Solar Partial Eclipse!!!

My inner science geek was alive and well today as I got to see a partial solar eclipse over Scotland!!!!

For those of you who don't know about them I will explain! There is 1 eclipse every 18 months however only 1 year in 375 years will you see the eclipse in the same spot. This is because the 'perfect' shadow (known as the umbral shadow) covers less than 1% of the Earth - making it incredibly difficult to see one.

From my Biology teachers camera around 20mins before peak.

The eclipse I saw today was a 96% eclipse which is why on my photos you can see a crescent shape. I found it really exciting as it is predicted the next eclipse in my area with the same coverage would be in 2093! Even better my whole school had came in with wielding masks or 'pinhole cameras' (2 pieces of paper and one has a hole in it to reflect the sun onto the other piece) to watch so it was a really good atmosphere. Teachers had brought in cameras and were taking photos to stitch into a video too so they had a memento of the occasion.

Using 'Pinhole Cameras' to view the eclipse

All around Scotland there was a real buzz about the eclipse and I wanted to be part of it! I think it's really cool watching something that humans can't change. Nowadays more than ever we can change most aspects of our life however the eclipse is a phenomenon which remains as before.

If you ever have the opportunity to see a partial or even a total eclipse then please do! Although the hype for some was completely anti-climatic I still think it's an amazing thing to talk about and the chances of seeing it again is slim!