Spectacular Solar Eclipse Will be Seen from Formby on Wednesday – Here’s Exactly When to Watch

Formby residents are in for a spectacular sight in the skies on Wednesday 12th August 2026, when the Moon will pass across the Sun during one of the most impressive solar eclipses visible from the UK in decades.

Weather permitting, people in Formby will be able to watch the partial solar eclipse unfold for almost two hours on Wednesday evening, with the most dramatic moment expected shortly after 7pm.

What time can we see the eclipse in Formby?

For Formby and the wider Merseyside area, the eclipse is expected to follow approximately these timings:

6:13pm – Eclipse begins

The Moon will begin moving across the face of the Sun.

7:10pm – Maximum eclipse

This will be the best and most dramatic point to watch, when the greatest proportion of the Sun will be hidden by the Moon.

8:04pm – Eclipse ends

The Moon will have moved away from the Sun and the eclipse will be over.

The entire event will therefore last for approximately one hour and 51 minutes.

Because the eclipse is happening during the evening, the Sun will be relatively low in the western sky. Somewhere with a clear view towards the west will give you the best chance of seeing it.

That could make Formby’s coastline particularly well placed for viewing if we are lucky enough to have clear skies.

What will it look like from Formby?

Although Wednesday’s event is a total solar eclipse globally, Formby is not within the narrow path of totality.

Instead, we will experience a very deep partial solar eclipse, with most of the Sun appearing to disappear behind the Moon.

As the eclipse progresses, the Moon will appear to take an increasingly large bite out of the Sun until maximum eclipse at around 7:10pm, before gradually moving away again.

For people who remember the famous eclipse of August 1999, Wednesday’s event could bring back some memories. This will be one of the most significant solar eclipses visible from Britain for many years.

⚠️ IMPORTANT: DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN

Anyone planning to watch the eclipse needs to take this warning extremely seriously.

Never look directly at the Sun with your naked eyes – even during an eclipse and even when the majority of the Sun is covered.

Looking directly at the Sun can permanently damage the retina at the back of the eye, potentially causing permanent loss of vision.

Ordinary sunglasses are NOT safe for viewing a solar eclipse, regardless of how dark they are.

Anyone wishing to look directly at the eclipse should use genuine eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewers specifically designed for viewing the Sun and meeting the appropriate ISO 12312-2 safety standard.

Do not look at the Sun through binoculars, telescopes or camera lenses unless they have the correct specialist solar filters fitted. Looking through magnifying equipment without appropriate protection can cause severe eye injury.

A safer alternative for families is indirect viewing, where an image of the Sun is projected onto another surface rather than looking towards it.

Why is this eclipse so special?

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun. The Sun is around 400 times wider than the Moon, but it is also approximately 400 times further away from us. This extraordinary coincidence means that from Earth the Sun and Moon appear remarkably similar in size.

When they line up, the Moon can therefore appear to cover the enormous Sun.

On Wednesday, people in parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain will be inside the path of totality and will experience the extraordinary sight of the Sun becoming completely covered.

Here in Formby we won’t experience complete darkness, but the deep partial eclipse should still provide an incredible spectacle.

So put Wednesday 12th August in your diary and keep your fingers crossed for a cloud-free evening.

The eclipse begins at approximately 6:13pm, reaches its spectacular maximum at around 7:10pm and ends at approximately 8:04pm.

If you’re heading outside to watch it, please remember the most important message of all:

**Enjoy the spectacle but never look directly at the Sun without proper solar viewing protection.**