No eclipse glasses? No meticulously planned trip to an observatory months in advance? Don’t worry, you can still catch tonight’s celestial action – and there are a few last-minute ways to get your hands on the all-important specs.
If the solar eclipse has somehow crept up on you, you’re definitely not alone. Tonight (Wednesday 12th August), Brighton will get a pretty spectacular partial solar eclipse, with around 90 percent of the sun covered by the moon at its peak. Things get going shortly after 6pm, with maximum eclipse at 7.14pm, before it all wraps up just after 8pm.
And with close to zero cloud cover, it looks like it’s going to be a pretty spectacular day to watch it.
But if you didn’t order eclipse glasses months in advance, grabbed one of the pairs being sold at inflated prices over social media, joined a waiting list, hopped on a plane to Spain for the total eclipse, or booked yourself onto a special observatory event (yep, Herstmonceux’s is sold out), here’s what you can still do in and around Brighton tonight.
First, though, you’ve heard it before, but it’s worth reemphasising: DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN WITHOUT PROPER ECLIPSE GLASSES. Not through your sunglasses. Not through two pairs of sunglasses or your phone. Not even just for a couple of seconds. You can permanently damage your eyesight. Ok, lecture over.
Proper eclipse glasses should meet the ISO 12312-2 safety standard. If you don’t have them, stick to one of the indirect viewing methods we’ve included below.
Head to the seafront
Sometimes the obvious answer is the right one. Brighton and Hove seafront gives you a massive expanse of sky and, crucially, a good view towards the setting sun. The beach itself is probably the simplest option: grab some food (we’d recommend a takeaway pizza or the Roti King/Plateau beach platter), find a spot and make an evening of it.
Some members of Brighton Astronomical Society will also be down on Hove seafront (Hove Lawns near the Peace Statue) for the eclipse with specialist solar-viewing equipment, so that’s a good bet if you want some expert help with what you’re looking at. Some of the group will be there from about 6pm with a couple of telescopes, but they have warned that while they’ll try to offer people the chance to have a look, they’re likely to be very busy.
You don’t have to sit on the pebbles either. If you fancy combining the eclipse with a drink, over towards the Marina, Temple, the tiny cafe with the big view, is doing a special opening from 6pm til 9pm AND they have a few (emphasis on the few) specs – pull up a deckchair on its terrace. Get there early as their licence covers seated customers only. Over that way, there’s also the Reading Room and Bison Beach Bar for other options, or further west, Babble puts you right on Hove seafront.
Just remember that being somewhere with a lovely view does not magically make it safe to stare at the sun.
Get up high
The beach isn’t your only option. With the sun fairly low in the sky by the time the eclipse reaches its peak, getting up high with a big, open view towards the western horizon is an even better idea.
Devil’s Dyke and Ditchling Beacon are the obvious big-hitters (hop on the number 77 from town), with huge views from the Downs – although we’d expect both to be pretty busy tonight, so don’t rock up at 7.10pm expecting to have the place to yourself. Closer to home, Race Hill and Tenantry Down are also worth a try.
And for perhaps the most appropriately named option of the lot, Hanover’s Setting Sun has an elevated terrace with panoramic views across the city towards the sea. As its name rather gives away, sunsets are something of a speciality here – so tonight’s might come with quite the added extra.
Wherever you go, height is only half the battle: you want as few buildings and trees between you and the western horizon as possible. You can see more information here, including details on cloud cover.
Try your luck at Goring Gap – there are free glasses
If you’ve got time to get out of Brighton, this is probably your best last-minute bet. Worthing Astronomers are holding a free public viewing at Goring Gap from 6pm to 8.30pm, with specialist solar-viewing equipment to see the eclipse safely and astronomers on hand to explain what’s going on.
Even more importantly for anyone frantically posting “where to get eclipse glasses in Brighton?” on Reddit this morning, the group has around 400 pairs of proper solar eclipse glasses to give away for free.
There’s no booking required, although we think it’s probably fair to say it’s worth getting there early.
Turn it into a sauna party
If you’ve left things late but don’t mind spending a bit more, Beach Box Sauna is holding an eclipse party at its Banjo Groyne beach sauna tonight – and, at the time of writing, there are still a couple of tickets left. The particularly useful bit for the disorganised among us? Eclipse glasses are included.
