Solar eclipse: How to make your own glasses at home as stock sells out

Here's how you can view the eclipse without glasses

On Wednesday evening, the biggest eclipse visible from the UK since 1999 will sweep across the country, with more than 90 per cent of the Sun obscured for most of Britain.

Miss it, and you will be waiting a long time for anything comparable as it has been billed as the best the UK will see for the next 54 years.

How to watch solar eclipse without glasses

For those of us less blessed with the time to go out and grab specialist eclipse-viewing eyewear or have any suppliers nearby, there are alternatives to safely viewing the once-in-a-generation event.

The first of these is a pinhole viewer, which can be made using a little bit of nous and some cardboard.

Reminiscent of old primary school art lessons, this method is simple enough, requiring some cardboard, paper, tape and kitchen foil.

All you need to do is open up a cardboard box, such as a cereal box, and tape a strip of white paper down on one side on the inside of the box.

When this paper is secure, cut two squares from the opposite side of the box and cover one of these squares with some kitchen foil and secure with tape.

Then use a pin to make a small hole in the centre of the foil.

Make sure that the only gaps on the box are where the other square is cut out and the pinhole.

It's now ready - to use it, turn your back to the sun and point the pinhole towards the sun and look inside the box. The eclipse will appear on the paper.

Here's a video showing how it's done.

@twinkl_resources Before the eclipse in the UK on Wednesday 12th August, try making this pinhole camera/pinhole projector to safely view the solar eclipse! #solareclipse2026 #solareclipseuk #solareclipse #eclipse2026 ♬ eclipse - rivoices & STM

If you don't have a bunch of recycling to hand, you can use a less DIY method, which essentially involves a colander in a similar way to the pinhole projector.

Turning away from the sun and holding the colander towards it, the kitchen utensil will direct dozens of mini projections of the eclipse onto a surface of your choosing.

Why not use a phone?

While many have floated the idea of looking at the eclipse through a phone camera, there is a possibility that, in the same way the sun's light can damage your eyes, it can also damage cameras - so don't risk it if you care deeply for your cellular device.

When to see the solar eclipse where you are

The eclipse will begin at around 6pm across the UK, reaching its peak roughly an hour later before ending just after 8pm in most places.

The peak moment will take just 15 minutes to sweep from the very north of Scotland down to Land’s End in Cornwall, meaning the Moon’s shadow will race over Britain at nearly 2,500 miles per hour.

The Isles of Scilly get the best of it, with more than 96 per cent of the Sun covered, while the rest of the country will see upwards of 90 per cent obscured. Parts of Spain, Greenland and Iceland will witness a total eclipse, but Wednesday’s partial event is still the most significant seen from the UK in 27 years. You can check when the eclipse peaks in your area using the Mirror’s postcode tool.

The weather looks set to cooperate, too. The latest Met Office forecast shows most of England and Wales enjoying clear skies on Wednesday evening, on a day when temperatures are likely to top 30C in large parts of the country.

Weather report for 12 August

A quick look at the Met Office's cloud cover forecast for this evening tells a tale of two historic rivals in our isles - England and Scotland.

Almost paranormally, it would seem that someone from a world beyond has a vendetta against Scotland, with a quick peak on the weather map showing a thick wall of cloud running parallel with the Scottish-English border.

It would appear the English have some kind of cloud force field going on. Image: Met Office screenshot

In Scotland, complete cloud cover, unfortunate for those hoping to see the eclipse with their own eyes.

South of the border, progressively clearer skies until past the Lake District where almost the entirety of England - and much of Wales - will get front row seats to the phenomenon of the decade.

People in Hampshire might be slightly mythed by a long lightning-bolt-shaped cloud stretching from the Isle of Wight and Southampton to inside the M25 on the outskirts of London.

A rogue cloud over Hampshire. Image Met Office Screenshot.

It is uncertain what the people of Hampshire and Scotland have done to anger whoever has arranged this particular eclipse, but some travelling may need to be done to see it in its full glory.

For the rest of the country, crack on - just don't forget your shades!

Unfortunate for those over in Northern Ireland, but not bad for the UK's weather track record! Image: Met Office Screenshot.

How to watch safely if you can’t find glasses

Whatever you do, don’t stare at the Sun, and don’t assume sunglasses will save you. The Royal Astronomical Society warns they often do not give enough UV protection when looking directly at the Sun, and you could end up seriously damaging your eyesight.

If you can’t get hold of proper eclipse glasses, the society suggests making a pinhole projector. Push the tip of a ballpoint pen through the centre of a piece of card then, facing away from the Sun, hold the card in one hand and a blank piece of paper in the other, lining them up until a miniature image of the Sun appears on the paper.

Even easier: raid the kitchen. David Jones, consultant ophthalmologist at the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust, says a humble colander is his favourite way of witnessing an eclipse, as he explained to BBC News.

If you hold the colander to the Sun and you look away from the Sun, protecting your eyes, you can make not just one picture of the Sun but a hundred all at once.

So if you are one of the many who left it too late to buy glasses, don’t despair, a piece of card or a kitchen colander will do the job.

For a full rundown of timings and viewing tips, check out our guide on when and how to see the UK’s best solar eclipse, and here’s hoping the Met Office is right about those clear skies.