Isle of Man 'very well placed' for solar eclipse

People on the Isle of Man are set to enjoy one of the best vantage points in the British Isles to witness Wednesday's solar eclipse, with the moon expected to cover about 93% of the sun at its peak.

The island is particularly well placed to see the partial eclipse, sitting just outside the path of totality, making it one of the best places in the British Isles to see it.

The event is unique in the solar system because the moon is 400 times smaller than the sun, but 400 times closer to it, making them appear the same size.

Astronomer Howard Parkin said the island was "very well placed" to see the latest eclipse of this magnitude, with another total solar eclipse not due to be visible in this part of the world until 2151.

Parkin described eclipses as "nature at its absolute best" and said having now witnessed four of them, they always left him "awestruck".

The eclipse will begin shortly after 18:10 BST on Wednesday, reaching its peak at about 19:09, when around 93% of the sun will be obscured, before ending shortly after 20:00.

Parkin said the island was well placed to experience a dramatic change in daylight, even though it would not enter the path of totality.

The weather is set to be dry and bright on Wednesday, making conditions ideal for observing it.

Parkin said while "it won't go pitch black", it would "go semi-dark, it'll be like dusk", leaving only a thin crescent of sunlight visible.

Despite the high degree of coverage, "even 7% of the sun will still give quite a degree of illumination," he explained.

Parkin encouraged people to watch the phenomenon, himself profoundly affected by seeing his first eclipse that had left him "smitten".

For those watching from the Isle of Man on Wednesday, Parkin suggested locations along the west coast for the best view, particularly Peel or Niarbyl.

And he said it was "extremely important" anyone watching used appropriate solar eclipse eyewear.

The eclipse will be total in parts of the world including Iceland, northern Spain, northern Portugal, and parts of the Atlantic and North America, with totality lasting for a maximum of about a minute and a half.

The west coast of Ireland will see an even greater partial eclipse, at around 95-96%, he said.

The coverage experienced from the island on Wednesday is the most significant since the total solar eclipse in 1999, without another to match or surpass it until 2151.

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