Up next in 10
Rewatch the best bits of Simon Marks solar eclipse coverage, as thousands of people gathered across Britain to watch the moon cover more than 90% of the sun.
00:00 | the eclipse starts in Scotland
04:30 | people gather in parks to watch the eclipse
08:00 | David describes seeing birds getting confused
09:33 | Emmanuel didn't know an eclipse was happening tonight, but saw it from the roof of his car...
11:41 | Why is the eclipse better in the South than in the North?
12:30 | Lee is in Santander, Spain and talks about the total eclipse there
15:30 | live reaction in Spain when the moon fully covered the sun
16:37 | why is a solar eclipse important for scientists?
24:10 | Tim is taking inspiration from the eclipse for his newborn's name...
Listen to the full show on the all-new LBC App: https://app.af.lbc.co.uk/btnc/thenewlbcapp
#simonmarks #solareclipse #eclipse #totaleclipse #spain #london #uknews #lbccallers #astronomy #astronomers #sun #moon #LBC
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0:00
The eclipse is underway. More than 90% of the sun is being covered by the moon
0:05
And if you happen to be in parts of Iceland or Greenland or Spain
0:10
you will get to see a total 100% eclipse. The UK has gone eclipse crazy today, so we're going to do the same thing this hour
0:19
Let us know where you're watching the eclipse, whether you are here or abroad
0:24
especially if you're listening to us or watching us in Iceland, Spain or Greenland
0:29
I'd love to hear about that experience. LBC's reporter in Scotland, Rebecca Brady, joins us from Kelton Hill overlooking the city
0:39
Rebecca, what are you seeing? What are you hearing? Tell us all about it. Good evening. Good evening, Simon. There were thousands of people cheering just a minute ago as the cloud
0:48
finally gone away just in time for us to see the peak of this eclipse. It's been cloudy all day here
0:55
in Scotland, a lot of people getting incredibly nervous that they wouldn't actually get to see
0:59
any of this eclipse at all. And at the key moment, we were alerted to it from all of the tears. And
1:05
you can hear them behind me again now, Simon. Can you hear that? Yes, we can. We absolutely can
1:10
Rebecca. It was a bit nerve wracking, to say the least, for a while. But we've got so many people
1:18
here, people who have made their own devices to try and view this safely, just like Erin. Erin's
1:24
joining me here she's from New Zealand and has come with her own sort of viewfinder Erin tell us
1:29
about this um yeah I guess it's a viewfinder projector um uh projecting the sun or the picture
1:35
of it on the back of the box it hasn't really worked very well until the last few minutes so
1:39
that's great um yeah my B&B host gave me the tea box and the tinfoil so shout out to Lucy for
1:45
organizing that for me and obviously it's a it's a big moment to be part of this eclipse we're not
1:50
going to see anything like this again until 2081 it was almost disappointment but what are your
1:56
emotions now well i mean they've it's come through in the end it was looking quite um disappointing
2:01
with some dark kind of gray clouds before but um i guess it's a good story it's coming back to us
2:06
at the end which is good and there's finally been some good scottish weather for a change although
2:12
albeit very very close to the end we're used to disappointment here as you know from our sports
2:16
Fair enough. Yeah, well, it's been stunning the last few days here in Edinburgh
2:19
and it was nearly going to be true irony that it was just cloudy today
2:23
But no, it's good. I'll let you go and enjoy the rest of the eclipse
2:28
Thank you so much, Erin. I mean, if you want to view it, we are being warned
2:32
Please do not look at it directly. You need some of these, which are special eclipse viewing glasses
2:37
Those went like hotcakes here. They sold out almost immediately, and they were giving them away at the observatory where I am now
2:44
But again, those were gone within minutes. If you couldn't get your hands on one and you're somewhere further south waiting for that peak
2:51
you can still use household items, something like a colander or one of these, a cocktail strainer
2:56
anything with small holes, even, I'm told, Ritz crackers. Now, let me show you those. Some Ritz crackers go through the holes there
3:04
And if you see the sun through that, don't look through them
3:08
Don't do that at all. Put them somewhere with a flat surface like a wall or the ground behind you
3:14
and the sun will shine through at that key moment. You'll see the crescent, whatever's left of the sun
3:19
that the moon hasn't obscured, you will see in the shadow on the ground
3:23
