 2090. Experts including Dr Megan Argo and Dr Carys Herbert stress viewers must not look at the Sun with the naked eye or with ordinary sunglasses and recommend using special eclipse glasses to avoid permanent eye damage.