12/08/2026
🌒 MAJOR SOLAR ECLIPSE OVER PEMBROKESHIRE TOMORROW: HOW TO WATCH IT SAFELY
People across Pembrokeshire will have the chance to witness one of the most impressive solar eclipses seen from Wales in decades tomorrow, Wednesday 12 August.
Pembrokeshire is expected to be one of the best places in Wales to see the eclipse, with around 94% of the Sun covered by the Moon at its peak.
For Pembrokeshire, the eclipse is expected to:
☀️ Begin at approximately 6.16pm
🌒 Reach maximum eclipse at approximately 7.13pm
☀️ End at approximately 8.07pm
The whole event will last around 1 hour and 51 minutes.
Because the eclipse takes place during the evening, the Sun will be quite low in the western sky. A location with a clear, unobstructed view towards the west will give the best chance of seeing it, provided the Pembrokeshire weather plays ball.
⚠️ EXTREMELY IMPORTANT SAFETY WARNING ⚠️
DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN.
DO NOT THINK THAT BECAUSE 94% OF THE SUN IS COVERED IT IS SAFE TO LOOK AT.
IT IS NOT.
Even during the maximum stage of tomorrow's eclipse, the remaining part of the Sun will still be bright enough to cause serious and potentially permanent damage to your eyesight.
Normal sunglasses are NOT safe.
Two or three pairs of sunglasses together are NOT safe.
Do NOT use CDs, DVDs, camera film, X-ray film, smoked glass or tinted plastic.
Do NOT look at the Sun through binoculars, cameras or telescopes unless the equipment has a correctly fitted specialist solar filter.
Children should be closely supervised during the eclipse and should be told clearly not to look directly at the Sun.
If you have genuine eclipse glasses, they should meet the ISO 12312-2 safety standard and should not be damaged, scratched or punctured.
NO ECLIPSE GLASSES? YOU CAN STILL WATCH IT SAFELY
One of the simplest methods is to make a pinhole projector at home.
You will need:
• Two pieces of white card or thick paper
• A pin, needle or drawing pin
• A sunny spot outside
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PINHOLE PROJECTOR
1. Take one piece of card and make one small, clean hole in the middle using a pin.
2. Take both pieces of card outside.
3. Stand with your BACK TO THE SUN.
This bit is important. You are NOT going to look through the hole towards the Sun.
4. Hold the card containing the small hole above your shoulder so sunlight passes through it.
5. Hold the second piece of white card further away, allowing the sunlight passing through the small hole to fall onto it.
6. Move the cards closer together or further apart until you get a clear image.
The tiny spot of light appearing on the second card is actually an image of the Sun.
As the Moon moves across the Sun tomorrow evening, you should be able to watch that circular image gradually turn into a crescent.
You are watching a PROJECTION of the Sun rather than looking at the Sun itself, making this a safe way to enjoy the eclipse.
⚠️ NEVER LOOK THROUGH THE PINHOLE AT THE SUN.
The pinhole is a projector, not a viewing hole.
AN EVEN EASIER TRICK
Got a kitchen colander?
Take it outside, stand with your back to the Sun and hold the colander so its shadow falls onto the ground, a wall or a large piece of white card.
Each little hole can act like a tiny pinhole projector.
Instead of ordinary circular spots of sunlight, during the eclipse you may see dozens of tiny crescent-shaped Suns projected onto the surface.
You can sometimes see the same effect underneath leafy trees, where the tiny gaps between the leaves act as natural pinhole projectors.
Tomorrow's eclipse will be visible as a partial solar eclipse from Pembrokeshire. Although a total eclipse will be seen elsewhere along the path of totality, there will be NO period of totality here.
That means there is NO point during tomorrow's eclipse in Pembrokeshire when it becomes safe to look directly at the Sun without proper protection.
Enjoy what should be a spectacular evening over Pembrokeshire, take the kids outside and make a pinhole projector, but please protect your eyesight.
🌒 Wednesday 12 August 2026
☀️ Eclipse begins: approximately 6.16pm
🌒 Maximum eclipse: approximately 7.13pm
☀️ Eclipse ends: approximately 8.07pm
📍 Pembrokeshire
🌞 Around 94% of the Sun expected to be covered at maximum
PLEASE SHARE, particularly with parents and families planning to watch tomorrow evening. A few minutes making a simple projector is a far better option than risking permanent damage to your eyesight. fans
