The Met Office has given out a warning to those wanting to catch a glimpse of the partial solar eclipse that will be visible in the UK on Tuesday morning (October 25).
A partial solar eclipse occurs when the moon partially obscures the sun when the sun and moon are slightly out of line with the Earth.
Those in the UK should be able to see it from 10.08am on Tuesday, with it being expected to peak at 10.59am before coming to an end at around 11.51am.
Before the event takes place the Met Office has warned people to not look directly into the sun as it is happening.
☀️ A partial solar #eclipse occurs over the UK on Tuesday morning, but will you see it? 🌑 The moon will pass in front of the sun, obscuring up to 25% of the sun's disk 🕶️ Remember, don't look directly into the sun, and you may not be able to see it with the naked eye pic.twitter.com/Z46kOUa49U
— Met Office (@metoffice) October 24, 2022
They tweeted: "A partial solar #eclipse occurs over the UK on Tuesday morning, but will you see it? The moon will pass in front of the sun, obscuring up to 25% of the sun's disk. Remember, don't look directly into the sun, and you may not be able to see it with the naked eye."
Why it is dangerous to look directly into a solar eclipse?
According to the website Prevent Blindness, they recommend not looking directly into the sun during a solar eclipse, except with great caution in the brief moment when the total eclipse is fulfilled.
They write: "Exposing your eyes to the sun without proper eye protection during a solar eclipse can cause 'eclipse blindness' or retinal burns, also known as solar retinopathy."
"This exposure to the light can cause damage or even destroy cells in the retina (the back of the eye) that transmit what you see to the brain. This damage can be temporary or permanent and occurs with no pain."
Damage that has occurred might not be readily apparent as it can take a couple of hours or even days for it to be noticeable.
Celestial Events to look out for in 2022
How to safely watch a solar eclipse
Prevent Blindness recommends using a pinhole projection which helps you avoid looking directly at the eclipse by using a projected image.
On their website they state: "This do-it-yourself project includes making a pinhole in a cardboard paper with the sun on one side and a piece of paper three feet away without obstruction to project the image on the other side. Keep in mind not to look through the pinhole at the sun."
Other methods to view a solar eclipse safely can be found on their website here.
Alternatively, you can watch The Royal Observatory‘s live stream on Facebook or YouTube of the event.