And that is a perfect way to view it. I suspect that's the first time you've packed Ritz crackers
3:29
for an assignment, Rebecca. I'm very impressed. Tell me, is this your first eclipse
3:34
It's not my first eclipse. I saw one in 2015 when I was still at school
3:38
and I don't remember it being quite this hyped up. I mean, we were just in the school playground then
3:44
But here, thousands upon thousands of people climbed Calton Hill waiting for something more exciting than the fringe, apparently
3:51
Well, you've got such a fantastic vantage point there. And I mean, your feelings at the moment of, you know, the peak of this eclipse
4:01
Sheer relief, Simon. I thought we were going to miss one of the most historic moments in this century
4:06
But finally, Edinburgh pulled through for us right at the very end, just like it always does
4:10
Absolutely. Rebecca Brady, thank you so much indeed for joining us live from Edinburgh, where the peak moment of the eclipse passed about four and a half minutes ago
4:21
Now we're going to go to LBC South of England correspondent Emma Kaur. She is joining us tonight from Winchester Planetarium
4:30
Emma, it's great to see you. What is the mood like there? Yeah, incredibly exciting, really
4:37
There's lots of people here, lots of families here with young children seeing this for the first time
4:43
Glasses on, as you can see behind me. We are just nearing the peak now and you can really feel it getting quite dark within the last few moments
4:51
I'm joined right now by Anna, who has been doing talks here this evening, here at the Planetarium, talking about this moment
4:59
Anna, this is fantastic. How is this going for you? It must be incredibly exciting
5:04
Oh, it's so exciting, honestly, to have so many people who are excited as well
5:09
So I'm not just space nerding on my own like I normally am about less exciting things
5:14
Yeah, it's such an exciting event. Yeah. And so rare, isn't it? This is so, so rare
5:19
Definitely. Yeah. So here in the UK, last time we saw anything this impressive was back in 1999
5:24
Next time we'll get close to this, 2081. So almost like a hundred year stretch of just this in the middle
5:30
and everyone's got their glasses on behind me. Obviously, this is, you know, you need those glasses on
5:37
I've tried them on earlier. I've got them with me right now, Simon. And, you know, you really can when you put them on
5:43
You can see. It's just so incredible. Have a little look. You can see a full crescent now, can't you
5:50
It's absolutely incredible. So we're going to hit 90%, are we? Yeah, so here in Winchester, 92.4%
5:56
So one of the better ones in the country. if you're more southwest you might get even more coverage than us but uh yeah pretty good for you
6:03
so simon this is it we are hitting the peak we're only three minutes away it's going to be a yeah
6:09
fantastic moment um already feeling quite dark and i think it's going to get a little bit cold
6:14
isn't it anna as well probably yeah a little bit um as you say we're nearing the peak so
6:19
a little bit more than this uh and then it will start to get light again before it gets dark again
6:23
for sunset so definitely going to feel a little bit confusing thank you so much thank you so yeah
6:29
Simon we are minutes away everyone incredibly excited got their glasses on I got mine too it going to be a very special moment and we can hear a steel band in the background I think celebrating this moment Emma is there a sense there at Winchester Planetarium that this is actually not only a very exciting evening
6:48
but it's actually boosting interest in astronomy, in the planetarium, in the work that it does and more broadly in science
6:56
Absolutely. And they say every time we have an event, we have, you know, star showers
7:01
we have things like that happen people become much more interested in astronomy and there's you know
7:06
there's lots of children here so that's fantastic you know potentially inspiring the next generation
7:11
of astronomers um and yeah anna was telling me earlier that that's what they hope to see tonight
7:16
they hope you will to come here learn about what's happening seeing it and maybe going away and
7:21
thinking about it as a career possibly emma core thanks so much for joining us live from winchester
7:26
planetarium. The peak is taking place right now here in London. Just before I came and took over
7:32
from Tom, we do have a pair of glasses. We managed to get a pair of glasses. You couldn't find them
7:37
for love nor money, unless you had lots of money here in London over the last few hours. But I was
7:42
just taking a look at the partial eclipse through those glasses as we were witnessing it here in
7:49
Leicester Square and shortly before the hour you could see about a third of the sun covered by the
