Otley Science Festival and the Institute of Physics (Yorkshire branch) will be at the Kids Free Fun Zone in Otley Market Square (Wednesday 12th, 10am – 1pm) to talk about viewing the partial eclipse safely and hand out some eclipse glasses (while stocks last!). Certified eclipse glasses, courtesy of Go Stargazing, will be available free of charge along with hands-on activities including making colourful UV bead solar bracelets.

You can find advice on viewing the eclipse here. The bottom line is that you should never stare directly at the Sun under any circumstances!

The peak of the eclipse will occur shortly after 7pm, so you’ll want to find a safe place to stand with clear view of the western horizon – no tall trees.

Update

We were literally overwhelmed by the interest shown in the eclipse and our offer of glasses. We ordered some time ago what we thought would be a reasonable quantity of eclipse glasses but an unanticipated level of publicity combined with the unusually fine weather (and the difficulty of buying them at short notice) led to an astonishing level of demand. Sadly, as a result many people left disappointed.

Arriving to set up for a 10am start we found a queue already stretching around the market place. The first 2 photos below were taken at just after 9.30!

We are really sorry that we had to disappoint so many people but there was no way we had anticipated anything like this. Then there is the other side: we ordered many weeks ago, the glasses are not on “sale or return” and what if it had turned out to be a rainy day…

If you don’t have glasses there are still ways to experience the eclipse, follow the advice at ukeclipse.com and have an enjoyable evening.