Solar Eclipse 🌞 August 12

Simon O'Donovan
4 hours ago
2 min read

CST Activities – Solar Eclipse Day

On Wednesday 12 August 2026, people across the UK will witness one of nature's most spectacular events - a near total solar eclipse (96%). For a few magical minutes, the Moon will almost completely cover the Sun, daylight will fade into an eerie twilight, temperatures may fall, birds may fall silent, and bright stars and planets can appear in the daytime sky.

For many people this will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The last total solar eclipse visible from mainland Britain was in 1999, and the next won't arrive for many decades.

Today's activities celebrate this remarkable event with fascinating facts, memories, quizzes, music, practical crafts and conversation.

We'll discover:

What actually happens during a total eclipse.
Why the Moon fits the Sun almost perfectly.
Memories of the famous 1999 eclipse.
Safe ways to enjoy today's event.
The science, myths and legends surrounding eclipses.
Music inspired by the Sun, Moon and stars.
The spectacular Perseid meteor shower, arriving just hours after the eclipse.

Prepare to look up... safely!

Today's Session

🌞 About Total Solar Eclipses

Discover what happens as the Moon slowly moves across the face of the Sun, creating one of the greatest spectacles in nature.

🌗 The Amazing Celestial Coincidence

Why does the Moon appear to be exactly the right size to cover the Sun? Explore one of astronomy's most remarkable coincidences.

🌑 The Great Eclipse of 1999

Relive Britain's last total eclipse with memorable facts, photographs and reminiscences from that unforgettable August day.

📍 Eclipse Marker – Plymouth Hoe

Learn about the special monument marking the path of the 1999 eclipse and why Plymouth became part of eclipse history.

🕶️ 12 August 2026 – What Happens and When?

Follow the timeline of today's eclipse, from first contact to totality and the return of daylight.

⚠️ Don't Be Like Donald...

A light-hearted but important reminder that protective eclipse glasses must be worn whenever any part of the Sun is visible.

🌍 Eclipse Facts, Legends & Einstein

Discover ancient myths, strange eclipse traditions, and how one eclipse helped prove Albert Einstein's revolutionary ideas about gravity.

🎵 CST Songs of the Day

Mr Blue Sky – Electric Light Orchestra
Total Eclipse of the Heart – Bonnie Tyler
Here Comes the Sun – The Beatles
Vincent (Starry, Starry Night) – Don McLean

☄️ The Perseid Meteor Shower

As darkness falls after the eclipse, look up again for one of the year's best meteor showers, producing dozens of shooting stars every hour.

🎨 Practical Activity

Create your own paper plate eclipse, showing the Moon gradually covering and uncovering the Sun. Decorate it with bright colours, glitter or painted stars, then talk about where you watched today's eclipse and who you shared it with.