South Londoners captivated by partial solar eclipse
Skygazers across South London gathered to catch a glimpse of the partial solar eclipse on Saturday morning.
More than 100 astronomy enthusiasts, families and children bustled around telescopes at Riddlesdown Common Car Park, Purely, at 10am.
The meet-up was organised by the South London Astronomical Society, which provided three telescopes fitted with professional-grade solar filters and ‘eclipse glasses’ to ensure a safe viewing of the celestial phenomenon.
Looking at a partial solar eclipse with the naked eye can cause retina damage.
The eclipse peaked in the capital at around 11am and was visible in parts of the UK between about 10am and noon.
Vincent Morris, chairman of the South London Astronomical Society, said: “More than 100 people turned up, especially families with kids.
“People were able to view the eclipse as it progressed, and many took photos through eclipse glasses and telescopes.
“Watching the eclipse alongside so many interested observers created a lively atmosphere of curiosity and sharing, especially when people time-shared eclipse glasses with strangers.
“It was surreal how a celestial event brought together people from different parts of the community.”
The phenomenon occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the earth. As the three are not completely aligned, only 30 to 40 per cent of the sun was obscured when viewed from the UK.
Catherine Muller, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said: “We’ve been very excited on the lead up to the partial eclipse at the Royal Observatory and it was fantastic getting to share that excitement with the crowd of visitors that came to view the eclipse with us.
“It was a lot of fun chatting with visitors and passing around solar eclipse glasses, as we all safely marvelled at this view of the Moon passing between our planet and the Sun.”
The next partial solar eclipse visible in the UK will be in August 2026.
Pictured top: Avid skygazers gather in Riddlesdown Common to catch a glimpse of the solar eclipse (Picture: South London Astronomical Society)