7:58
shadow of the moon and it was quite a staggering thing to see. Good evening, yes, it's David and
8:03
Janity at Williams. We're up in Hamilton in Blackpool and we're in like a meadow and we can
8:10
see all the birds all acting funny and they're all diving into the water. Really? I mean they were
8:16
They're supposed to all get very quiet leading up to this, right? Because they sense something's happening
8:24
It's last time we've seen one. It was, I think it was about, was it five years ago it happened, did it
8:30
Well, there are partial eclipses from time to time. I mean, the last big one was in 1999
8:36
but you may well have seen a previous partial one more recently than that
8:41
We're sitting here now because we're both 60. and I don't think we're going to see the next one
8:47
So we've got a glass of wine and we're celebrating the one we're seeing now and it's absolutely gorgeous, a full blue sky
8:52
and we can see just the tips of the moon disappearing the sun
8:58
Why was it so important for you to get out there and see it, David? I feel like I want to see how this meadow reacts
9:07
and we've seen the birds get confused. Birds are flying in. And the seagulls and birds flying into the actual pond
9:17
We've got a pond in front of us where our bungalow is. And it's absolutely gorgeous
9:22
And the sun sets over the fields. See all the birds flying in
9:26
It's amazing. Sounds sublime, David. I hope you have a great evening
9:30
Really enjoy it. I didn't have a glassy, so I was driving around and I just turned and I saw it
9:35
It's amazing. It's amazing. I've packed it somewhere and it's amazing. and having a pair of sunglasses and watching it from the roof of my Tesla is amazing
9:46
Right. But you're not supposed to be looking at it directly, even with sunglasses, Emmanuel
9:52
Yeah, but through the roof of the Tesla, I know it's not supposed to be recommended
9:57
but it's amazing to see it from the roof of the Tesla. What have you seen
10:03
I mean, we're now just past the peak, but it's still, obviously, still underway
10:08
Yes. Yes. You can see probably about 90% of it. And has anybody else pulled over
10:16
Are there other people watching where you are? Yes, yes, yes. People have just got around my car watching
10:22
From the roof, yeah, from the roof. And Emmanuel, have you seen an eclipse before
10:27
I have not. This is my first time. And I didn't know it was going to come
10:32
so I had no glasses. It's just coincidence that I happened to turn and look through the roof
10:37
Right, I mean... I had a glimpse of it here. When you say you didn't know it was going to come, were you surprised by it this evening or you found out about it earlier
10:44
I'm surprised by it this evening. I heard of it, but I didn't have a gladiator
10:48
so I thought I was going to miss it. So what did you... I mean, did you just suddenly wonder what was going on
10:55
Yes. And how did you figure out what was going on? Well, when I was driving and I looked through the route of the space slide
11:05
I saw the sun being covered by the moon. That time it was around, let's see, 70%
11:11
But now I can see it's covered around 80%, 85%. It's moving slowly
11:18
And are you now an Eclipse fan? Will you try and watch the next one
11:23
Oh, sure. I will. It's amazing. Maybe by then you can get a pair of Eclipse glasses
11:29
Yes, yes, yes. It's amazing, yeah. All right, Emmanuel. Thanks very much indeed for calling us
11:34
That's Emmanuel in Heathrow, watching it through the roof of his car
11:39
He's texted in rather cheekily to ask, why is the eclipse better in the south rather than up north
11:44
Another example of favouritism with the south. I hope Andy Burnham sorts it out, he says
11:50
Craig in Clacton has texted in to say Donald Trump's solar eclipse was the best eclipse ever
11:55
and nobody had ever seen an eclipse like that and everyone knows it, a reference, of course, to the moment in 2017
12:01
when Donald Trump ignored all the advice of the experts and did indeed stare at the sky and look at an eclipse with his naked eye
12:12
Dean in Redditch says, In Redditch I can't see anything but a great big black cloud
12:17
What's the mood like where you are? Good evening. Good evening, Simon. Huge fan
12:22
Just do more Trump, if you can. But anyway, yeah, it's amazing here
12:26
The entire city's gone silent, right? Around the terraces, up on the top of Santa Terra
12:32
just visiting some friends down here. It's entirely silent. We're at about 91%
12:37
The darkness is coming. Just a wonderful experience. All the restaurants and the bars
12:43
they're serving espresso martinis as the Eclipse cocktails, all for free. And the Spanish government distributed a million pairs of their glasses