Watch the eclipse, then do some yoga
Yoga biz Do Your Om Thing is also making an evening of it in Hove. Meet on Hove beach at 6.45pm to watch the eclipse, then take a short stroll up to Hove Methodist Church for a 75-minute yoga and meditation session.
It’s £15 for the eclipse glasses and class – bring your own mat – or, if you’re purely on a desperate glasses hunt, they’re also (at the time of writing) selling the glasses separately for £4.
There could be a very good-smelling option too
We’ve also heard that Brighton Perfume’s Secret Scent Society is holding an eclipse viewing party at the Royal Pavilion and may still have some eclipse glasses available.
Again, this is one we’d check directly before banking on it – we’re including it because glasses are basically gold dust today, but we haven’t been able to independently confirm current availability.
Try to track down some last-minute glasses
If your main problem is that you’ve only just realised your normal sunglasses aren’t going to cut it, there may still be hope.
We’ve heard reports that Robert Dyas on Western Road and North Laine Bazaar on Upper Gardner Street may still have eclipse glasses available. We haven’t been able to verify current stock ourselves, though, so we’d strongly recommend calling before making a special journey – particularly as we suspect you won’t be the only person having this idea today.
And check what you’re buying. Genuine eclipse glasses should meet the ISO 12312-2 safety standard. If you’re not sure they’re legitimate, don’t risk your eyesight.
No glasses? Raid the kitchen
Didn’t manage to get any? That doesn’t mean you need to miss the eclipse, it just means you absolutely should not look directly at it.
Instead, you can watch it indirectly with a pinhole projector. Stand with your back to the sun, make a small hole in one piece of card and hold it up so the sunlight passes through the hole onto a second piece of white card or paper. A tiny image of the sun will be projected onto it and, as the eclipse progresses, you’ll see that image turn into a crescent. There’s a video here on how to make one.
The crucial bit: you look at the projected image on the card, NOT through the pinhole at the sun. Never use a pinhole projector like a pair of glasses.
Even easier: get a colander out. Again, stand with your back to the sun and let its light shine through the holes onto the ground, a wall or another pale surface. Each hole acts as a tiny projector, so you should see lots of little crescent-shaped suns appear. Nasa have got more on this here.
Yep, standing on Brighton beach holding a colander during a major astronomical event may attract some attention. But let’s face it, this is Brighton, so probably not that much. Plus, you’ll still have functioning retinas afterwards, so who’s really winning?
Or just experience it without looking at the sun
You don’t actually need to see the sun itself to experience the eclipse.
With such a large chunk of it disappearing, you should notice the light changing as the eclipse approaches its peak. It won’t turn completely dark – we’re outside the path of totality – but things should get distinctly strange for a while.
So even without glasses, find yourself somewhere outdoors, keep your eyes off the sun and pay attention to the changing light around you.
And we’re going to say it one more time because maybe you skipped the earlier bit and this really isn’t something to mess around with: never look directly at the sun without certified eclipse glasses. An eclipse doesn’t make the remaining visible part of the sun safe to look at and retinal damage can be permanent. Regular sunglasses, smoked glass and homemade filters absolutely do not protect your eyes.
Then stay out for the Perseids
And it’s not all over after the eclipse either – the sky’s got more in store. The Perseid meteor shower peaks overnight tonight into Thursday, with around midnight onwards the best time to start looking for shooting stars. So you’ve got time to go for a drink/dinner/nap after the eclipse before round two begins.
You’ll want to head somewhere away from Brighton’s brightest lights, give your eyes time to adjust and look up. Unlike the eclipse, you don’t need glasses, a telescope or any special equipment for this bit.
Under good, dark conditions, the Perseids can produce dozens of meteors an hour around their peak. Devil’s Dyke and Ditchling Beacon come into their own again here, although anywhere you can escape the worst of the city’s light pollution will give you a better chance.
And if all else fails, watch it online
Whether you’re stuck at work or just can’t face joining half of Brighton on the beach, there are other options.
The Royal Observatory Greenwich is livestreaming the eclipse for free, so you can watch experts do all the hard work while you remain safely on the sofa.
Eclipse around 7pm, meteors after dark. Happy hump day!