Solar eclipse appears in UK skies as crowds watch from across the UK - see the best pictures
29 March 2025, 08:06 | Updated: 29 March 2025, 11:27
The solar eclipse has been seen in British UK this morning, resulting in a series of extraordinary pictures.
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The phenomenon occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth, so that the moon blocks the sun's solar rays.
The three were completely aligned, meaning only part of the sun was covered.
The eclipse is visible in the UK from 9.56am to 12.14pm on Saturday, with maximum coverage - where the greatest percentage of the Sun is covered - at 11.03am.
Brits needed key bits of kit if you are to see the partial eclipse in full view. With two thirds of the sun still being on display, watching it with the naked eye was dangerous.
Eclipse glasses offer a strong filter that remove glare and let you to look directly at the sun. They are different to sunglasses and viewers are advised to buy a new pair if they own an old one, which could have been scratched or damaged.
Some parts of the UK saw more of the eclipse than others. North-west Scotland saw the most coverage with 47.9% in Gallan Head.
Dover in south-west England saw the least coverage of the eclipse with only 28.1% of the Sun blocked by the Moon, while Manchester had 36.1% of coverage.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said ahead of the eclipse: "The further north west you are in the UK the more of an eclipse you are likely to have, whereas towards the south east it's a little bit less - but still 30%, and still a large chunk taken out of the Sun."
Met Office cloud cover maps show clear skies across south-east England at the time that the eclipse started, with partial cloud above Manchester and north-west England, and cloud above most of Scotland.
The areas that had some of the best eclipse coverage had cloud and rain at the time.
Ms Criswick added: "The unfortunate thing is across the South East you're only going to see about 30% of that eclipse, whereas further north west you could see about 50%.
"But, unfortunately, that's where we're going to see the cloud and the rain, so there's very little chance of seeing it here."
Meanwhile temperatures are expected to climb throughout next week, starting with highs of 17-19C on Monday and reaching 20-23C by Thursday and Friday.
South-east England is expected to see the warmest temperatures, with parts of south-west Scotland, the West Midlands, and north-west England also experiencing the peak of the warmth later in the week.
The rise in temperatures follows a brief period of unsettled weather on Friday and Saturday, which the Met Office described as occurring "in typical spring fashion".
Despite the daytime warmth, clear skies at night could lead to chilly evenings and even rural frosts.
Met Office meteorologist Honor Criswick explained: "We are going to see a short-lived spell of unsettled weather this weekend before we transition back towards a blocked weather pattern as high pressure builds on Sunday and dominates our weather through much of next week.
"While daytime temperatures will be warm next week, nights will still be chilly and there is still a chance we could see some rural overnight frosts under the clear skies."
