A rare partial solar eclipse will be visible in skies above Greater Manchester later this week.
In a celestial event known as an annular eclipse that only occurs every one or two years, the sun and moon will be positioned exactly in line with the earth, but the moon will appear to cover and block the sun out by nearly a third.
This causes the sun to appear as a very bright ring – or annulus, as it’s officially known – in a phenomenon which has been dubbed the “ring of fire”.
As impressive as it sounds though, the “ring of fire” in its true form will unfortunately only be visible from Russia, Greenland and northern Canada, with observers in the UK and Ireland only treated to a crescent sun instead of a ring.
This is due to the fact that, as mentioned, this will only be a partial eclipse.
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When is the eclipse?
For all of us here in the UK, the spectacle is set to begin at 08:12 UTC on Thursday 10 June, and at this moment, the moon will begin its slow creep across the face of the sun.
It reaches its maximum coverage at 10:41 UTC and then, the eclipse ends at 13:11 UTC.
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If you’re a little unsure as to what the UTC (Universal Coordinated Time) is, websites such as timeanddate.com will help you convert UTC into your local time, so in the UK, for example, British summer time is UTC+1 hour, so the maximum eclipse takes place at 11:41 BST.
The spectacle is set to begin at 08:12 UTC on Thursday 10 June / Credit: Space Facts
Where and how can I watch the eclipse safely?
Even though for the UK a large part of the solar disc will be covered, experts have warned that looking at the partially eclipsed sun without appropriate protection can still cause serious and permanent damage to the eyes.
Dr Emily Drabek-Maunder, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said: “Never look at the sun directly or use standard sunglasses, it can cause serious harm to your eyes.”
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She suggests using a simple pinhole projector, solar eclipse viewing glasses – which can be purchased online – or special solar filters that fit on telescopes.
“You can make a projector by poking a small hole into a piece of card.” she adds.
“Hold the card up to the sun so that light shines through the hole and on to a piece of paper behind the card [and] you will be able to see the shape of the sun projected on to the piece of paper and watch its shape change as the moon passes in front of the sun.”
The Royal Observatory Greenwich will be also be streaming the eclipse live on its website and YouTube channel here.
Featured Image – Pixabay
UK News
Remarkable Lake District rescue of dog missing for THREE WEEKS
Daisy Jackson
A dog who was missing for almost three WEEEKS in the Lake District has, miraculously, been rescued.
Little Teddy went missing on 2 August, disappearing from his owner on Helvellyn.
Volunteers from Keswick Mountain Rescue Team spent the following weeks searching for the scrappy dog, with one eventually hearing him barking from Dry Gill.
The poor dog had got stuck in the gill in a dangerous location that required a full team of seven to bring him to safety.
Remarkably, Teddy appeared to be uninjured, though he had lost quite a bit of weight after three weeks living wild on the fell.
His rescuers gave him a small amount of food before securing him in a rucksack and carrying him back to Swirls car park.
The whole rescue took around three and a half hours, when Teddy was reunited with his very relieved owner and taken to the vets.
Teddy making his way down from HelvellynTeddy the dog was part of a rescue mission in the Lake DistrictTeddy was rescued after three weeks missingCredit: Keswick Mountain Rescue
Keswick Mountain Rescue said: “The team are absolutely delighted to share this update, as the news of this missing dog had deeply affected so many people across our local community.
“A remarkable outcome after nearly three weeks on Helvellyn, and a huge well done to everyone who kept searching and never gave up on Teddy.”
The mountain rescue team is funded entirely through donations – you can use ‘Buy me a coffee’ to make a small donation HERE, or donate the normal way HERE.
Elbow get behind campaign to save Jodrell Bank from closure
Danny Jones
Manc band Elbow are among the latest to get behind the campaign to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from closing permanently.
The Greater Manchester natives famously played a sold-out gig at the important scientific and cultural landmark for a very special live album recording well over a decade ago, and know all too well the site’s national and, indeed, global heritage.
Choosing the Observatory and the rare chance to perform a show in the shadow of the world-renowned James Lovell Telescope, it probably remains one of their most significant standalone UK date ever.
With that in mind, the local lads have been left just as worried by the news of its impending closure as everyone else, and have therefore issued a fresh appeal to help keep it open.
Posting a timely statement on social media, the group wrote: “Jodrell Bank has long been close to elbow’s heart. In 2012, the band played beneath the Lovell Telescope for one of the most memorable shows in our history.
“The recent news that funding for the e-MERLIN radio telescope network is set to end in 2028 puts the future of the scientific work at Jodrell Bank under serious threat. It is a remarkable place, with an extraordinary history, and one that continues to play an important role in science, culture and education.”
In addition to reliving clips and images from the historic live set all the years later, they also pointed people towards their ‘elbow – Live at Jodrell Bank‘ album documentary, which has now been made available online for the very first time as part of wider efforts to raise awareness around the cause.
Directing people to key online resources shared by the institution and astrophysics centre itself following their unfortunate update late last month, the push to not only find the funding but sustain support for the facility continues to ramp up throughout the world of science, arts and industry.
For anyone who somehow missed the news – 2028 being the current deadline handed down as per budget cuts across the sector – concerned parties here in the North West and all over the country have since started petitioning to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from shutting down for good.
In addition to being described as a “huge blow” to the field by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), some have even gone so far as to describe the decision as a form of “vandalism” when it comes to research and British culture as a whole.
Having also served as the host venue for the annual bluedot Festival since 2016, the multi-genre science and arts celebration could soon be forced to find a new home.
The battle is far from over yet, and the community has time to rescue Jodrell Bank Observatory from its fate, but it will take lots of money and more notable public figures to make it happen.
Once again, you can do your bit by signing the petition mentioned above right HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
7th June 2021 
