Solar Eclipse in England 20 March 2015 and 12 August 2026

We had an exceptionally good solar eclipse in 2015. In the north of Scotland, the eclipse was almost total. In York, the moon covered 95% of the sun.

Some 10 years ago, we witnessed transit of Venus. We bought a special solar film to look at the Sun with the telescope. This solar filter came in handy this time, it fitted well on the lense of our camera. We also made solar glasses which was much appreeciated by Sonya's classmates.

In the morning, at the first contact, there were no clouds, so the pictures are very clear. Later, some clouds floated in, and the pictures are more diffuse. An animation made from these pictures is shown below

In 2026, there was another almost total solar eclipse, and once again we used the same solar film. Unfortunately, we were poorly prepared for filming, and we were unable to capture the entire eclipse.

We set up the camera on a tripod on the roof of our shed. There was a strong wind, so the video had to be stabilized using the astronomical software PIPP. After some time, the Sun moved out of the field of view. We didn't notice this, and had to stop filming.

There will be no more solar eclipses of such significance in our lifetime!