The solar eclipse on Wednesday 12th August

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).

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!

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

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

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

😂😂 -

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.

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

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

I’m probably more excited about the Perseids even though they happen every year. But this time it won’t be cloudy…

“It is safe to look continually at the entire eclipse while wearing your eclipse glasses,” says Sarah Knapton, The Telegraph’s science editor. “According to NASA, it is actually okay to look directly at the sun briefly during totality – when the sun is completely obscured. But Britain will only be having a partial eclipse which means the sun will never be entirely blocked out, so glasses must be worn at all times.

“Eclipse glasses are far, far darker than sunglasses and should not be able to see anything through them, other than the eclipse crescent.”

Nasa has also warned people against using their phones to film or photograph the eclipse, as pointing a phone directly at the sun might damage its sensors.

Calendargirl

Apparently 1999 glasses are not recommended to be used this time.

Don’t know why.

Someone on the news this morning said the old glasses shouldn’t be used . Maybe the plastic lenses aren’t as effective with age .

In 1999 we were with our great friends and all our children at Utah beach in France, it was a totality.
The temperature dropped quite dramatically, the birds roosted and the crickets sang.
We opened champagne and had a wonderful time talking to other spectators, our children have never forgotten it.

Apparently 1999 glasses are not recommended to be used this time.

Don’t know why.

I'm going to do what a chap on TV said to do. I haven't been able to get the glasses so I'm putting my phone in selfie mode and I'm going to record the eclipse as I'm watching. Then I'll have it to watch whenever I like. The place I'm going to watch at has trees and houses, I'm just hoping the field will be high enough as the sun will be fairly low in the sky.

In 1999 we were in a field. Tomorrow we’ll head for a local beach and hope the cloud stays away.

FranP

Took my daughter to Jersey because of the Eclipse. It was clouded over, so we saw very little.
Mum lived near Peterborough John Lewis which has a dark glass panel across the back, and she was able to watch it all via the reflection.
Might try that.

In 1999 I watched the eclipse reflected on our very large window at the front of our house purely by accident. It did have an eerie feel about it as it went very dark and chilly and very very quiet everywhere This year we are going to watch it from the Observatory above the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol.

I’ll be at the cinema….

Dreadwitch

Lol well if its being compared to 1999 I won't see anything, it was cloudy here.

Apparently many people have made the journey from afar to Iceland to see it, but unfortunately cloud has set in there and they could well be disappointed tomorrow.

Lol well if its being compared to 1999 I won't see anything, it was cloudy here.

Myself and my two sons sat on the banks of Derwentwater in the Lake District, we were living there at the time. It went a bit darker than dusk, all the birds roosted and it was so quiet. Looking forward to this one.

My husband is very into astronomy and has recently bought some fancy telescope which does astrophotography, so he is intending that we visit my son, whose garden has an unobstructed view of the sky, unlike ours., and try to photograph the event. It has the necessary filters on it to be able tolook at the sun through it. It is also his birthday so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for him that it is a clear day, as he's really looking forward to it.
I remember the previous one, we were away in our caravan, the weather hadn't been very good, and eclipse day was a bit better. So I was pretty miffed at losing the little bit of sunshine we'd managed to get! I just remember it as going pretty grey, more like a winter's day.

Took my daughter to Jersey because of the Eclipse. It was clouded over, so we saw very little.
Mum lived near Peterborough John Lewis which has a dark glass panel across the back, and she was able to watch it all via the reflection.
Might try that.

I was working during the last one but the hole office went outside to experience it.The weirdest bit for me was that the birds stopped singing.
When I got back to my desk, my phone was ringing. It was my daughters asking if I could come home ...
they thought the cat might like to see the eclipse with them and had shut the door to stop him running back indoors and now, they were all locked out!

BlueBelle

I m in east of England and from what I see it’s going to be the least visible here getting stronger going west

Yes, we're not far from Cornwall, so we will pop down there. 96%.
There won't be another one for a long, long while