Image source, Reuters

Queen guitarist Brian May - who is also possibly the world's most famous eclipse chaser and astrophysicist - has travelled to eastern Spain to experience the total eclipse of the Sun.

"This particular eclipse is very low in the sky so you need to have a very good horizon," May - who will be watching from an observatory high in the mountains - tells BBC Newsnight.

"It's a kind of gift from God really right in the middle of the line of totality... so you actually see the Sun obscured completely by the Moon."

But the guitarist and stargazer warns he has only seen around half of the eclipses he has attended after being left "at the mercy of the weather".

"I just want to use my eyes, my ears, every sense to absorb what I'm really taking part in and it's a unique experience because you feel that you know where you are in space," he says.

"It's the only time that happens. You're looking in towards the centre of our solar system, the Sun, and you can never do this any other time."

Jacob Phillips
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

Thousands have been queuing in the scorching heat as the hunt for last minute lenses across the country ramps up.

A central London shop keeper has told my colleague that they have sold 26,000 pairs in three days across a handful of stores while they have become "like gold dust" in Glasgow. "We cannot keep up with demand," reveals a shopkeeper in Liverpool.

As a reminder experts have warned people do not look directly at the Sun.

In just a matter of hours the Moon will cover more than 90% of the Sun for most of the UK while parts of Iceland and Spain will experience a total eclipse.

Millions are getting ready for the UK's biggest eclipse of the century. "Bring your favourite chair," a volunteer tells me from the Wynyard Planetarium & Observatory in Country Durham. If you're local they are planning to "ration out" more than 300 pairs of lenses.

Meanwhile, aircraft filled with scientists are preparing to chase the Moon's shadow across the Atlantic Ocean while one eclipse chaser is preparing for another "highly addictive" experience in northern Spain.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Katie Law
BBC News

I went down to the pharmacy on my lunch break expecting to have to climb over a frenzied mob of eclipse fanatics with my elbows out, but in fact it was a very polite and orderly queue!

If you phoned up Grafton Pharmacy yesterday you could have reserved a pair, but now they've stopped taking names, and have limited the amount per customer from two to one.

While I've managed to buy a pair, with the queue stretching all the way down the block, it’s a good job I already made some cereal box pinhole viewers as a back-up.

Wedaeli Chibelushi
Live reporter

Image source, Dr Sian Proctor

Astronaut Sian Proctor has travelled all the way from the US to Iceland to attend an eclipse festival later today.

"I am excited for the eclipse and I really hope the skies clear so that we all get to experience totality," she tells me, as she prepares for the event in the north-western village of Hellissandur.

Iceland is one of the few countries where people will be able to experience a total eclipse. Countries like the UK will have partial coverage.

"I decided to come to Iceland because it is a special place... I am wondering if I will feel the same kind of awe and wonder I felt when seeing the Earth," says Dr Proctor, who will witness the big event with a group of other astronauts.

Dr Proctor was part of the first private, all-civilian team ever to orbit the Earth with SpaceX in 2021.

Millions of people across parts of the northern hemisphere are gearing up for a once-in-a-generation solar eclipse. Here's a selection of images from the places preparing for the spectacle.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Freddy Tennyson
Reporting from Spain

On the motorway just northwest of Barcelona eclipse mania is everywhere.

The roads are filled with foreign cars from all over Europe heading south to the area of full totality.

We've seen licence plates from as far as Finland on the road here.

Luckily the service station hadn't yet sold out of the eclipse glasses!

Tyler Edwards
Reporting from Cardiff

Cardiff woman Gill, who has just managed to pick up eclipse glasses for £20, says it was "too much money" but that was worth it to her.

“I really, really wanted to make the most of this opportunity to see another eclipse," she says, adding that she saw the previous total eclipse in 1999.

“It doesn’t compare to the eclipse in 1999. There were glasses in all the supermarkets... they were a lot cheaper as well."

Fellow shopper Jane says she managed to pick two pairs up in Cardiff today after being unable to find them "anywhere" previously.

Meanwhile, Nick Turner, owner of Camera Centre UK in Cardiff says he has sold about 3,000 pairs of eclipse glasses in the last few weeks after bulk buying them to sell online.

“Yesterday I had 300 which sold in just under an hour. This morning I drove six hours to get more," he says, adding that he was selling them for £20 to account for the fuel, shipping and freight costs.

"Normally they are only a fiver, but to make it worth my while I have to charge a bit extra – you have to capitalise on something when you can."

Wedaeli Chibelushi
Live reporter

Image source, Getty Images/Catherine Falls Commercial

Looking directly at the sun could damage the retina, harming the cells we need for "sharp, central vision", Mohamed Elalfy, president of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists tells me.

The retina does not produce a pain sensation so the viewer may not know the damage is occurring until it is too late, he says.

Damage from looking directly at the sun can be permanent, although some people recover within weeks or months.

Elalfy adds that's he's been asked if it's OK to dig out old eclipse glasses from the 1999 eclipse.

"Don't," he says, adding industry standards were likely different then and it's better to use a new pair.

