Where to watch today's solar eclipse in Eastbourne
A partial solar eclipse will be visible across Sussex today (Wednesday, August 12).
The event will be the biggest of its kind since 1999 and won’t occur on a similar scale until 2081.
There will be a 93% eclipse in Eastbourne lasting from 6:18pm to 8:08pm, with the maximum eclipse taking place at 7:14pm.
Eastbourne Astronomical Society (EAS) are hosting a public observing in Beachy Head car park between 6pm and 8pm on Wednesday evening.
The society will use ‘correctly protected telescopes, smart scopes and electronic viewing aids’ and will have ‘eclipse glasses available for personal safe viewing.’
Two cold water swimming groups are also hosting viewing events on Wednesday evening.
Trunks and Hunks are meeting near Treasure Island Adventure Park and The Beach Deck cafe in Royal Parade at 6:30pm to watch the eclipse with enjoy a dip.
Pevensey Plungers will be meeting from 5:30pm at Sea Road Car Park, Pevensey Bay, before ‘plunging’ into the sea at 7pm.
A spokesperson for EAS said: “An eclipse happens when the Moon passes in front of the Sun from our point of view.
“By chance the Moon is 400 times smaller than the Sun but is 400 times closer so they are similar in angular size – causing Total Solar Eclipses and sometimes Annular Solar Eclipses when the Moon is slightly further away in its slightly elliptical orbit c.f. Super-Moon and Mini-Moon.
“They do not happen every New Moon because the orbit of the Moon is slightly askew from the solar plane.”
You can find out more at eastbourneas.org.uk.