As a partial solar eclipse approaches the South West of England and the Channel Islands, people who witnessed the last total solar eclipse in the region on 11 August 1999 have been sharing their memories of the event. Cornwall and the Channel Islands were the only parts of the British Isles to experience totality, when the Moon fully blocked out the Sun, and witnesses described an eerie, unforgettable spectacle as day briefly turned to dusk.

Eyewitnesses recalled birds falling silent and roosting, a sharp drop in temperature, and an unusual grey light as the Moon covered the Sun. In Alderney, more than 250 astronomers gathered despite uncertain cloud cover, with totality becoming visible at 11:16 after clouds cleared at the last moment. This year's partial eclipse is due to begin at about 18:18 in Devon and Cornwall and 18:21 in Guernsey and Jersey, peaking around 19:15-19:17; the UK's next total solar eclipse is not expected until 2090, according to Royal Museums Greenwich.