12:54
which is kind of cool as well. That's very cool. I'm just going to let our viewers who are watching us
13:00
on LBC's official YouTube channel, or the Global Player, or the LBC app
13:04
know that we are now showing you live images of what is rapidly approaching that peak moment And you can see just a very tiny sliver of the sun poking through as we get to that peak moment when more than 90 of the sun is being covered by the moon
13:25
And I think from this camera vantage point in Spain, we may actually see something very close to a total eclipse
13:35
Lee, tell me more about what the mood has been like in Santander
13:39
I mean, the fact that the Spanish government gave away all of those glasses, that was a good move
13:44
It's very cool. It kind of lit up all the restaurants and the bars and everything
13:49
Huge excitement all day. Look, it's like partial eclipses. They're once every 18 months
13:55
I kind of get all that. But when you go total, I mean, I'm just looking at the moment. Look, you can hear, right, I'm on a terrace
14:01
There must be 1,000 people here. It's completely silent. And now I can see on the video feed as well, we are reaching that moment where the sun is completely obscured
14:13
Yeah, just a little solar flare there that you can see now
14:17
Inspire every kid on the planet to look at astronomy and science and STEM and, you know, it's just a wonderful event, right
14:23
Everyone needs to celebrate it. I mean, that is what is so exciting about this, I think, the inspiration that it provides for people
14:30
Do you live there, Lee, or you just happen to be there? No, we've got some friends down here, so we're just here for a wedding
14:35
the weekend. So, yeah, but just the inspiration, yeah, it's all of Western Europe, Eastern Europe
14:40
Yeah, they got a 33%, I think. Central Europe got 40%. But every kid in the world should be looking up
14:47
you know, in that part of the world saying, wow, let me just learn more about this stuff
14:53
Lee, enjoy the rest of the evening. Thank you so much for calling in
14:57
That's Lee in Santander. I don't know if we can, I think we can take the sound from Spain
15:00
Let's have a listen and see if we can just hear the reactions of people
15:05
that's the reaction live from a beach in southern spain as the moment of totality takes place
15:23
and the whole of the sun covered by the moon and now we're beginning to see sort of solar
15:32
flares emerging. We saw one briefly on the left hand side as that moment of totality occurred
15:38
Now the moon is revealing just a little bit of a sliver of the sun on the right hand side
15:45
Let's listen again to that reaction. People sitting on beach chairs with their glasses on as Lee was telling us a million pairs
16:00
distributed free by the Spanish government. What a moment for those families
16:05
as they gather on that beach in Spain to watch this solar eclipse
16:13
We're not going to see another one like this until at least 2050
16:18
And in Spain, it has been as it was where it was viewed from Greenland and Iceland
16:25
as near a total eclipse as I could imagine seeing. in quite a moment
16:30
I spoke to Professor Chris Lintot, British astrophysicist and author, also the host of The Sky at Night
16:37
and I asked him yesterday, do scientists already know everything there is to know
16:41
about an eclipse, or what are they going to be gleaning from the events that we're all watching right now
16:47
The scientific excitement is that we get to see the sun's outer atmosphere from a total eclipse
16:53
So from here in Spain, where the moon blocks out the sun's disk completely, we get our only view of the corona
16:58
which is the sun's atmosphere and it's this sort of pearly white globe with streamers
17:03
and all sorts of textures to it so we get a good look at that so I know friends of mine are up in
17:09
an aircraft chasing the thing to make sure that they get a good sight of view in the old days
17:13
eclipses like this were a way of measuring the solar system so there's a famous eclipse in 1715
17:21
when Edmund Halley got people all over London and all over the country out to time the eclipse
17:26
because he was trying to work out the distance to the moon and the distance to the sun
17:30
These days we know those things. It's a chance to learn a bit about the sun, but mostly this is a chance to go outside and look up and enjoy a spectacle
17:38
which is, I think, the best kind of astronomy. Well, joining us now live from Heidelberg in southwestern Germany
17:43
is Mark McCorchorn, astronomer and former senior advisor for science and exploration at the European Space Agency
17:51
