This content is provided by Exco Player and may use cookies or similar technologies. Please click 'Allow and Continue' below to load the content.
Londoners are scrambling to get their hands on specialist glasses to watch the most significant solar eclipse in a generation.
The rare celestial event takes place today, with the moon set to cover around 90 to 92% of the sun, and Londoners have been going to great lengths to make sure they don’t miss it.
Queues have snaked around shops and stalls at locations including Old Spitalfields Market, Bond Street, Wimbledon, Arsenal and Greenwich in the hunt for a pair of specialist glasses.
The eclipse will begin at 6.17pm, reaching its maximum at 7.12pm, before coming to an end at 8.06pm.
The Standard will be providing a live stream of the eclipse.
Follow our live blog for the latest solar eclipse updates…
The extent of the Sun’s coverage and the timings of the obscuration differ across the country.
The Met Office said weather conditions in most of the country will be “more or less perfect” for eclipse viewing.
London is forecast to have clear, sunny skies this evening with temperatures around 32C.
A spokesperson for the Met Office said: “With clear skies forecast across much of the UK, conditions should be more or less perfect for many to experience the partial solar eclipse.
“The north and west of the country are most likely to struggle with cloud cover when viewing the eclipse on Wednesday evening, particularly across Northern Ireland and western Scotland.
“The rest of Scotland and northern England may also see a good deal of high-level cloud, making skies rather hazy. The best opportunities for viewing the eclipse are likely to be south of a line from Aberystwyth to Lincoln.”
London will see its most complete solar eclipse in over a quarter of a century today.
The phenomenon means the moon will pass directly between the Earth and the sun, blocking the sun’s light almost entirely.
