How to see the sun’s ‘devil horns’ during this week’s partial solar eclipse

You might be forgiven for thinking it’s the end of the world on Sunday when the sun suddenly sprouts ‘devil horns’.

On March 29, a partial solar eclipse will be visible in the UK and other parts of the Northern Hemisphere.

Partial solar eclipses happen when Earth, the moon and the sun are imperfectly aligned. The moon obscures only a chunk of the sun, a phenomenon that occurs every 18 months or so.

The moon is 400 times smaller than the sun but 400 times closer to us, so they appear about the same size in the sky.

And they rarely happen in the UK, too. Since 2003, only 11 partial, annular, or total eclipses have been visible.

If the stars align, the result can be a rarely seen crescent sun, bearing a striking resemblance to a pair of horns or a cheeky grin.

Here’s everything sky-watchers need to know about Saturday’s partial solar eclipse.

When is the partial solar eclipse?

Parts of North America will be able to see the eclipse at sunrise or shortly after. Afterwards, as the sun climbs upwards, it will be seen in Greenland, Iceland, Europe and northwest Africa.

The last people to see the eclipse will be Siberians. Quebec will have the best view, with 93.1% of the sun swallowed by the moon, forecasters from The Weather Channel say.

In the UK, it will start from approximately 10.07am, according to timeanddate.com, a website that shows the time, date and major events in places around the world.

The partial solar eclipse will last for about one hour and 53 minutes and be visible across the majority of the UK – including London.

The main event of the eclipse – when the moon takes a bite of the sun – will begin at 10.36am.

The biggest bite, called the maximum eclipse, will be at 11.03am.

You can use this tool by the online planetarium In-The-Sky.org to see how much of the sun will be covered by the moon.

Sadly, it’s unlikely that the UK will spot a pair of solar horns in the sky, appearing more like a crescent moon than Lucifer.

The northeast of the US, eastern Canada and Greenland all have the best shot at seeing the sun grow a pair of horns.

The coastline of Forestville, Quebec and Saint Andrews, New Brunswick, both in Canada, will see the sun grin like Cheshire Cat the most.

As will Quoddy Head State Park and South Lubec Flats in Maine.

How to watch the partial solar eclipse

For one, don’t just go out and look up. You should never look at the sun without special equipment to protect your eyes.

Inexpensive options for watching the eclipse include paper solar viewers and pinhole projectors.

You can even use a colander – yes, that thing in your kitchen – by standing with your back to the sun, holding it between the sun and a piece of paper.

But don’t look through an optical device like a camera, binoculars or telescope directly at the eclipse, even while wearing a pair of paper glasses. It’s not safe, according to the Royal Astronomical Society.

Instead, eclipse chasers should buy a special solar filter for their viewing equipment.

‘If you have a telescope and are projecting the image, or are viewing it using a safe solar filter, you may notice that there are dark spots on the Sun: sunspots,’ the society adds.

‘These are places where the sun’s magnetic field restricts its light output.’

‘Also look at the edge of the moon (known as the limb) and you might see that it isn’t completely smooth, as you can see mountains or valleys on the limb silhouetted against the sun,’ it adds.

Coastal areas, elevated terrains and places with an unobstructed horizon are the ideal viewing spots. You can use map services like Peak Finder to find the flat land near you,

But if you’re sadly stuck at work or the skies are clogged with clouds, Royal Observatory Greenwich is running a live-stream of the eclipse on YouTube.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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