Some stargazers witnessed a once-in-a-lifetime phenomena last year, when a solar eclipse crossed Mexico, the United States and Canada. The rare event took place in April 2024 and saw total darkness descend on parts of the US – with some places experiencing a blackout lasting more than four minutes.
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But when is the next solar eclipse in the UK?. The next partial solar eclipse visible from the UK and Europe will take place on March 29, 2025, and will see up to 47 per cent of the sun blocked by the moon. People in mainland Europe will get the best view but stargazers in the UK should be able to witness it too (weather-permitting, of course).
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It will begin at 10.07am in London, according to the Royal Observatory Greenwich, with maximum coverage of the sun at 11.30am. It will end at midday. However, we will have to wait a little longer for a total eclipse. A total solar eclipse happens when the moon and sun overlap.
The moon is able to cover the sun’s disc because, although the sun is about 400 times bigger than the moon, it is also about 400 times further away, so they appear the same size in our sky. If you are in exactly the right alignment on the surface of the Earth at the right time, you will see the two overlap exactly. This creates a zone that scientists call totality – the line where the moon completely blocks the sun, plunging the sky into darkness.
