Science meets folklore: Herts academics weigh in on partial solar eclipse
A dramatic partial solar eclipse is set to grace the skies this weekend, as the moon passes in front of and partially block the sun, casting a shadow on parts of the Northern Hemisphere.
The celestial event is set to take place this Saturday, 29 March, beginning at around 10:05 UK time.
Lord Dover a senior technical officer at the University of Hertfordshire's Bayfordbury Observatory, explains a partial solar eclipse is when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, but does not fully cover the sun.
“It results in the sun appearing to take on a crescent shape as the moon passes in front of it,” he said. “This is different to total solar eclipse, where the sun is completely obscured by the moon.”
Mr Dover said that the fraction of the sun that is obscured by the moon will depend on where the observer is on Earth.
He said: “For this eclipse, viewers in eastern Canada will see the highest fraction of the sun covered by the moon (up to 93%) while those in central Europe will only see about 10% of the sun being covered by the moon.
“In the UK, the percentage of the sun that is blocked will vary from around 30% in London to 45% in Scotland & Ireland.”
Mr Dover said the eclipse will last for just under two hours, with the maximum being just after 11am.
“The exact timings will vary by a few minutes, depending on where you are in the UK”, he added.
However, he advises viewers not to look directly at the sun during the eclipse.
Mr Dover said: “Looking directly at the sun, either with the naked eye or through sunglasses, can cause permanent damage to your vision.
“We do not feel pain when the sun is damaging our eyes, but just a few seconds is enough to cause damage.
“It is even more dangerous to view the sun through binoculars or a small telescope and doing this can also damage cameras.
“But there are lots of ways to safely view an eclipse.
"Eclipse glasses are the most popular method - they are cheap, and wearing silly-looking glasses adds to the fun. They do get more expensive in the run-up to an eclipse, so it’s worth buying them early instead of leaving it to the last minute!”
He said viewers can purchase special filters that can be used to safely point telescopes or cameras at the sun, but “you should only do this if you are sure that it is safe”.
For those not wanting to spend money, Mr Dover says there are other creative ways to view the eclipse, such as by utilising reflections or projections of the sun.
He said: “My favourite method is to use a colander – just hold it up in front of the sun, and it will cast dozens of tiny projections of the eclipse onto a surface behind it - which could be the ground, a table, or a piece of paper being held by a second person.”
Mr Dover says that after this event, the next solar eclipse will take place on 12th August 2026.
He said: “Eclipses are a natural wonder and have captivated people throughout all of human history.
“They are not strictly rare, but most people will only see handful of eclipses in their lifetime – especially in the UK, where it’s sometimes too cloudy to see one!
“Eclipses are a great opportunity to learn about our place in the solar system, and many astronomers’ first memories of being excited about space come from eclipses like this one.”
Ancient civilisations have interpreted solar eclipses for thousands of years, with stories of gods or monsters destroying the sun and moon, according to Dr Ceri Houlbrook, senior lecturer in Folklore and History at the University of Hertfordshire.
She said: “Mythology and folklore have been drawn on in cultures around the world to explain both solar and lunar eclipses.
“For the Ancient Assyrians, the culprits were seven demons. In Slavic folklore, it was a serpent-like monster known as ala who ate the moon, while in Korean folklore it is fire dogs called bulgae.
"In Hindu folktales, the sun and moon decapitated the demon Rahu, but having drunk the elixir of immortality, his head remained immortal. Rahu swallows the moon in revenge.
"In Aztec mythology, it was the jaguar god Tepēyōllōtl who swallowed the sun, while for the Cherokee people, legend tells of a giant frog trying to eat the sun – so it’s custom to go outside and make as much noise as possible, to scare the frog away.”
Dr Houlbrook said there are other traditions where the sun and moon are depicted as gods or mythical figures, often lovers.
“An eclipse may signify the two have hidden themselves in darkness for some privacy,” she said. “It may also mean that the lovers are fighting and can be seen as an ill omen.”
But in some cultures, these celestial phenomena can also lead to positive outcomes.
Dr Houlbrook said: “For some communities in Togo and Benin, an eclipse is viewed as a conflict between the sun and moon. To help them resolve this conflict, people must lay to rest their own feuds.
“In Christian Europe, an eclipse was said to predict the death of a ruler or a time of instability. The solar eclipse of August 2, 1133, has become known as King Henry's Eclipse, because it preceded the death of King Henry I of England and the beginning of a civil war.
“In other cultures, an eclipse is a sacred moment when the sun or moon is reborn. For the Navajo people, it is a time of reflection and renewal, and to show their respect for this moment of rebirth, they do not eat, drink, or conduct any other activity during an eclipse.”
Click to learn more about Herts’ Bayfordbury Observatory, one of the best-equipped and largest teaching observatories in the country, or to learn about studying folklore at Herts.