If you're struggling to find a pair of new, industry standard specs, read our article on other ways you can safely view the eclipse.

Jack Grey
Live reporter

Image source, DIAS

Later this afternoon an Irish Air Corps aircraft filled with scientists will be heading to an exact point 10,000 feet (3km) high and 350km (218 miles) out over the Atlantic Ocean.

It will be plunged into complete darkness.

The plane, after having intercepted the total eclipse cast by the Moon's shadow, will chase the darkness across the ocean, giving the scientists on board an invaluable two minutes to study the Sun's corona.

"Being hands on with this experiment is extremely exciting," says Dr Laura Hayes, who will be among the team of scientists on board.

The assistant professor at the school of cosmic physics at the Dublin Institute for Advances Studies tells me this is the first solar eclipse she will experience.

Once the plane is in darkness, Hayes and her team will depressurise the cabin and pop open a hatch that exposes the interior of the plane to the elements so their solar telescope can get a clear view of the sky.

Image source, Getty Images

Hayes says the team will be studying the Sun's corona - essentially the Sun's "atmosphere" - which is usually "really challenging" to observe due the Sun's glare.

This allows scientists to map out parts of the Sun's magnetic field, which Hayes says is key to learning more about what drives the "huge solar flares" which can effect things like GPS satellites or the Earth's power grids.

The images taken by the team will then be compared with Nasa's observations, who are operating a similar flight "at a much higher altitude" from Iceland.

"We are prepared for this. We've had test flights. We're currently still here in the lab, putting things together... our biggest concern now is just weather," she adds. "But we have our fingers crossed."

Nick Johnson
BBC News

The queue for eclipse glasses from the gift shop at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich snakes its way out of the building and around the corner.

In the queue, Ian Smith tells me he wasn’t expecting the queue. But it has been moving fairly quickly.

Ten minutes since he joined, Ian is getting closer to the front door. “Ten minutes doesn’t sound like long, but it is in this heat!” he says.

Behind him is Margaret Wilson, who’s protecting herself from the sun with a large, blue umbrella.

“I live nearby, so luckily I can go home and come back and don’t have to wait around all afternoon after I’ve bought my glasses," she says.

Kris Bramwell
On holiday in Spain

I’ve come to Mallorca on holiday specifically to chase the eclipse. There is expected to be more than 90 seconds of totality here in the town of Cala Millor.

Businesses near the bay are closing early for the event.

I’ve got my glasses. My partner Holly purchased them back in May to avoid the rush and gave them to me as a birthday present in June.

I am just hoping the clouds don’t cover what I am specifically here to see - my first total eclipse.

So far so good.

Elizabeth Rizzini
Lead weather presenter

In position! Yes it's early for us here in Spain. The eclipse won't start until 19.30 local time (18:30 BST), but I've bagged the spot.

The beach is busy, but everyone so far seems remarkably unconcerned about the impending spectacle. We even got a car parking spot. I've had my first coffee in the beach bar.

The sun will be setting in the place where my finger is pointing at approximately 290 degrees. Totality will be just before sunset.

If I could I would remove those distant mountains to be honest. But we should get a good view, weather permitting and with a large area of high pressure now killing off any cloud - I am hopeful.

Image source, BBC/Elizabeth Rizzini

Rachel Flynn
Live reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Magnus Kristiansen, head of culture and leisure in Greenland's most populous municipality Sermersooq, is currently crossing his fingers that the sun will come out in time for the solar eclipse watch party he has organised in Tasiilaq town centre.

It's just past 10:00 there, and Kristiansen says he's ordered enough solar eclipse glasses (3,000) for the whole of Tasiilaq, as well as sending some to the five smaller villages nearby.

He started planning for the event when finding out about the eclipse one year ago.

"I don’t think people know what to expect," he tells me. "I try to tell as many people as possible that it’s going to be night in the middle of the day."

"Right now there's too many clouds," Kristiansen worries. But the event isn't starting until 14:30 local time (16:30 BST), which includes a livestream from Denmark.

"Hopefully this event will bring people together and [make them] curious about what is going on in this special phenomenon," he says.

The eclipse's path will start in Siberia in Russia, travelling to Alaska in the US around 07:30 local time (16:30 BST) - it will then sweep round to Greenland and through Europe.

Image source, Magnus Kristiansen

Rob Thomas
BBC Wales

A camera shop in Colwyn Bay, Conwy, has been overwhelmed by the demand for the special glasses which allow people to look at the solar eclipse.

Cambrian Photography had people queuing out of the door and down the street as customers snapped up 500 pairs in just a few hours this morning.

"We could never have expected this in a month of Sundays," says shop manager Joel Longbone.

He says that after fifty pairs of the glasses sold out in three minutes yesterday, the shop ordered another 500 pairs to be delivered by courier. But by around 11:00 BST, the shop had sold out with disappointed customers having to be turned away as they remained queuing outside.

"We were limiting it to two pairs a customer," explains Joel, who adds that he had tried to arrange meeting their supplier at a half-way point in order to get more stock in but without success.

