Partial Solar Eclipse and the Perseid Meteor Shower

12 August 2026, 5pm+

Join experienced astronomers at the NLO to witness an extremely rare and exciting

Partial Solar Eclipse

and the peak of the

Perseid Meteor Shower.

Beware the hype and the AI slop: We are acutely aware of AI-generated advertising across social media showing spectacular images of total (not partial) eclipses, and meteor shower renditions that real amateur astronomers can only dream of. Do not be misled!

At the NLO we offer a dose of reality, real amateur astronomers, and simplistic but informative webpages (like this one):

  • The partial solar eclipse will be spectacular with the Moon covering up to 94.4% of the Sun.
    • With the right equipment (solar viewing glasses, specialist solar telescopes, hydrogen-alpha telescopes) you can view the eclipse safely and witness something very special

  • The Perseid meteor shower should also provide many shooting stars every hour.
    • They can be bright, faint, a flick seen out of the corner of your eye, but the collective experience of hearing people exclaiming in delight is something really special.
    • You can make as many wishes as you like! Disclaimer: The NLO is not responsible for fulfilment of said wishes.

The evening will include Storytelling under the Stars!

The calendar entry on the front-page of our website is repeated below:

It’s the partial solar eclipse and Perseid meteor shower night! Come along, look through our specialist safe telescopes to witness the Moon slowly swallowing up the Sun. This will be followed by storytelling under the stars, and the chance to see meteors shooting across the sky. We hope the sky will be clear, but, worry not, we also plan to show live feeds of the eclipse in the lecture theatre.

Refreshments available to purchase throughout the evening from Coffee165.

Adults: £12
Children: £6
Family: £30

Members: FREE*

No booking required (no you really don’t have to book there is plenty of room).

* Annual membership costs £35 (£60 joint | £10 under 18) and covers all our meetings and events

Planned schedule (all subject to change on the night):
17:00 Doors Open
18:18 Solar eclipse first contact
19:16 Solar eclipse maximum (94.4% of the Sun occulted)
20:09 Solar eclipse last contact
20:30 Storytelling under the Stars!
and the Perseid Meteor shower

At certain points during the evening:
 – Planetarium presentation(s)
 – Tours of the historic telescopes and Lockyer Technology Centre

Any questions, please contact us via our contact page: https://normanlockyer.com/contact/

An image of the Sun taken mid-July using a specialist solar telescope in Hydrogen-alpha: Credit: one of our members
A simulation of the 94.4% partial solar eclipse using the app SkySafari. This is for guidance only in terms of the extent of the eclipse. In reality it will still be daylight (the Sun is up, after all), and the atmosphere of the Sun (the coronasphere) will not be visible.