UK to get best eclipse since 1999 as Moon blocks out Sun across Europe

A partial solar eclipse pictured in Christchurch, New Zealand, in September 2025 The UK will be treated to its fullest solar eclipse since 1999 - and the best the country will see for the next 50 years - on Wednesday evening. It will be visible across the whole of the UK, with up to 96% of the Sun's disc covered , depending on your location. Other parts of the world will get to witness a total eclipse. This includes northern Spain, where hundreds of thousands of people have travelled for the astronomical spectacle. The total eclipse will also be visible in Russia, Greenland, Iceland and Portugal. Immersive: How to watch the UK and Europe's best eclipse in 27 years In the UK, more than 90% of the Sun will be obscured , which will fall between and 19.15 BST, depending on where you are in the country. Devon, Cornwall and the western parts of Pembrokeshire in Wales are set to eclipse at its fullest, with 94% to 96% of the Sun obscured . The rest of Wales, Northern Ireland, parts of the West Midlands and the South West, and the westernmost parts of Scotland can expect to see 92% to 94% solar coverage. People across the UK have been scrambling for eclipse glasses - the specialist glasses used to watch the eclipse safely - with a staff member at a bakery in central London saying they had sold about 100 on Tuesday morning. Eclipse chasers scramble for glasses as stocks run low Experts urge people not to look directly at the Sun and to seek specialist glasses instead But when it comes to the weather, fortunes will be mixed. In much of the UK, clear skies should give many a good view of the eclipse. However, across some parts of north Wales, northern England and especially Scotland and Northern Ireland, areas of cloud could move in between and. Across some parts of western Scotland and in towards the north and west of Northern Ireland, cloud could bring outbreaks of rain. Depending on the location, the total eclipse will peak between and local time ( to BST). Crowds have been flocking from all over the world to northern Spain for the event with half a million visitors expected, according to the finance ministry. Julie who travelled with her family from Brest, France, to the Spanish city of Burgos, said she was "very excited". "We came from very far to see it in totality. It will be dark, the Moon will completely cover the Sun. "Although we know they happen quite often we're not always in the path of totality - they could be over the Pacific Ocean, but to have it over land is just incredible," he said.