How and When You Can Watch August's Stunning Partial Solar Eclipse From the U.K. and Ireland

Europe is getting its first total solar eclipse in 27 years, with some territories set to witness a full obscuration of the sun on Aug. 12.While residents in parts of Greenland, Spain, northern Russia, Iceland, and a small corner of Portugal will benefit from being in the path of totality, people in the U.K. and Ireland will experience a slightly more diluted version of the rare celestial event.The moon is set to cover around 90-96% of the sun in the U.K. and Ireland—the most coverage visible in the region since the total eclipse of 1999, the Royal Museums Greenwich tells TIME.As the U.K. and Ireland will have to wait until September 2090 to experience a total solar eclipse, it’s more than worth embracing the partial solar eclipse this month.Here’s everything to know about the rare spectacle, and how you can safely view it:What is a solar eclipse?A solar eclipse is when the moon, from the perspective of Earth, passes in front of the face of the sun, blocking out some—or all—of its light.During the moon’s orbit of Earth, it goes through a 29.5-day cycle, during which a “new moon” appears. At this stage, there is an opportunity for a solar eclipse to occur if the path of the new moon...