Thousands of Londoners will flock to vantage points across the capital tomorrow morning as a solar eclipse plunges rush hour into darkness - if clouds don’t spoil the view.
The eclipse begins at about 8.25am and ends at 10.40am, with nearly 85 per cent of the sun covered at 9.30am as the moon moves in front of the sun.
The last major solar eclipse happened in 1999 and there will not be another of such significance until 2026.
Analysts have suggested the event could cost the British economy £635 million if workers take an hour off to experience it.
Absence monitoring firm FirstCare predicted a 10 per cent increase in absenteeism tomorrow.
Experts warned people should not look at the sun, even through sunglasses or welders glasses and despite the forecasted thick cloud cover.
Royal Observatory Greenwich astronomer Tom Kerss said the easiest DIY method was to make a simple pinhole eclipse projector from cardboard, or use a kitchen colander to view the shadow.
Hundreds of people are expected to descend on the Greenwich observatory tomorrow.
It opens at 8am for “a morning of safe observing through telescopes and solar viewers” with professional astronomers on hand to answer questions.
In Greenwich Park, there will be free solar telescopes set up in front of the General Wolfe statue and protective viewing glasses will also be available, courtesy of the Flamsteed Astronomy Society.
In Regents Park, the Royal Astronomical Society and Baker Street Irregular Astronomers will provide free viewing equipment.
The rendezvous point is the Smokehouse BBQ & Grill in the north-east of Regents Park.
Primrose Hill is also expected to busy, while at the top of Horsenden Hill in Wembley, Northolt Branch Astro will provide equipment.
Experts warned people risk blindness and severe retina damage if they try to look at the sun or take photos of the eclipse on a smartphone.
The College of Optometrists said glancing at the sun for selfies, even momentarily, can burn the back of the eye.
Only CE-approved and safety tested solar eclipse glasses should be used for viewing the sun.
A total eclipse will blanket the skies over the Arctic Ocean, which includes the Faroe Islands and Svalbard.
The partial eclipse spans from Iceland to the Sahara desert and from western Europe to eastern Russia.
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