Solar Wednesday

Right then, London. Put down the flat white, cancel that midweek existential crisis, and mark your calendars. This Wednesday (12 August 2026) is officially Solar Wednesday — the day the Moon decides to photobomb the Sun right over our heads.

We’re in for a deep partial solar eclipse. Not the full “day turns to night and birds panic” total version (you’ll need Spain, Iceland or Greenland for that), but still a proper showstopper. At maximum, about 91% of the Sun will be covered. The light will go weird, the temperature will dip, and everything will feel slightly cinematic for about an hour.

London timings (BST)

• First contact — 18:17 (Moon starts the bite)
• Maximum — ~19:13 (≈91% coverage)
• Ends — ~20:06

The Sun will already be low in the west (~10°), so a clear western horizon is non-negotiable. Trees, tall buildings and your neighbour’s extension are the enemy. Expect the light and temperature to drop noticeably around maximum — soft, silvery, a bit uncanny.

Weather: forecast is clear and hot. Bring water. Heat + hill + standing still = underprepared picnic energy.

What to pack

• ISO 12312-2 eclipse glasses (certified only)
• Water — more than you think
• Picnic blanket + snacks
• Phone — and a proper solar filter if you’re photographing the Sun
• Hat + sunscreen
• Patience — good patches fill early; the sky does not rush

Safety (the boring but serious bit)

Only certified eclipse glasses marked ISO 12312-2. Regular sunglasses are useless. Naked eyes, phone cameras, binoculars and telescopes without proper solar filters will damage your eyes — permanently.

No glasses? Use a pinhole projector (card with a tiny hole projecting the crescent onto another surface) and enjoy the strange light and shadows. Still excellent. Do not “just take a quick peek.”

Best places to watch

We’ve pinned the house stops on the map above: Primrose Hill, Parliament Hill, Greenwich Park, Telegraph Hill, the Royal Observatory.

Primrose Hill will be packed — classic skyline, clear west, everyone’s same good idea. Arrive early, or pick a quieter elevated west-facing patch. Local alternatives around Highgate / Archway / Telegraph Hill / Parliament Hill work well if you want cooler air and fewer elbows (Hampstead Heath still delivers if you claim a western edge).

Any open west-facing park or rooftop is fair game if the western sky is clear. Scout the horizon before 18:17.

Bonus science: the Perseids

Solar Wednesday is also peak Perseids season — free shooting stars as a nightcap if you stay out.

• Origin: debris from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. Earth ploughs through the stream every August; bits burn up as meteors.
• Why now: we pass the densest part of the trail around mid-August.
• Peak: overnight 12–13 August.
• Best window: roughly midnight–05:30 (darker sky, radiant higher).
• New Moon advantage: the sky stays properly dark — no full-Moon washout.
• Rates: under dark skies you can see dozens per hour at peak; from central London expect fewer, but the bright ones still punch through.

Lie back, look up, no glasses required for meteors. (Keep the eclipse glasses for the Sun earlier — different show, different rules.)

What it will actually feel like

At maximum the light goes soft and silvery, shadows get sharp and strange, and the whole city feels like it’s holding its breath for a few minutes. Then the Sun slowly recovers and everyone remembers they still have to go to work tomorrow — unless you’re staying for Perseids, in which case sleep is optional and slightly overrated.

Bobbin’s final ruling: “Acceptable. High nap potential afterwards. Do not stare without the proper glasses. I am watching.”

We’ll be on Primrose — glasses on, water in hand, phones ready (but not pointed at the Sun). Come say hi if you spot the Sidetrack chaos.

See you out there.

— Cat, Mario & the Overlord (Bobbin)
Sidetrack.London