‌By entering your postcode into our interactive tool, however, you can ensure you're gazing skyward at precisely the right moment as it passes overhead. View 2 Images (Image: PA)‌Solar eclipse glasses or specialist telescopes are the only safe means of viewing the eclipse directly. Wednesday's solar eclipse will be the finest this nation has witnessed in 54 years, and anticipation has been so overwhelming in the run-up to the occasion that high street shops and online retailers have completely sold out of eclipse glasses. The next occasion when the moon will obscure this much of the sun won't occur until 2081, while the next total solar eclipse visible in the UK will take place in 2090. Ms Bell recommended finding an elevated position facing west, with few buildings nearby, as the optimal method to observe the eclipse.