The When: Solar Eclipses in the UK

Unfortunately, in terms of solar eclipses, the United Kingdom mainland is treated very poorly this century. There is only one total eclipse of the sun in the 21st century, on 23 September 2090 (this will also just be visible from the Republic of Ireland). There will also be a very prominent annular eclipse on 23 July 2093. (There will be many dramatic lunar eclipses; see the lunar eclipse list for details.)

Our overseas territories fare somewhat better:

• Gibraltar will see total eclipses on 2 August 2027 and 12 September 2053. The 2027 eclipse will also be seen in the Chagos Archipelago.
• The Turks and Caicos Islands will see a total eclipse on 12 August 2045.
• Tiny Tristan da Cunha, in the south Atlantic, will be in prime position to experience the total eclipse of 5 December 2048.
• The Rothera research station in the British Antarctic Territory will see the total eclipse on Boxing Day 2057.
• While not technically part of the UK, the Channel Islands will see the total eclipse on 3 September 2081.

The UK will, however, have some near misses; while not as spectacular as a total eclipse, the resulting partial eclipse will still be a sight to see:

• The total eclipse of 20 March 2015 will pass very close by the north of Scotland, treating the whole UK to a very deep partial eclipse; southern England will see the Sun around 87% covered, and northern Scotland will see a 97% eclipse.
• The annular eclipse of 10 June 2021 will drop the UK mainland into shade, with around 30% of the Sun covered in the south, and about 50% in the far north.
• The partial solar eclipse of 29 March 2025 will give the UK an eclipse of between 40% in the south-east, and 60% in the north-west.
• The total solar eclipse of 12 August 2026 will plunge the entire UK into deep eclipse, of 90% or more, close to sunset.
• There are other partial solar eclipses in the UK in the 21st century, but a particularly spectacular example is the total eclipse of 3 September 2081, which will give the whole UK a deep partial eclipse.

United Kingdom Solar Eclipses

This chart and list show all total, annular and hybrid solar eclipses visible from UK territory — and some nearby — from 1900 to 2100, plus some notable historic eclipses. So if your great-grandmother has memories of an eclipse in her youth, or if you're curious about your next chance to see a total eclipse from British territory, hopefully you will find the answer here. You can click on the date of any eclipse to go to a page of details, including maps, for that eclipse.

Use the zoom controls on the left to zoom in and out; hover over the marker in the middle of an eclipse track to see information on that eclipse. Bear in mind that for each eclipse shown, a partial eclipse is visible over a much wider area.

