There will be a chance to see a partial solar eclipse in the UK in 2025

There is hope for those who missed out on the spectacular total solar eclipse witnessed by millions across North America in April last year.

A partial solar eclipse, when the Moon moves between the Sun and the Earth, will be visible in the UK this year.

During a partial eclipse, the Sun, Moon, and Earth are not perfectly aligned, but part of the Sun will be hidden by the Moon.

The next partial solar eclipse will be on Saturday, 29 March 2025. The eclipse will begin at 10.07am GMT in London, with maximum coverage occurring at 11.03am and the eclipse ending at 12.00pm.

All of the UK should be able to see the partial solar eclipse. The Outer Hebrides is expected to see about 47% of the sun obscured, Northern Ireland 44% and West Wales 38%, according to BBC Sky at Night Magazine.

The last time a total solar eclipse was seen from the UK was in 1999. Due to the path of the eclipse falling on densely populated areas, this was one of the most viewed total solar eclipses. In the UK, the only place to witness totality was Cornwall.

Experts warn to never look directly at the sun or any form of eclipse without appropriate filtered eye protection.

The Royal Observatory in Greenwich suggests the following options to those wanting to look at an eclipse safely and directly:

Check to see if your local astronomical society is hosting a viewing event

Buy a pair of solar eclipse glasses

Use a pinhole projection to avoid looking directly into the sun

That’s not all for 2025’s celestial events. There are plenty of lunar events to note for later in the year.

Total lunar eclipse

On 7 September 2025, a total lunar eclipse will be visible from the UK. This occurs when the Sun, Earth and Moon align so that the Moon passes through the