On Monday, millions of people across North America will witness the incredible spectacle that is a total solar eclipse.
But there is still good news for Britons who might be feeling a little left out of all the cosmic splendour.
Not only will a few UK towns be able to catch a glimpse of April’s eclipse, but another opportunity to see a partial eclipse is just around the corner.
Although we will have to wait until 2090 to see the next total eclipse over the UK, scientists say a partial eclipse will appear in 2025, before a 90 per cent eclipse in 2026.
Dr Edward Bloomer, senior astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, told MailOnline: ‘Throughout history, eclipses have been associated with good luck or bad luck, but really, it’s a fantastic chance to see the mechanics of the solar system at work.’
On Monday, millions of people across North America will witness the incredible spectacle that is a total solar eclipse
On April 8, a total annular, or ‘ring of fire’, eclipse will be visible over large parts of the US and Mexico.
A solar eclipse happens when the moon lines up between the Earth and the sun.
When the moon lines up perfectly it completely blocks the light from the sun, casting a shadow down onto Earth.
For anyone who happens to be directly within that shadow, it will appear that the Sun has been totally obscured by the moon.
The UK isn’t in this shadow, called the path of totality, so we won’t get to see a total solar eclipse.
But some people on the Western edges of the UK and Ireland might be able to catch a glimpse of a partial eclipse just before sunset.
Viewers will see between 44 per cent of the sun covered in Belmullet to 11 per cent in Glasgow from 19:52 BST onwards.
However, since the eclipse will happen so close to sunset over the UK, towns in the west will have a better chance of seeing some obscuration.
This is the second total eclipse to take place over the US in just seven years.
One town, Carbondale, Illinois, will have been in the path of both solar eclipses – earning it the moniker ‘the eclipse crossroads of America’.
As this map shows, a few UK towns will be able to catch a glimpse of the eclipse this Monday. The more purple areas of shading show where more of the sun will be obscured
This is even more exceptional when you consider just how rare total solar eclipses are in the first place.
Dr Kenneth Phillips, scientific associate at the Natural History Museum, told MailOnline: ‘Eclipses of the Sun or Moon do occur typically a few [times] per year but total eclipses of the Sun are very rare.’
The Moon doesn’t go around Earth on the same plane as the Earth goes around the Sun, making perfect alignment quite rare.
Dr Phillips explains: ‘The Moon’s orbit round the Earth is inclined by just over 5 degrees with respect to the Sun so only when the point where the paths of the Moon and Sun intersect at new moon do we get an eclipse of the Sun.’
The main reason that the US has been so lucky to see two eclipses over the last seven years is simply down to the size of the country, according to Dr Phillips.
He says: ‘Solar eclipses can occur at any place on Earth, no place is favoured.
‘The area of the USA is 10 million sq km, that of the UK only 1/4 million sq km, so the probability of a total eclipse in the US is about 40 times that in the UK.’
Hopeful eclipse-chasers in the UK will have to wait quite a long time to see a total eclipse, with the next one not visible until 2090.
However, if you can’t wait until then, there’s good news.
Dr Bloomer added: ‘There should be a partial solar eclipse on the 29th March 2025 (though it is less than 50% coverage even if you head up to the Shetland Islands).’
The best place to see next year’s eclipse will be Scotland in cities such as Glasgow where 42 per cent of the sun will be covered.
The path of totality (pictured) shows where the sun will be totally obscured by the Moon. Outside of this narrow band, people will only be able to see the sun slightly covered
On 29 March 2025, a partial solar eclipse will be visible from the UK. This map shows that the eclipse will be visible over the whole country but places in the North of Scotland will get the best view
As you head further south, less of the sun will be covered but even in London people will be able to see 30 per cent of the sun obscured by the eclipse.
The 2025 eclipse will start from around 10:00am GMT and finish at midday meaning there will be a good window to see the eclipse above any buildings or trees.
And in August 2026 there will be an even better partial eclipse over the UK during which more than 95 per cent of the sun will be obscured in places.
The best views of this eclipse will be from the Westernmost parts of Cornwall in towns such as Penzance, Porthleven, and Truro.
However, there will be good views of the eclipse from all over the country as London, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, and Glasgow will all see 90 per cent of the sun obscured.
A solar eclipse happens when the moon lines up between the Earth and the sun. When the moon lines up perfectly it completely blocks the light from the sun, casting a shadow down onto Earth
Provided there is not too much cloud cover, this will be the best chance to see anything approaching a total eclipse for a long time.
While there will be a chance to see a small partial eclipse every year until 2030, most of these will obscure the sun only a very small amount.
However, if you are planning to watch Monday’s eclipse, or any other in the coming years, it is absolutely essential that you use the proper equipment.
Dr Bloomer says: ‘Do not look directly at the Sun, not even for a moment.’
