Cornwall is not short of stunning spots to catch a glimpse of the solar eclipse on Friday morning, but will the skies be clear enough for a good view, and how can you you see it safely?

According to the Met Office the day will be rather cloudy at first, however the west of Cornwall should see clearer weather with hazy cloud at worst, brightening into sunny spells. Maximum Temperature 13C.

Falmouth Packet:

The spectacular astronomical spectacle will not be repeated for another decade, but experts are warning that that is no reason to put your sight at risk

The expected crowds of sky-watchers eager to witness the phenomenon are warned that looking directly at the Sun even if most of it is obscured can result in the retina being burned.

The last solar eclipse of such significance occurred on August 11 1999, and was "total" - with 100 per cent of the Sun covered - when seen from Cornwall.

Another "deep" partial eclipse visible in the UK will not occur until August 12 2026 and the next total eclipse not until September 2090.

Next Friday's eclipse will produce a "totality" shadow path that crosses the North Atlantic and covers only two land masses, the Faroe Islands between Scotland and Iceland and the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard.

 

Experts from the Royal Astronomical Society, the SPA, the Royal Observatory, the Royal College of Opthalmologists, and the College of Optometrists together offered advice on safety and warned of the perils of sun-watching.

Mr Scagell pointed out: "Unlike every other eclipse of any size, this one takes place right in the middle of the rush hour. It's not the best time from a safety point of view.

"We've always had this problem with partial eclipses in particular. You need to cut down the light of the Sun by an enormous amount before you can look at it safely.

"Sunglasses are useless and even things like food packing and bin liners that look as if they're made of dense material can let through infrared light and burn your retina.

"A partial eclipse is more risky by far than a total eclipse because people don't realise that even looking at a thin sliver of Sun is dangerous.

"It's absolutely true that there is a serious risk to people's eyesight. If people can't find a way to view the eclipse correctly then they shouldn't look because they're likely to damage their eyes."

He said the partial eclipse coincided with the start of the school day in the UK and break time in other parts of Europe, where the clocks are an hour ahead of GMT.

The Royal College of Opthalmologists said looking directly at the Sun can lead to retinal burns and may cause significant and sometimes permanent loss of sight.

One case study reported to the college involved a young patient who suffered solar maculopathy - destruction of the centre of the retina caused by solar radiation - as a result of viewing the Sun through a telescope. The patient was left with permanently reduced central vision.

A spokeswoman said: "Whilst a solar eclipse is an amazing and infrequent event, the general public must remember that they should not look directly at the Sun or at a solar eclipse, either with the naked eye, even if dark filters such as sunglasses or photographic negatives are used, nor through optical equipment such as cameras, binoculars or telescopes. There is no safe system to directly view an eclipse.

"Particular care should be taken with children. Children should not be allowed to look directly at the Sun at any time."

Dr Susan Blakeney, from the College of Optometrists, said: "You should never look directly at the sun and that applies when there's a total or partial eclipse as well. This is because the radiation emitted by the Sun is so powerful it may cause a solar burn of the retina."

Together with the SPA, the Royal Astronomical Society has produced a booklet on how to view the eclipse safely.

Popular methods involve projecting an image from a telescope or binoculars on to a piece of white card, using a mirror to cast the image on to a wall, or making a pin-hole viewer from pieces of card or a cereal box that acts like a lens.

An ordinary colander can also be used to produce multiple eclipse images on a piece of paper.

The eclipse will start at approximately 8.20am on March 20, reaching a peak just afer 9.20am, before ending just after 10.30am.