October 2022 solar eclipse: when is the next UK eclipse, date and time, is it total or partial - how to view

The only solar eclipse of 2022 visible from the UK takes place this month.

On Tuesday 25 October, the partial solar eclipse will be visible over areas of Europe, Western Siberia, Central Asia, Western Asia, South Asia, and from the north-east of Africa.

Here is everything you need to know about it.

What is a partial solar eclipse?

A partial eclipse occurs when a portion of the sun is veiled by the Moon, resulting in an unusual level of darkness when observed from Earth, due to the shadow cast on the planet.

Partial eclipses differ from total eclipses, which occur when the Sun, Moon and Earth align in space in such a way that the Moon appears to completely obscure the Sun from our vantage point on terra firma.

How can I view the next eclipse?

The quantity of sun ‘hidden’ by the Moon is determined by the location of the person observing the event: onlookers on the West Siberian Plain near Nizhnevartovsk in central Russia will witness the most ‘severe’ eclipse, with over 60% of the Sun’s surface ‘covered’.

Skygazers in Britain will still get to see a slightly crescent-shaped sun, but the 15% coverage predicted from the UK might not register quite as spectacularly as previous eclipses.

It is set to be visible in London at 10.18am and the eclipse will be at its ‘greatest’ at around 11am on 25 October, but remember, you should never look directly at the Sun when trying to observe a solar eclipse.

Check out our guide on the safe ways to make the most of the celestial phenomenon, without putting your eyesight at risk.

Of course, all of the above is dependent on your local area having clear skies on the day of the eclipse - being late October in the UK, that may not be likely...

When is the next total solar eclipse?

Eclipses aren’t all that rare. There has already been one other partial eclipse in 2022, although that wasn’t visible from the UK.

Following 25 October’s eclipse, the next eclipse to take place will fall on 20 April 2023. Though again, this one won’t be visible from the UK.

The next total solar eclipse to grace Earth will happen just under a year after that, on 8 April 2024. Sadly, this too won’t be visible from the UK.

Because this total eclipse will be visible throughout North and Central America, it has been dubbed "The Great American Solar Eclipse," just seven years after the first “Great American Eclipse”.

The next total solar eclipse to be viewable from the UK won’t happen until 23 September 2090! Technically, the next total eclipse of the Sun visible from the UK actually takes place on 8 September 2081, though it will only be visible from the Channel Islands, and not mainland Britain.