And Mr McCorchorn, I believe you are joining us from the top of a hill in heidelberg what are you seeing what's it been like it's great to talk to
17:59
you again yeah it's a little bit more than a hill actually we're about 1700 feet up um in the in the
18:05
odenveld the forest near heidelberg and then actually i'm standing looking down at the moment
18:09
about 150 foot up on a wooden tower uh there were a couple of hundred people up here and it's quite
18:14
wobbly at some point but everybody enjoyed what they saw um it's now about 20 minutes since the
18:21
maximum eclipse same as in the uk roughly for us about 90 percent uh not not full totality but it's
18:27
now setting towards across the city of manheim and across towards luxembourg so it's a very very
18:32
pretty blue sky here and a lovely place to watch it with lots of people and when you hit that peak
18:36
moment what was the public reaction there like well because it's not like totality when of course
18:41
the sun dims by a factor of a million or so it's a very gradual process but you could really feel
18:47
You know, things getting a bit colder as there was less sunlight. The light was getting dimmer
18:51
Of course, it's close to sunset too. But so there was a real sense of a party up here, people enjoying it
18:58
But nobody, there was no big oohs or ahs. Because again, if you don't see totality, I have to say, you've never really seen an eclipse
19:05
I recommend everybody tries to see a total eclipse if they get the chance. Of course, this year I didn't
19:10
But next year in Spain, there's another one. So it might be an opportunity for people
19:13
Yeah, we did actually just take some oohs and ahs from a Spanish beach as the peak moment occurred there
19:20
Can I ask you a question that's been texted in by Alex, who writes
19:25
the most amazing thing about the eclipse that no one thinks about is that it is an unexplained one in a trillion coincidence
19:32
that the moon for no reason just happens to be exactly the same size as the sun from the perspective of Earth
19:40
which is what makes these eclipses possible. it would be interesting to know what the astronomer has to say about that is Alex right Mark McCawcran well I wouldn want to necessarily get his statistics and estimate the chance of it happening but it is certainly true we in a very kind of
19:57
interesting time where the moon is just about the right size to cover up the sun sometimes the moon
20:02
is a little bit further away in its orbit because its orbits elliptical sometimes it actually
20:06
doesn't cover up the whole sun and you get a ring of the sun shining from around the outside it's
20:11
called an annular eclipse and in the deep past billions of years ago the moon was much closer to
20:17
earth and then you blocked out the whole sun and you couldn't really see the fire the corona that
20:22
chris lintock was talking about around the edge of the sun because the moon was so much bigger and
20:27
in about a few hundred million years they'll stop there will never be another total eclipse from
20:31
planet earth again because the moon will have moved far enough away that it will it just won't
20:36
cover the sun up ever from our perspective. So it's a fairly long period of time but it's a special
20:42
time. It won't last forever. And do you think that moments like this help inspire people in terms of
20:49
an interest in astronomy? Maybe moments like this inspired you when you were young? And I'm also
20:54
wondering if you think that they reinvigorate the public's commitment to and focus on science
21:01
exploration and discovery? Oh absolutely and I think you know the people here I work at an
21:07
observatory here the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy I can see it it's across you know about
21:12
10 kilometers away there are people looking down in the valley people up here on this high vantage
21:17
point and I think everybody kind of understands that this is predictable we know exactly the
21:24
second it's going to happen and that has to do with science the fact we measure the way the solar
21:28
system is moving uh the laws of physics apply to the sun and the moon just as they apply to
21:34
the fact this this great big wooden tower could hold 200 people on it without falling over
21:39
and it of course applies to so much else in life like you know vaccinations and energy issues and
21:45
climate change and i think you know astronomy is a very interesting gateway into people bringing
21:50
people into physics and being able to witness a spectacular event like this and of course i'm
21:55
jealous of the people who've been down in Spain seeing totality. But even 90% partial, it's a real
22:01
thing and you don't see it every day. And I absolutely agree. It brings people back into
