On Friday the 1st of August, there will be a total eclipse of the Sun. The total eclipse will be visible from a narrow path crossing the Earth, starting in Northern Canada, passing over Greenland & the Arctic, and then into Russia, Mongolia and China.

The eclipse will occur between about 8am and 1pm GMT, but the exact time depends on where you are on the planet. In the UK, the eclipse will be partial and will last between 9:30 BST and 11:20 BST.

However, from London at most only 20% of the Moon will cover the Sun (as in the image to the left); from Scotland, the Moon will cover up to 40% of the Sun.

The Royal Observatory, Greenwich will be opening at 09:15 in order to catch the start of the eclipse, and with support of the Flamsteed Astronomical Society, the public will have the opportunity to view the eclipse through solar telescopes.

Full details of the eclipse can be found at the NASA eclipse website, or at SpaceWeather.com.

Remember, NEVER look directly at the Sun! Doing so will burn a hole in your retina, blinding you for life. So always use a solar filter, or project the image of the eclipse Sun onto the ground, using your hands like this to project an image like this, or even a scarf like this to project an image like this... or even use a hat!

Below is a time-lapse of the 2005 total solar eclipse, as seen from Egypt.