News
The Deepest Eclipse Since 1999
— 2 mins read
Around 90% of the sun vanished over London while Prospect union members picketed the Royal Observatory over pay and conditions
Crowds gathered at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich on 12 August to watch the deepest solar eclipse Britain has seen since 1999. Around 90% of the sun disappeared behind the moon at about 7.10pm, dimming the evening sky over London to something like early dusk.
Visitors climbing the footpath to the top of the hill passed a picket line on the way up. Members of Prospect, the trade union for staff at Royal Museums Greenwich, walked out on 11 and 12 August. The strike was over pay and working conditions, the Evening Standard reported.
Shared glasses, a colander, and a bite out of the sun
People had been gathering for around two hours before the peak. Strangers shared protective glasses and spread blankets and picnics on the grass. '10 quid they cost me', one man said of his pair.
Another man arrived wearing a colander on his head, a pinhole-projection method recommended by the BBC and explained in the Royal Observatory's own guidance.
Paul Stoneman, watching with his wife Rosalyn and their two grandchildren, summed up the mood: 'Well you can't just sit indoors, can you?'
I thought there was more to it than that.
Arjun Obitz, an 18-year-old A-level student from London, brought a 102mm refracting telescope and invited strangers to look through it. 'There's a bump', he announced as the moon made first contact. 'That's the moon touching the sun.'
Dusk came early, then the crowd drifted downhill
At about 7.10pm the light faded and birdsong could be heard across the hill for the first time. But the sky never went fully dark and the temperature did not drop. 'I thought there was more to it than that', one observer said, a reaction shared by others nearby.
The peak over, crowds soon made their way down the hill. Bobby Hennessey, 34, who travelled from Romford dressed as a character from the Japanese manga series Berserk, had no regrets. 'I'm only going to have the chance to do this once, aren't I, so I thought I might as well do it in my silly weird way,' he said.
Why this was the best view since 1999, and when the next one comes
The last total solar eclipse visible from Britain was on 11 August 1999. The partial eclipse of March 2025, covered live by BBC News, obscured only around 30 to 40% of the sun over London. That made this week's roughly 90% event the deepest seen from the UK in 27 years.
BBC News puts the UK's next total solar eclipse at 2090, though 2081 is expected to bring a partial eclipse covering up to 99% of the sun. Anyone hoping to stand in total darkness faces a long wait.