22:06
science and physics and astronomy and I'm all for it. And can I just ask you finally about something
22:10
that Chris Lintot referenced there yesterday. These people that go up in aeroplanes, I mean
22:16
I've heard of sort of tornado chasers, but what do you learn if you go up in an aeroplane and try
22:22
and follow an eclipse? What are they learning? Well, the first thing is, of course, you can
22:28
get out of the chance of there being lots of clouds in your way. And some people have been
22:32
unlucky today, even in Spain. You get above much of the atmosphere as well. And that means you can
22:37
get sharper pictures. And in fact, the best way to do it's in space. And the European Space Agency
22:42
has a very clever spacecraft at the moment called Prober 3. It has a sort of boring name
22:47
but it's actually two spacecraft that fly 150 meters apart, and one of them can move in front of the other
22:55
and make an artificial eclipse in the sky. So actually, although this only happens every, you know
22:59
once a year somewhere on the planet and in a given location very rarely
23:04
we can actually make them in space now and learn about that atmosphere of the sun
23:08
So being in an airplane is a good way of doing that, but going into space is an even better way
23:13
And Prober 3 is, you know, taking amazing data. has eclipses more or less every day, which is a stunning achievement
23:20
Absolutely fascinating. Mark McCorcoran, thank you so much for joining us on LBC once again
23:24
Astronomer and former senior advisor for science and exploration at the European Space Agency
23:30
Joining us from Heidelberg in southwest Germany. Simon is listening to us on a sleeper train
23:37
from Helsinki to Kalari in Finnish Lapland. He says he was totally unprepared for the eclipse
23:43
and it's difficult to see much with the trees and buildings blocking most of the view
23:48
But between you, as in me, and Tom, as in Tom Swarbrick
23:52
you have helped make it an excellent experience. Oh, he says, and it's a lovely evening here and beautifully cool
23:59
I think it's just cool that Simon is listening to us on a sleeper train in Finland
24:04
Let's go to Chelmsford. Tim is a first-time caller to LBC. Tim, thanks very much indeed for calling
24:11
where did you watch the eclipse from? Good evening. Hi Simon, thanks for taking my call
24:17
Well, no disappointments our end. I got home from work, put on the glasses that my wife had pre-bought
24:24
about two months in advance to get ready and we've had an absolutely wonderful evening
24:29
The neighbours are having barbecues outside and we basically sat on the end of the bed
24:33
with a cup of tea with the glasses on watching the sunset over the sort of end of the garden
24:40
It was so good that our baby, so my wife's 28 weeks pregnant
24:45
was starting to do some little flips. So we were, maybe it's a bit of a good sign or a bad sign maybe
24:52
I don't know. I think that's an excellent sign. That's an excellent sign. It's picking up on your enthusiasm and excitement, surely
24:58
Yes, definitely. But I think my wife's now considering maybe Eclipse as a middle name maybe
25:04
Maybe, yeah. I don't think I can quite give it a first name of Eclipse
25:07
Well, but you could go with all sorts of variations on a celestial theme if you wanted to
25:13
Yeah, that's very true. But I don't think that's going to be my decision in the end, I'm afraid
25:19
I used to know someone called Ocean. But that's a whole other story
25:24
I'm very impressed, by the way. So when did she get the glasses? So about two months ago
25:29
So we do quite like sort of space stuff. We watch the Percy of Meteor Shower occasionally
25:35
We saw the Northern Lights a few years ago. So we're quite into our sort of celestial events
25:41
But I totally didn't realise it was happening until about a week ago. And she kind of sprung it on me with the glasses ready to go
25:48
Well, good on you. Especially with all the news and everything, of how hard they've been to get. Absolutely
25:52
I mean, I'm very impressed. I suspect I'm not the only person who has not been able to locate the eclipse glasses
25:59
that I got last time around. I'm sure we've all been scouring our homes and cupboards
26:05
in an attempt to find them, because you couldn't get your hands on them in London at all
26:08
over the last few days, or, of course, from the online merchants. No, exactly
26:14
I don't know how she did it. Well, she knows me too well. Well, she's done a fabulous job
26:19
Tim, thanks very much indeed for sharing that experience. Good luck to all three of you in the weeks ahead
26:26
Great to hear that story from Tim
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