Solar eclipse 2022: People delight in cosmic event hidden behind clouds

In the UK, approximately one quater of the Sun was obscured by the Moon while in Russia nearly all of it was blocked

A solar eclipse, during which the Sun was blocked out by the Moon, has taken place today.

In countries like the UK, approximately 25 per cent of the Sun was obscured by the Moon. In Russia, nearly all of the Sun was covered.

Many people took the opportunity to take photos of the cosmic event, the only one of its kind to happen this year, but overcast weather made it difficult for many people to get a clear shot.

“Partial solar eclipse in the UK at the moment. Sun looks like a munched on jaffa cake”, one person tweeted.

“We had a lot of clouds so I didn’t think I would get some photos. But the sun was stronger”, another said.

One person shared “images from the solar eclipse in Ireland” with a photo of a nearly entirely overcast sky.

However, other countries managed to get more impressive shots of the phenomena, in the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre, or in Allahabad in India, with the Sun coloured a dark pink.

(AFP via Getty Images)

Nevertheless, many poeple in the UK were happy to see the event. One skygazer said she was “off her head” with excitement when watching the partial solar eclipse, and compared it to watching Sir Paul McCartney at Glastonbury Festival.

Mary English, a writer and astrologer from Bath, said she was “away with the fairies” when witnessing the astronomical event.

“You have to remind yourself that you’re witnessing an astonishing natural wonder that most people in human history couldn’t comprehend”, said Jack Kerss a freelance astronomy and science communicator from London.

“Whether we were here to witness it or not, this eclipse would still be happening”, Chris Limb, a web developer and writer from Hove, said. “It also adds something magical and unusual to the day, the sun itself changes shape.”

The next partial solar eclipse will be visible from the UK in March 2025, with a total eclipse not forecast over the mainland until 2090, but a partial lunar eclipse will take place in the UK next October.

A total eclipse of the Sun is expected over North America in April 2024, with another in Spain in 2026.

Additional reporting by Press Association