With most online orders unable to arrive in time and shops running out of stock, it may be too late to buy eclipse glasses for Wednesday evening. However, you can still safely watch the spectacle using some common household items.
While a total eclipse will be seen in parts of Spain, Greenland, and Iceland, people in the UK will see a partial eclipse. Despite being partial, it is the country's most significant eclipse since 1999.
Experts warn that enthusiasts should not look directly at the Sun without specialist glasses. You should not be tempted to try using sunglasses or dark goggles instead, as they often do not give enough UV protection when looking directly at the Sun.
According to The Royal Astronomical Society, attempting to do so could end up seriously damaging your eyesight. This danger is also highlighted by a warning from a man whose eyes were permanently damaged by a previous eclipse.
Fortunately, there are several safe viewing methods to try instead. The Royal Astronomical Society suggests creating a pinhole projector, which can be made by poking a hole in a piece of card using the tip of a ballpoint pen. To use it, hold the card in one hand and a blank piece of paper in the other while facing away from the Sun.
Line the card and paper up so that an image of the Sun becomes visible on the paper. This pinhole projector will show you the shadow being cast on the Sun replicated in miniature, reminiscent of how two girls looked through their pinhole boxes during the partial solar eclipse in Boston, USA, in 2017.
Instead of straining vegetables and pasta, you can also use a colander to achieve a similar effect to that of the pinhole projector. Eye specialist David Jones, a consultant ophthalmologist at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, says this is his favorite way of witnessing an eclipse.
He explains that if you hold the colander to the Sun and look away from the Sun to protect your eyes, you can make not just one picture of the Sun but a hundred all at once.
Demonstrating the technique in a video on social media, he clutches a blank piece of paper behind the colander he is holding up. This setup creates a kaleidoscope of images showing the Sun and the shadow cast on it during the eclipse.
An empty cereal box is also ideal for making a pinhole viewer. It works similarly to the projector but should provide a clearer image because the cardboard box blocks out the surrounding sunshine and allows in only light from the direction of the eclipse.
To construct it, cut out a piece of paper that fits the bottom of the box, open the top, and tape the cutout to the bottom to serve as your screen.
Close the box and tape it shut. On one half of the top of the box, cut out a small square so you can see the paper at the bottom with one eye.
On the other half, cut out another matching small square, cover it with a piece of foil, tape it down, and use a pin or needle to poke a hole in the middle of the foil. Standing with your back to the Sun, use one eye to look through the open square.
Once you have lined up the hole in the foil with the Sun, you should see an image of it on the screen at the bottom, where you will see the eclipse.
You might be tempted to watch or film the eclipse using your mobile phone, either by pointing it at the Sun or taking a selfie video, but NASA advises against this. To take images when the Sun is partially eclipsed, NASA states that you will need to use a special solar filter to protect your camera, just as you will need a pair of solar viewing glasses to protect your eyes.
They also warn that sensors in your phone could be damaged if pointed directly at the Sun, which is especially true if you are using any sort of magnifying lens attachment on the phone.
When the partial eclipse becomes visible in the UK and mainland Europe on Wednesday, it will be in the evening, so it will take place low in the sky. For a better view, the Royal Astronomical Society advises you try standing somewhere more elevated than the area around you, with a clear view of the western horizon. Whatever you do, don't look directly at the Sun.
As skywatchers prepare for this rare event, many are also looking forward to other upcoming astronomical displays. Are you planning to watch the Perseid meteor shower peak, and how are you preparing?
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