3 May, 1715 AD max: 09:36 UT Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.06; Saros 114)	A dramatic total eclipse plunged the Sun into darkness for 4 minutes and 14 seconds at maximum, creating an amazing spectacle for observers in a very broad path, 295 km wide at maximum. It was seen from a broad swath across England and Wales, Scandinavia, and northern Russia. The partial eclipse was visible across Europe, central Asia, and north-west Africa.
8 Apr, 1921 AD 06:51–11:37 UT Annular Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 0.98; Saros 118)	A large annular eclipse covered 98% of the Sun, creating a dramatic spectacle for observers in a broad path up to 192 km wide; it lasted 1 minute and 50 seconds at the point of maximum eclipse. It was seen in a broad south-west / north-east band covering the Hebrides and north-west Scotland, and north-western Norway and the Arctic.
24 Jan, 1925 AD 12:41–17:05 UT Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.03; Saros 120)	A dramatic total eclipse plunged the Sun into darkness for 2 minutes and 32 seconds at maximum, creating an amazing spectacle for observers in a broad path up to 206 km wide. It was seen in the north-eastern USA, and then between the Faroes and north-west Scotland, missing both. The partial eclipse was visible from the eastern US, west Europe, and north-west Africa.
29 Jun, 1927 AD 03:59–08:46 UT Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.01; Saros 145)	The Sun was darkened for 50 seconds by a dramatic total eclipse covering a narrow path at most 77 km wide. This was a sight worth seeing, and was visible across the centre of Great Britain, Norway and Sweden, the Arctic, and eastern Russia. The partial eclipse was visible from Europe and northern Asia.
29 May, 1938 AD 11:46–15:53 UT Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.06; Saros 146)	A dramatic total eclipse plunged the Sun into darkness for 4 minutes and 5 seconds at maximum, creating an amazing spectacle for observers in a very broad path, 675 km wide at maximum. It was seen from South Georgia and the extreme south Atlantic. The partial eclipse was visible in southern South America, the south Atlantic, and southern Africa.
30 Jun, 1954 AD 10:00–15:03 UT Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.04; Saros 126)	A dramatic total eclipse plunged the Sun into darkness for 2 minutes and 35 seconds at maximum, creating an amazing spectacle for observers in a path up to 153 km wide. It was seen across the central U.S., north-eastern Canada, southern Greenland, Iceland, and Scandinavia, eastern Europe, and the Middle East and into India. The partial eclipse was visible over the eastern U.S., Europe, the Middle East, western Asia, and north-east Africa.
26 Feb, 1998 AD 14:50–20:06 UT Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.04; Saros 130)	A dramatic total eclipse plunged the Sun into darkness for 4 minutes and 9 seconds at maximum, creating an amazing spectacle for observers in a path up to 151 km wide. It was seen from the Galápagos Islands, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Aruba, Curacao, Montserrat, Antigua and Barbuda, and Guadeloupe. The partial eclipse was visible in the southern USA, Central America, and northern South America.
11 Aug, 1999 AD 08:26–13:40 UT Special Site! Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.03; Saros 145) eclipse data page	A dramatic total eclipse plunged the Sun into darkness for 2 minutes and 23 seconds at maximum, creating an amazing spectacle for observers in a path up to 112 km wide. It was seen from the South-West corner of England, much of mainland Europe, the Middle East and South Asia. The partial eclipse was visible in the north-eastern U.S., Europe, the Middle East, western Asia, and northern Africa.
31 May, 2003 AD 01:46–06:30 UT Annular Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 0.94; Saros 147)	This was a marginal annular eclipse, lasting 3 minutes and 37 seconds, with the annular path visible in far north-west Scotland, Iceland, and Greenland. The partial eclipse was visible from much of northern Asia and Europe.
20 Mar, 2015 AD 07:40–11:50 UT Special Site! Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.04; Saros 120) eclipse data page	A dramatic total eclipse plunged the Sun into darkness for 2 minutes and 47 seconds at maximum, creating an amazing spectacle for observers in a very broad path, 463 km wide at maximum. It was seen from north-west of the British Isles, including the Faroes. The partial eclipse was visible from Europe, north-west Asia, and north-west Africa.
2 Aug, 2027 AD 07:30–12:43 UT Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.08; Saros 136)	A dramatic total eclipse will plunge the Sun into darkness for 6 minutes and 23 seconds at maximum, creating an amazing spectacle for observers in a very broad path, 258 km wide at maximum. It will be seen across the southern tip of Spain, Gibraltar, and North Africa, and the Middle East. The partial eclipse will be visible across most of Africa, Europe, and south Asia.
12 Sep, 2034 AD 13:26–19:09 UT Annular Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 0.97; Saros 135)	A large annular eclipse will cover 97% of the Sun, creating a dramatic spectacle for observers in a path up to 102 km wide; it will last 2 minutes and 58 seconds at the point of maximum eclipse. It will be seen from Chile, Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, and Gough Island. The partial eclipse will be visible across Central and South America.
12 Aug, 2045 AD 15:05–20:16 UT Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.08; Saros 136)	A dramatic total eclipse will plunge the Sun into darkness for 6 minutes and 6 seconds at maximum, creating an amazing spectacle for observers in a very broad path, 256 km wide at maximum. It will be seen across the central U.S., the eastern Caribbean, and the north-east coast of South America. The partial eclipse will be visible in most of the Americas.
5 Dec, 2048 AD 13:00–18:07 UT Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.04; Saros 133)	A dramatic total eclipse will plunge the Sun into darkness for 3 minutes and 28 seconds at maximum, creating an amazing spectacle for observers in a broad path up to 160 km wide. It will be seen in Chile, Argentina, Tristan da Cunha, Namibia and Botswana. The partial eclipse will be visible from southern South America.
12 Sep, 2053 AD 06:51–12:13 UT Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.03; Saros 145)	A dramatic total eclipse will plunge the Sun into darkness for 3 minutes and 4 seconds at maximum, creating an amazing spectacle for observers in a path up to 116 km wide. It will be seen in southern Spain and northern Morocco, Gibraltar, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, the Maldives, and Indonesia. The partial eclipse will be visible across most of Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and most of Asia.
26 Dec, 2057 AD 23:07 on 25 Dec–03:17 UT Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.03; Saros 152)	The Sun will be darkened for 1 minute and 50 seconds by a dramatic total eclipse covering a very broad path, 355 km wide at maximum. This will be a sight worth seeing, and will be visible in a broad band passing over Antarctica, including the British Rothera research station. The partial eclipse will be visible across Antarctica.
3 Sep, 2081 AD 06:31–11:38 UT Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.07; Saros 136)	A dramatic total eclipse will plunge the Sun into darkness for 5 minutes and 33 seconds at maximum, creating an amazing spectacle for observers in a very broad path, 247 km wide at maximum. It will be seen the Atlantic just south of Cornwall, central Europe, the Middle East, and just touching Indonesia. The partial eclipse will be visible in north-east Canada, over northern Russia, northern and western Europe, and north-west Africa.
23 Sep, 2090 AD 14:47–19:00 UT Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.06; Saros 155)	A dramatic total eclipse will plunge the Sun into darkness for 3 minutes and 36 seconds at maximum, creating an amazing spectacle for observers in a very broad path, 463 km wide at maximum. It will be seen in the Arctic, south-west Ireland and England, and north-west France. The partial eclipse will be visible from most of North America, extreme western Europe, and north-west Africa.
23 Jul, 2093 AD 09:36–15:21 UT Annular Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 0.95; Saros 147)	The Sun will be 95% covered in a moderate annular eclipse, lasting 5 minutes and 11 seconds and covering a very broad path, 241 km wide at maximum. It will be visible from north-eastern U.S.A, central Britain and the north of Ireland, across Europe and into south Asia. The partial eclipse will be visible in north-east North America, Europe, and north Africa.
16 Jan, 2094 AD 16:50–21:02 UT Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.03; Saros 152)	The Sun will be darkened for 1 minute and 51 seconds by a dramatic total eclipse covering a very broad path, 329 km wide at maximum. This will be a sight worth seeing, and will be visible from Antarctica, including the South Pole. The partial eclipse will be visible in Antarctica, New Zealand, southern South America, the Falklands, and the southern ocean.