Millions across the United Kingdom (UK) and Europe turned their eyes to the sky as a rare solar eclipse swept across the region on Wednesday, 12th August, 2026, marking the most dramatic such event in nearly 30 years and turning the evening light noticeably darker in parts of Britain.

Those watching from the UK witnessed a partial solar eclipse that peaked shortly after 7.00 pm (local time), with the Moon obscuring more than 90 per cent of the Sun for most viewers.

It then swept south towards the UK, where the partial eclipse began at around 6.00 pm (local time) in northern Scotland and just before 6.20 pm (local time) along England’s south coast.

Clear skies across much of central and southern England and Wales offered spectators unobstructed views of the Moon passing across the Sun for about an hour.

While cloudier conditions prevailed in northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, crowds still gathered at landmarks across the country.

But in parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain, the Moon completely covered the Sun, plunging the areas into brief darkness as viewers witnessed a rare total solar eclipse.

The eclipse’s path of totality began at the northern tip of Siberia, Russia, before curving across the Arctic Ocean and reaching Iceland in the early evening.