ONE OF THE BIGGEST ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS OF THE YEAR TAKES PLACE NEXT WEEK – A PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE!!! PLUS FREE SOLAR GLASSES FOR ASTRO DOG STARGAZING EVENT GUESTS! - 29/03/2025
Make sure to make a note in your calendar for the 29th this March! On the 29th of March 2025 a very special celestial event will take place when the Moon will travel in front of the Sun resulting in a partial Solar Eclipse! This eclipse is one of the biggest astronomical events of the year and promises to be a spectacular and exciting occasion.
To learn more about the solar eclipse including why solar eclipses occur, when the eclipse will take place, how to safely view the eclipse and also how to get hold of a free pair of certified solar eclipse glasses, please read on…
WHY DO SOLAR ECLIPSES HAPPEN?
Solar eclipses happen when the Moon travels in between the Earth and our closest star, the Sun, partially or totally obscuring the Sun's visible surface in the sky.
An interesting coincidental fact is that while the Moon is around 400 times smaller than our Sun, it is also roughly 400 times closer to Earth. This is why the Moon and Sun appear the same size in our sky and the Moon can completely obscure the Sun during a total Solar Eclipse.
WILL I BE ABLE TO SEE THE ECLIPSE IN THE UK?
The partial solar eclipse on the 29th of March will be well-placed for viewing in the UK, with the Sun being high in the sky throughout the whole event and (weather depending) will be easily observable.
WHEN WILL THE ECLIPSE OCCUR AND WHAT WILL HAPPEN?
The eclipse will begin at roughly 10:07am when first contact will occur. At this moment, the Moon will appear to touch the edge of the Sun and begin to slowly obscure the right-hand side of the solar disc.
From this moment onwards the Moon will gradually appear to cover more and more of the solar disc until at around 11:05am maximum eclipse will occur.
After maximum eclipse the Moon will slowly begin to uncover the Sun's surface. At around 12:03 the partial solar eclipse will end at the moment of last contact, and the Moon will travel away from the Sun.
HOW MUCH OF THE SUN WILL BE ECLIPSED?
At the moment of maximum eclipse, depending on your location in the UK, you may be able to see between 28.1% and 47.8% of the Sun’s surface being obscured by the Moon.
WHERE IN THE UK WILL SEE MORE OF THE SUN DISAPPEAR?
On this occasion the eclipse will favour those at the far North-West of the UK, with those in the North West of the UK seeing a higher (47.8%) percentage of the Sun’s surface being eclipsed when compared to those in the South-East of the UK, who will see a much smaller (28.1%) percentage of the Sun's surface being eclipsed.
SAFE SOLAR VIEWING!
If you are lucky enough to be able to see the solar eclipse first-hand, please make sure you do so safely and take the correct safety precautions.
There are a few ways you can safely witness a solar eclipse:
• You can buy solar safety glasses that will allow you to view solar eclipses with your eyes.
• If you own a pair of binoculars or a telescope, you can buy specialised solar filters to attach to your equipment to safely view the eclipse.
• You can create your own pinhole camera that will project an image of the Sun onto a flat surface. To do this, make a small hole in a piece of card, hold this card facing the Sun. Then take a second piece of card (ideally white in colour) and place it behind the other card. An image of the Sun will be projected onto the second card (move it further or closer away from the pinhole to try to sharpen the image.
• A household kitchen colander makes for a great pinhole camera too, projecting lots of small images onto your card.
• You can also make a pinhole projection box that will give you a better view by projecting the Sun’s image onto a surface in a dark container (such as a cardboard box). This will stop glare from the bright surrounding area and give better contrast.
• You can also use a pair of binoculars or a telescope to project the Sun’s image onto a surface, much like a pinhole camera. This method will project a sharper and larger image. Point your binoculars or telescope towards the sun (DON’T LOOK THROUGH THEM, just roughly aim them at the Sun) and place a piece of card behind the eyepiece. Just like a pinhole camera, an image of the Sun will be projected onto this card. If you use this technique it is best to use a piece of equipment with simple construction, the heat absorbed from pointing at the sun can cause damage to complicated fixtures, coatings and glues within binoculars or a telescope.
• You may want to practice making a pinhole camera and testing it with a bright lamp before the eclipse itself.
• You could also online watch live streams of the Solar Eclipse from home. The Royal Observatory Greenwich will be live-streaming the event, and if we find time we may also live-stream the event ourselves.
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
• Never look directly at the Sun with your eyes, and never use binoculars or a telescope without appropriate solar filters to look at the Sun. Doing so may result in permanent, irreversible eye damage!
• If you are using filters with your binoculars or telescope, make sure the filters are well-fitted, following all instructions.
• Always keep your back to the sun when using projection methods.
• If using binoculars or a telescope projector, only use it for a few minutes at a time. The heat absorbed while pointing at the sun may damage your equipment and even potentially create a flammable hot spot on the card.
• Never image the sun directly without the correct equipment, as this may damage your camera and equipment.
• Remember to follow all these safety rules, and you will have a completely safe, great time observing the eclipse.
WHERE CAN I GET SOME CERTIFIED SOLAR GLASSES?
You can purchase certified solar glasses online from many different suppliers, including two of our favourite astronomy equipment suppliers:
First Light Optics – www.firstlightoptics.com
Rother Valley Optics – www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk
Alternatively, you can get hold of a FREE pair of solar glasses by attending on of our stargazing events (please see below).
FREE SOLAR GLASSES FOR OUR STARGAZING EVENT GUESTS!
In celebration of this special event, we will also be handing out free pairs of certified solar glasses to all of our guests who book onto our stargazing events that will take place on the 27th and 28th of March.
So If you would like to join us under the beautifully dark skies of Dalby Forest for a magical night of learning and gazing at the heavens, plus get hold of a free pair of certified solar glasses, head to our website to find more information and to make a booking!
CLOSING WORDS FROM ASTRO DOG
The partial solar eclipse on the 29th promises to be an amazing event so we recommend getting hold of some certified solar eclipse glasses and experiencing this incredible celestial spectacle for yourself!
We here at Astro Dog are super excited for this special celestial spectacle and will be out with our solar glasses, cameras, and solar telescope to try witness and capture this extraordinary event.
If you head out yourself to enjoy the partial solar eclipse we wish you good luck and clear skies!