Millions of people across the UK and Europe watched the most dramatic solar eclipse seen from Britain in nearly 30 years. The event mattered because it offered a rare shared view of a major astronomical phenomenon, with partial coverage across the UK and totality visible in parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain.

In most of the UK, the eclipse peaked shortly after 19:00 BST, with the Moon covering more than 90% of the Sun; Cornwall reached about 95%. Clear skies helped viewers in central and southern England and Wales, while cloudier conditions affected northern areas, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Spain experienced totality at around 20:30 local time, with a total solar eclipse occurring at any one location only roughly once every 400 years.