I saw my first and hitherto only full solar eclipse in northern France on 11^th August 1999, it did not disappoint and the experience has stayed with me ever since.  Almost to the day on 12^th August 2026, 27 years later, I shared the same experience with my family in Somerset.  Whilst this time it was a 94% partial eclipse, it again turned out to be a wonderful experience for us all.

Above & below – the looks say it all!

In the period since 1999 I have taken up the hobby of astrophotography and my inclination this time was therefore to image the occasion and as you’ll see here, as a record we did manage a few mobile phone snaps.  However, I now have two grown up children with their families, two husbands and four grandchildren from 3 to 9 years old and instead decided to have an eclipse party.  For general viewing I purchased solar glasses for all, and we tried out a colander but mostly obtained excellent views throughout using my Starfield 102ED refractor with a homemade Baader solar film filter.

The sky was clear and the evening very warm, with first contact at about 18.15h and the maximum at 19.14h and which was enjoyed by everyone.  The accompanying pictures say it all and more than justify watching the event once again, rather than concentrating on imaging. Despite human beings now able to understand scientifically what is happening during an eclipse, compared to those thousands of years ago, it remains a profound event that continues to instil awe and wonder amongst those watching, and there is the point.  Whilst many wonderful images were taken across the globe on 12^th August, it is an occasion best shared by  viewing and, I expect, we will talk about for years to come.