SCOTS have celebrated the best solar eclipse in decades – but many were left disappointed when it was covered by a blanket of cloud
Crowds of people could be seen at viewing spots in different locations across Scotland as more than 90% of the Sun was obscured by the Moon, the most it has been blocked above UK skies since the total eclipse in 1999.
People could be seen with special glasses, homemade viewers made from cereal boxes and colanders.
Others brought their own chairs, while photographers could be seen with cameras.
The skies above Scotland were covered by hazy clouds throughout the period of the eclipse, with the sun completely hidden behind thick cloud in the 15 minutes or so leading up to the peak.
People could be heard discussing the cloud cover, and whether there would be a gap in time for them to catch a glimpse of the phenomenon.
Cheers then broke out when the sun re-emerged shortly before 7pm, giving people a clear view of the partially-covered sun.
Sophie Harju, 26, and Jack Nevin, 27, both from Edinburgh, had watched the eclipse via a homemade pinhole camera and a colander.
Ms Harju, who works in the NHS said she had not known what to expect, but that it had been “impressive”.
“It was a nice experience to see so many people out. But we maybe were expecting it to get a bit darker,” she said.
“It was a cool event to be part of and nice to see a little bit”.
She added: “This is the biggest Fringe show”.
Mr Nevin, who works in sustainability, said it was “cool” to see so many people come out to see it.
“People like the spectacle,” he said.
“They like when you can metric something, when you can say ‘this won’t happen again until this time’.
“I think people like to get together when there is something they can say is unique and novel”.
David Ellis-Shea, who had come out to watch the eclipse with his wife and eight-month old daughter, said it was a “special moment”.
“We watched the Moon pass slowly in front of the sun, in between broken cloud,” the 34-year-old, who had been wearing eclipse glasses, said.
“We got very lucky to see it perfectly as it crossed over a sort of gap in the clouds. Almost perfect timing really.”
He added it had been important to bring his daughter to see it given the next one is not due to happen until 2081.
“We were both reflecting that we probably won’t be here for that, but she may well be,” he said.
“And it was just a special moment to share with her, and hopefully she’ll be able to share that moment in the future with her family if she’s still around then, and remember the time she spent with us here.”
Convenience stores and national parks exhausted their glasses supplies ahead of the eclipse, which will be the country’s fullest for the next 54 years.
John Lewis said colander sales have increased nearly 40% compared to last year, as Nasa recommends the kitchen item as a way to watch the eclipse by viewing the shadows it casts on the ground.
A spokesperson said: “Colander sales have surged nearly 40% compared to last year, as shoppers prepare for tonight’s eclipse.
“We’ve still got plenty of stock for anyone wanting to view this solar phenomenon safely, and, unlike eclipse glasses, you can use it to strain your spaghetti for dinner afterwards.”
Only special solar eclipse glasses that are ISO 12312-2 certified for the safest eye protection should be used and sunglasses are not sufficient, experts said.
Following the 1999 total solar eclipse, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists reported around 70 cases of people experiencing vision problems after watching the eclipse.
Around 40% had looked at it for less than a minute.
Westernmost parts of Scotland can expect to see 92% to 94% solar coverage.
In an added bonus for stargazers, the annual Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak on the night of August 12-13, hours after the eclipse.
The shower is produced as Earth ploughs through a stream of dust left behind by Comet Swift–Tuttle.
Each tiny grain strikes Earth’s atmosphere at about 60 kilometres per second, burning up in a brief flash that takes the appearance of a shooting star.
