By SAM GREENHILL, THE CHIEF REPORTER and SOPHIA STANFORD, NEWS REPORTER
Published: 18:59 BST, 12 August 2026 | Updated: 23:14 BST, 12 August 2026
Star-gazing mania gripped the nation on Wednesday night as millions marvelled at the once-in-a-generation solar eclipse.
As Britain sweltered in the fifth heatwave of the year, an eerie yet welcome chill descended as the Moon blocked out the unrelenting 30C sunshine.
Throughout human history, eclipses have stirred wonder, fear and reverence. The uncanny sensation – as day briefly turned into a strange twilight – caused temperatures to drop, shadows to appear at odd angles and animals to behave unusually.
The spectacle of our Moon ringed by a fiery halo set pulses racing across the world. Millions watched the sky show in awe, starting when the Moon took its first bite out of the Sun's right-hand edge shortly after 6pm in the UK.
It began at 6.08pm in Edinburgh, 6.17pm in London and 6.18pm in Cornwall. The Moon gradually slid across the face of the Sun until it all but snuffed out the light around an hour later. The best place to witness the phenomenon was the Spanish city of Burgos, which enjoyed 100 per cent totality lasting nearly two minutes.
Laura Stewart, a 35-year-old lawyer, was among 500 gathered on London's Primrose Hill. She told the Daily Mail: 'It feels utterly enchanting.' Aja Lilit, 24, of Uxbridge, west London, added: 'I can see the Moon and the Sun. I am nothing – but also a part of this. This is just so amazing.'
Gasps of 'wow', 'oh my god' and 'this is so cool' rang out at Greenwich Park in south-east London.
It was the first proper solar eclipse in Britain since August 1999. That was blighted by clouds, ruining the experience for many, but on Wednesday night, most of England enjoyed beautifully clear skies. The frenzy swept the UK from Inverness to Penzance and beyond. The best place to see it was Bishop Rock in the Isles of Scilly, where 96.5 per cent of the Sun was obscured.
Londoners gather at Greenwich Park to witness the rare solar eclipse on Wednesday evening, with the moon covering more than 90 per cent of the sun
People watching the solar eclipse at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, London, the first total solar eclipse visible over mainland Europe since 1999
As Britain sweltered in the fifth heatwave of the year, an eerie yet welcome chill descended as the Moon blocked out the unrelenting 30C sunshine at Northala Fields in London
The Moon passes in between the Earth and the Sun 7.13pm, during the solar eclipse as seen from King's Stairs Gardens in Bermondsey, south London
People view a partial solar eclipse beside St Michaels Tower on Glastonbury Tor, in Glastonbury