With UK observers set to be treated to a partial solar eclipse on Saturday March 29, I want to please introduce you to Lord Dover, an astronomer and a Senior Technical Officer at the University of Hertfordshire’s Bayfordbury Observatory and Dr Ceri Houlbrook, Senior Lecturer in Folklore and History at the University of Hertfordshire.

Mr Dover is a part of Bayfordbury’s outreach team and a regular media commentator on astronomy events. Dr Houlbrook has authored several research papers on mythology, popular beliefs and ritual practices of the past and present and is the author of Unlocking the Love-Lock: The History and Heritage of a Contemporary Custom

‘Eclipses are a natural wonder and have captivated people throughout all of human history’

Mr Dover said: “A partial solar eclipse is when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, but does not fully cover the Sun. It results in the Sun appearing to take on a crescent shape as the moon passes in front of it. This is different to total solar eclipse, where the Sun is completely obscured by the Moon.

“Because this is a matter of perspective, the fraction of the Sun that is covered depends on where you are on Earth. For this eclipse, viewers in eastern Canada will see the highest fraction of the Sun covered by the Moon (up to 93%) while those in central Europe will only see about 10% of the Sun being covered by the Moon.

“In the UK, the percentage of the Sun that is blocked will vary from around 30% in London to 45% in Scotland & Ireland.”

“The eclipse will begin at around 10:05 UK time, and last for just under two hours, with the maximum being just after 11:00. The exact timings will vary by a few minutes, depending on where you are in the UK.

“Looking directly at the Sun, either with the naked eye or through sunglasses, can cause permanent damage to your vision. We do not feel pain when the Sun is damaging our eyes, but just a few seconds is enough to cause damage. It is even more dangerous to view the Sun through binoculars or a small telescope and doing this can also damage cameras.

“But there are lots of ways to safely view an eclipse. Eclipse glasses are the most popular method – they are cheap, and wearing silly-looking glasses adds to the fun. They do get more expensive in the run-up to an eclipse, so it’s worth buying them early instead of leaving it to the last minute!

“You can purchase special filters that can be used to safely point telescopes or cameras at the Sun, but you should only do this if you are sure that it is safe.

“However, you don’t have to buy anything. There are all sorts of creative ways to do it, usually by utilising reflections or projections of the Sun.

“My favourite method is to use a colander – just hold it up in front of the Sun, and it will cast dozens of tiny projections of the eclipse onto a surface behind it – which could be the ground, a table, or a piece of paper being held by a second person.

“Eclipses are a natural wonder and have captivated people throughout all of human history. They are not strictly rare, but most people will only see handful of eclipses in their lifetime – especially in the UK, where it’s sometimes too cloudy to see one!

“Eclipses are a great opportunity to learn about our place in the Solar System, and many astronomers’ first memories of being excited about space come from eclipses like this one.

“After this, the next solar eclipse in the UK will take place on 12th August 2026. It will be a 90% partial eclipse making it the most impressive eclipse many people in the UK will have ever seen.

“In northern Spain, this eclipse will reach totality, meaning that it will be a total solar eclipse with 100% of the Sun being covered by the Moon. People will be travelling from all over the world to see this, so start planning your trips now!”

‘Some stories tell of gods or monsters destroying the sun and moon’

Dr Ceri Houlbrook said: “Mythology and folklore are drawn on in cultures around the world to explain both solar and lunar eclipses.

“Some stories tell of gods or monsters destroying the sun and moon. For the Ancient Assyrians, the culprits were seven demons. In Slavic folklore, it was a serpent-like monster known as ala who ate the moon, while in Korean folklore it is fire dogs called bulgae. In Hindu folktales, the Sun and Moon decapitated the demon Rahu, but having drunk the elixir of immortality, his head remained immortal. Rahu swallows the moon in revenge. In Aztec mythology, it was the jaguar god Tepēyōllōtl who swallowed the Sun, while for the Cherokee people, legend tells of a giant frog trying to eat the sun – so it’s custom to go outside and make as much noise as possible, to scare the frog away.

“Other traditions have the Sun and Moon as gods or mythical figures, often lovers. An eclipse may signify the two have hidden themselves in darkness for some privacy. It may also mean that the lovers are fighting and can be seen as an ill omen.

“But in some cultures, this has positive results. For some communities in Togo and Benin, an eclipse is viewed as a conflict between the sun and moon. To help them resolve this conflict, people must lay to rest their own feuds.

“In Christian Europe, an eclipse was said to predict the death of a ruler or a time of instability. The solar eclipse of August 2, 1133, has become known as King Henry’s Eclipse, because it preceded the death of King Henry I of England and the beginning of a civil war.

“In other cultures, an eclipse is a sacred moment when the sun or moon is reborn. For the Navajo people, it is a time of reflection and renewal, and to show their respect for this moment of rebirth, they do not eat, drink, or conduct any other activity during an eclipse.”