A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun. Either side of that path, a partial eclipse is seen when a portion of Sun’s disc is covered but not all of it. Across our region, 93.2 per cent of the Sun’s disc will be covered compared to 90.7 per cent in Edinburgh, 91.4 per cent in London, and 93.1 per cent in Belfast. For South Wales, the eclipse gets underway at 6.16 pm the moment the edge of the Moon touches the edge of the Sun, known as ‘first contact’. Solar eclipse glasses can be purchased both in shops an on-line which will allow you to look directly at the event.