The solar eclipse on Wednesday 12th August

The next total solar eclipse won’t occur in the UK until September 23 2090, according to Royal Museums Greenwich.

….I’ve made me pinhole camera and got me colander out, though…

😂😂 -

Q:
Is it safe to view the eclipse though a couple of pairs of string Y-fronts?
Just asking for a friend.

A:
No you'll go blind and not from the effect of the sun.

Lucky us getting 5 pairs of spex from Jessops on line before the rush!

I’ll try and catch it on my plastic colander projected on to my wall

You have been warned. If you view it you will be taxed by Labour.... 🤣

Don’t turn your back to the sun & put your phone on selfie mode to watch the eclipse on your phone screen.

Apparently that will damage your camera lens - you need an external filter for your phone too!

During an eclipse the output from Solar will drop significantly - not down to zero but will be a marked drop in power output. That loss of generation has to be met by other sources (gas, wind, imports, batteries etc). Also the timing of the eclipse matters - this time round it is occuring between 6-8PM BST which is peak demand on the grid….at that time UK consumers are cooking dinner, putting the kettle on, turning on the TV etc. So we’re losing ~10GW of generation at a period of maximum demand. If the grid controllers don’t get things right and schedule the correct amount of generation, it can lead to blackouts (they will have been planning for this event for several months).

Really not very interested in this. I remember the total eclipse last time. It was mildly interesting but all I felt was, 'Is that it?'.

Heard just now on local radio
“I’m from Grangemouth so not seeing the Sun is nothing new.“

😂

I think it’s the eerie stillness that gets me most.

Presumably if you are on the moon looking up you see a big shadow cross the Earth. Which would be safer. Plus you can hold your hand up and make a rabbit's ear shadow on the Earth.…

Won’t the cheese melt when the Moon passes the Sun?
A sort of lunar fondue.

Sorry, I’ll get me coat. 😁

For those of you perhaps a tad curious about my (obsession) knowledge of the subject I hav a professorship in Eclipseology at Cambridge.

I’ll be in the cinema,to be honest this doesn’t really interest me…

I am looking forward to the stillness. I am safeguarding my newly decataracted eye. At the moment just the constant bright sunshine is keeping me wearing sunglasses as soon as I leave the house and indoors as well in the kitchen in the morning.

How early man must have feared what on earth was happening.

Indeed HelterSkelter. Frightening for them with no ‘end’ they must have thought the world itself was ending.

I wouldn’t use a colander, it will strain your eyes. 😂😂

FriedGreenTomatoes interesting career. I gather Elvis was one of your students.

He was! I didn’t like to boast though.

I found out yesterday that we have been selling the glasses at work, perhaps I should make more of an effort to go in and see what they’re doing 🙀

One of our AC and family are going up to our country park to see the eclipse, the other will go to the beach at the end of their road. DH and I will sit on the patio with a glass of something and watch as the sun will be at the end of our garden.

For the last eclipse I was at one of our local hospitals with youngest child having the cast cut off of my foot and leg. The radiologists came through with X-ray plates to look through and asked if we wanted to go out side and see it. I can remember it going very still and chilly, DD was six and can not really remember much.

This made me giggle…!

I’m surprised there haven’t been any warnings about fake eclipse glasses being sold as conforming to safety regulations.

I would have thought the criminal fraternity would have been spotted a money making opportunity months ago.

We're about to head west, probably won't get as far as Cornwall, but some good vantage points en route to stop for a 93% view.

Should get a good view from my patio with my colander. My son is taking his children out on a boat into the bay of Gibraltar with friends to watching I'm very envious.