Stunning photos show the Partial Solar Eclipse as it dazzles skies around the world, with the crescent sun appearing with a 'bite taken out of it'
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- From the United Kingdom, a partial solar eclipse, beginning at 10:08 BST today, will be visible in the sky
- The sun will appear as a crescent — rather than its usual full circle — as the moon passes in front of it
- About 30 per cent of the sun will appear blocked out to onlookers in Scotland, and 20 per cent in England
A stunning partial solar eclipse appeared for skygazers in the UK and US this morning, making the sun appear as a crescent in the morning sky.
During the event, about 30 per cent of the sun was blocked out in Scotland, 20 per cent in southern England and as much as 70 per cent over Eastern US states.
British and Irish observers saw a crescent sun instead of a ring, and in the US, viewers witnessed a partial eclipse at sunrise, another rare phenomenon.
In the UK the partial eclipse began at 10:08 BST, reaching maximum coverage — or about a third — at 11:13 BST, ending at 12:22 BST today.
Twitter users have been posting their images of the partial solar eclipse, with some taken in the UK showing the event partly obscured by wispy cloud.
Meanwhile, a rare type of solar eclipse that created a 'ring of fire' cast a dramatic shadow over Russia and Canada.
The 'ring of fire' solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is at its furthest from Earth and is therefore too far away to completely cover the sun, leaving a ring of light.
The ring of fire was best viewed from Qaanaaq, a town in Northwest Greenland, but was also visible across much of Canada and Russia.
'From the UK, the annular solar eclipse will be a partial eclipse, meaning that we'll only see the Moon pass in front of a small part of the sun,' said Dr Emily Drabek-Maunder, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
She warned that looking directly at the sun, even one partially eclipsed, can cause serious and permanent damage to the eyes.
'Never look at the sun directly or use standard sunglasses, it can cause serious harm to your eyes,' added Dr Drabek-Maunder.
It also isn't safe to look at the sun through binoculars, telescopes or a camera lens without specialist filters – so best to avoid taking direct images.
Using a simple pinhole projector, solar eclipse viewing glasses, which can be purchased online, or special solar filters are viable alternatives.
'You can make a projector by poking a small hole into a piece of card,' said Dr Drabek-Maunder, adding you hold the card to the sun so it shines through the hole on to a piece of paper placed behind the card.
'You will be able to see the shape of the sun projected on to the piece of paper and watch its shape change as the Moon passes in front of the sun.'
The Royal Observatory Greenwich live-streamed the eclipse on its website and YouTube channel.
Prior to the event, forecasters warned that views of the partial solar eclipse on Thursday would be 'somewhat fleeting' across certain parts of the UK due to cloudy skies.
The Met Office, however, had predicted that those in central and south-east England would have clear spells to witness the spectacle.
Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon told PA: 'Thursday morning will see more cloud than recent days over east, south-east and much of southern England though some good breaks are likely with sunny spells.
'Similar conditions are likely over east and north-east Scotland with all these areas having the best visibility of the solar eclipse.
'There will be clear spells over much of central and south-east England.
'Much of the far south-west of England, Wales, Northern Ireland, western and central Scotland will have more in the way of cloud cover, and whilst this may thin by day, the likelihood is that visibility of the eclipse will be somewhat fleeting.
'It will be dry for many, particularly eastern areas, whilst western areas and high ground here are more likely to see some light rain and drizzle.'
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The unusual and rare sunrise eclipse was visible up the Atlantic coast, according to astronomers.
From South Carolina and moving north, skygazers needed to look north just after sunrise to spot the Moon taking a bite out of our star as it slowly rose over the horizon.
Philadelphia, New York and Boston saw 70 per cent of our star eclipsed by the Moon during sunrise.
A small stretch of coast in the US, in New Jersey and New York, saw 'red devil horns,' also known as the crescent sun.
UK stargazers will see the sun with a 'bite taken out of it' as the highest level of eclipse will be 32 per cent in northern Scotland, going as low as 20 per cent in southern England.
The next partial eclipse after this, visible from the UK, will be on March 29, 2025 when 60 per cent of the sun will appear to be covered by the Moon.
This will be followed by another on August 12, 2026 where the UK will see up to 90 per cent of the sun obscured.
The UK won't see a totality – where the disk of the Sun is fully obscured by the Moon – until July 23, 2093.
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