Will I see the 2027 solar eclipse in Manchester?
Partly
35% of the Sun is covered at 09:59 local time. A partial eclipse: worth a look through eclipse glasses, but the day stays bright. Totality is 1,840 km to the south.
When to look
Local time in Manchester (BST).
- 09:06:12StartsThe Moon touches the Sun
- 09:59:30Most covered35% of the Sun
- 10:55:15EndsThe Sun is whole again
Will the Sun be clear at 09:59?
Better than even. Around 09:59 from 21 July to 14 August, the sky over Manchester is on average 58% free of cloud: roughly the chance that the Sun is clear when the eclipse peaks. Manchester airport, 14 km away, reported 59% in 568 weather reports (2006–2025).
2 August around 09:59, every year since 2006
- 062006: cloudy
- 072007: cloudy
- 082008: some cloud
- 092009: some cloud
- 102010: cloudy
- 112011: cloudy
- 122012: no report
- 132013: no report
- 142014: no report
- 152015: no report
- 162016: no report
- 172017: no report
- 182018: clear
- 192019: clear
- 202020: no report
- 212021: clear
- 222022: no report
- 232023: no report
- 242024: clear
- 252025: clear
Clear or nearly clear in 5 of 11 years on the day itself (Manchester airport weather reports). One day is luck; the 58% above averages every day from 21 July to 14 August. How: NASA POWER hourly cloud data (2001–2025), corrected to match the weather reports of the 66 airports we checked (NOAA ISD, 2006–2025); NASA alone was up to 20 points too sunny along the Strait of Gibraltar. A real forecast exists about a week before: we'll add it here.
Staying in El Ejido
Rooms in the path go first: book now with free cancellation, then check the forecast a week before. El Ejido has 1 min 25 s of totality and a 73% clear record.
Keep your eyes safe
Look at the Sun only through eclipse glasses or a solar viewer made to ISO 12312-2. Sunglasses are not enough, even at 99%.
Once the last bead of sunlight disappears, take the glasses off and look. Put them back on the moment the Sun's edge reappears.
Never point binoculars, a telescope or a camera lens at the partial Sun without a solar filter on the front.
Manchester eclipse: questions
It starts at 09:06 and ends at 10:55 local time (BST). The most is covered at 09:59.
No. Manchester sees a partial eclipse with 35% of the Sun covered. The nearest totality is about 1,840 km to the south; El Ejido (1,860 km) gets 1 min 25 s.
Nobody can know that until about a week before. From history: around 09:59 in late July and early August, the sky over Manchester is on average 58% free of cloud, so roughly a 58% chance that the Sun is clear when the eclipse peaks. That comes from Manchester airport's own weather reports (2006–2025), 14 km away.
The Sun will be 38° above the horizon in the south-east, so pick a spot with an open view that way: a beach, a rooftop terrace or a hill. At that height buildings rarely get in the way.
Yes, for everything except totality itself. Use glasses or viewers made to ISO 12312-2. In a partial eclipse you need them the whole time, even at 99%.