Biggest eclipse in 27 years to darken Dutch skies tonight

The biggest solar eclipse over the Netherlands in 27 years will take place on Wednesday evening, when around 90% of the sun will disappear behind the moon.

The eclipse begins at about 7.15pm and reaches its peak around 8.10pm, when the moon appears to take its largest bite out of the sun. The two then set together roughly an hour later.

Because the sun will already be low in the sky by then, anyone hoping to watch will need a clear view towards the west or north-west. Forecasters expect a warm, largely clear evening, with some thin high cloud in the north that should not obscure the view.

Eye specialists have warned against looking directly at the sun. Sunglasses, welding goggles and CDs offer no protection and can cause permanent damage to the retina. Only eclipse glasses meeting the ISO 12312-2 safety standard are considered safe.

A simple alternative is to make a pinhole in a sheet of paper and project the image of the sun onto a white surface.

Public viewings have been organised around the country. The Radboud University observatory in Nijmegen will be open, and the Copernicus observatory in Haarlem is taking telescopes fitted with solar filters to the seafront at Bloemendaal. Eclipse watches are also planned on the Frisian islands.

Only in Iceland, northern Spain and a small part of Portugal will the sun vanish completely.

The last time this much of the sun was covered over the Netherlands was in August 1999 – an event that regional broadcaster L1 recalls was largely spoiled by cloud in much of the country. A comparable eclipse is not expected again until 2081, and the next total eclipse visible from the Netherlands will come on October 7, 2135.

Anyone still outdoors later has a second chance. The Perseid meteor shower peaks overnight into Thursday, and with a new moon the sky will be unusually dark.