Will I see the 2027 solar eclipse in London?
Partly
42% of the Sun is covered at 10:00 local time. A partial eclipse: worth a look through eclipse glasses, but the day stays bright. Totality is 1,625 km to the south.
When to look
Local time in London (BST).
- 09:03:34StartsThe Moon touches the Sun
- 10:00:06Most covered42% of the Sun
- 10:59:27EndsThe Sun is whole again
Will the Sun be clear at 10:00?
Close to a coin flip. Around 10:00 from 21 July to 14 August, the sky over London is on average 49% free of cloud: roughly the chance that the Sun is clear when the eclipse peaks. Heathrow, 23 km away, reported 49% in 663 weather reports (2006–2025).
2 August around 10:00, every year since 2006
- 062006: clear
- 072007: clear
- 082008: cloudy
- 092009: clear
- 102010: clear
- 112011: no report
- 122012: some cloud
- 132013: no report
- 142014: no report
- 152015: no report
- 162016: no report
- 172017: no report
- 182018: clear
- 192019: no report
- 202020: clear
- 212021: no report
- 222022: no report
- 232023: some cloud
- 242024: cloudy
- 252025: cloudy
Clear or nearly clear in 6 of 11 years on the day itself (Heathrow weather reports). One day is luck; the 49% 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 San José (Cabo de Gata)
Rooms in the path go first: book now with free cancellation, then check the forecast a week before. San José (Cabo de Gata) has 1 min 34 s of totality and a 72% 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.
London eclipse: questions
It starts at 09:03 and ends at 10:59 local time (BST). The most is covered at 10:00.
No. London sees a partial eclipse with 42% of the Sun covered. The nearest totality is about 1,625 km to the south; San José (Cabo de Gata) (1,645 km) gets 1 min 34 s.
Nobody can know that until about a week before. From history: around 10:00 in late July and early August, the sky over London is on average 49% free of cloud, so roughly a 49% chance that the Sun is clear when the eclipse peaks. That comes from Heathrow's own weather reports (2006–2025), 23 km away.
The Sun will be 40° 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%.