Rachel Worrilow, originally from Colwyn Bay but home from Mallorca, one of the best spots to see the eclipse, spent 40 minutes queuing before giving up.

"I just feel like I would miss out if I didn't watch it - FOMO rather than actual curiosity," she says, explaining that she could have bought some of the specialist eyewear in Spain for one euro instead of the £4.99 being charged this morning.

"I missed my chance to see the full eclipse with €1 glasses," she says, adding that she was very surprised how many people had turned up to try and buy the glasses in Colwyn Bay this morning.

Esme Stallard
Senior climate and science reporter

Despite writing articles on the solar eclipse for weeks I forgot to get myself ready to watch it, and I have no eclipse glasses.

I went out hunting this morning, and like many people couldn't find them anywhere.

I tried my local opticians in Bristol as I heard some had been selling them. No luck.

But a stern warning on the door that I should "never look directly at the Sun as this can cause permanent eye damage".

Noted - I will be using my pasta colander.

Check out our article on how to watch the eclipse if you also didn't get your hands on some glasses.

Pallab Ghosh
Science correspondent, reporting from Burgos, northern Spain

The light changes first: flatter, cooler, as if the colour has drained from the day.

Through eclipse glasses, you can see the Moon keeps taking bites from the Sun.

Then, in the last seconds, tiny sparks of sunlight flare through lunar valleys — the diamond ring effect — and abruptly, the magic moment of totality.

The moon completely blocks the Sun’s bright disc – and a new object hangs in the heavens in their place - like a gigantic shimmering black pearl - for a few moments turning day into night.

Around the Moon appears the corona: the Sun’s extraordinary outer atmosphere, normally drowned out by daylight, now visible as a pale, pearly-white crown. Its delicate streamers stretch into the darkening sky, shaped by magnetic forces reaching far out from the Sun.

Image source, Getty Images

On Earth the horizon can glow with the colours of sunset in every direction. Bright planets or stars may appear.

For many people, the stillness is what stays with them: the hush, the change in temperature, the awareness that this familiar sky has become something utterly unfamiliar.

It is a moment that moves those who are lucky enough to witness it – reminding us the wonder of the universe and out place in it.

Claire Thomson
Reporting from Glasgow

I went on the hunt for the right kind of protective eyewear in Glasgow on Tuesday, where specialist eclipse glasses seem to be like gold dust.

In the store window of Specsavers on Argyle Street – one of the main shopping streets in the city centre – a sign read: “We do not sell glasses for watching the solar eclipse.”

Opticians said they had taken a lot of calls, with people desperately asking whether they had any eclipse glasses.

But customers have had no luck as many shops made the decision not to stock the protective eyewear.

Giles Edmonds, clinical services director at Specsavers, said: "With the type of glasses required for viewing the eclipse, being a single-use item and designed for a relatively rare event, we've decided not to produce or supply them this time as it's not the most sustainable choice for us."

He added people should only buy genuine products from reputable sellers and not use an old pair of eclipse glasses until they have been checked for damage.

There are also multiple signs dotted on the shop window of another retailer: “Sorry, we are SOLD OUT of solar eclipse glasses,” the notice read.

Jake Lapham
Live reporter

I’m at a convenience store in Shoreditch in central London where eclipse glasses are flying off the shelves.

People are literally arriving out of breath from running here, fearful they will miss out.

Taimur, the shopkeeper, tells me they have sold 26,000 pairs in three days across a handful of stores.

Louisa Scott just snapped some up, and tells me she saw someone on the street with a pair and asked where they got them.

“I’m really excited, I only found out very last minute that it was a thing and everywhere doesn’t have them,” she says.

But many people are scoffing at the £10 price tag. “Extortionate”, one buyer remarks.

Tom Gerken
Tech reporter

Pointing your phone at the eclipse can be terrible news for your device's camera.

"Point an unfiltered lens at the sun, and you risk burning out the sensor, just as looking with the naked eye risks your vision," says Uswitch's Jez Samuel.

"A phone camera lens focuses sunlight into an intense point on the sensor behind it, and enough unfiltered exposure will kill pixels permanently."

And it's not just him. Even Nasa says don't do it, external.

Funnily enough, the solution is the same for your camera as it is for your eye. Hold your eclipse glasses in front of the camera lens if you really must take a photo of it.

And if the temptation comes over you to ignore this advice, just remember: the bill to repair a damaged phone camera could end up being hundreds of pounds.

Image source, Getty Images

The UK is gearing up for a partial solar eclipse, while other parts of Europe are due to experience totality.

But what are the different types of eclipse?

Depending on how the Sun, Moon and Earth line up, different types of eclipses that are visible.

• A partial eclipse is when the Moon only covers part of the Sun.
• A total eclipse is when the Sun is completely blocked by the Moon, causing the sky to go dark.
• There's also an annular eclipse, where the Moon is in front of the Sun, but is too far away from Earth to completely block it.

During an annular eclipse, it looks like there's a dramatic ring of fire around the Moon - but this is just the part of the Sun that hasn't been covered up.