There will be a significant partial solar eclipse visible from London in August, and several local astronomical societies are organising viewings with astronomers on hand to help. The solar eclipse on 12th August 2026 is mostly occurring over the Atlantic, but we Londoners still get a 90 per cent coverage, which is pretty decent. Ordinary sunglasses – no matter how dark – do not provide adequate protection for viewing a solar eclipse. If you want to use eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewers, make sure they are genuine eclipse glasses with specially designed filters that meet the international safety standard ISO 12312-2:2015(E). Genuine eclipse glasses are available from reputable retailers or such as these ones from Amazon.