Solar eclipse 2015: Town with best view gets tourism boost

Updated


Solar Eclipse
Solar Eclipse



Thousands of tourists will descend upon Torshavn, the capital of the Faroe Islands, for a prime viewing spot for the total solar eclipse on Friday.

According to the Daily Telegraph, it is one of just two places in the world that will be able to see a true total eclipse, with 100 percent coverage of the sun by the moon, with the other being the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard.

The Faroe Islands are located between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, and it is thought around 10,000 tourists from across the globe will visit the remote area to witness the total solar eclipse, which will occur at 9.41am local time.

Special glasses for solar ecplipse
Special glasses for solar ecplipse



The solar eclipse occurs as the moon's orbit travels in front of the sun, which in turn will cast a shadow over the Earth.

So where is the best place in the UK to see the rare phenomenon? Most of us in the UK will experience it as a partial solar eclipse, as opposed to total eclipse.

And sightings could be marred for some by cloudy skies.

According to Leon Brown, meteorologist at The Weather Channel UK, clearest skies for the eclipse will be in South West England, Wales, the Midlands and parts of North East England.

He added: "In the south east there will be a lot of early low cloud and mist but it will begin to thin with hazy sunshine by mid-morning so still a reasonable chance of seeing it.

"Cloudy skies in North West England and South West Scotland unfortunately.

"It will be partly to mostly cloudy over the rest of Scotland with best breaks in the cloud over the east."


Solar Eclipse 2015: Where and When to View It in the UK
Solar Eclipse 2015: Where and When to View It in the UK



According to ITV News, the eclipse will start at 9.25am in the Channel Islands and incrementally later the further north you live.

The Daily Telegraph says that London will witness a deep partial eclipse with 84 per cent of the sun covered.

In London, the solar eclipse will start at 8.45am, with the maximum eclipse at 9.31am. it will end completely at 10.41am.

The Met Office expects 94 per cent of the sun to be covered in Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Edinburgh, where it will begin at 8.30am.

There will be over 95 per cent coverage in the Hebrides, Orkneys and Shetland Islands.

If conditions are clear, the deepest partial eclipse, so the nearest to a total eclipse, will be visible from the west coast of the Isle of Lewis, where 98 per cent of the sun will be obscured at around 9.36am.

The next total solar eclipse to be visible in the UK will not be until 2090.




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Time Lapse Captures Partial Solar Eclipse
Time Lapse Captures Partial Solar Eclipse

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