Solar eclipse in the South West: Pac-man to Shinto myths

Charlie described the atmosphere as “magical”, and said: “The kids haven’t stopped screaming and been dancing around since we’ve been here.”

Some people marked birthdays and anniversaries during the eclipse, giving the evening a romantic significance.

One young girl named Alice described the eclipse as brilliant, and said: “It kind of looks like Pac-man”, whilst another felt that the sun disappearing was “kind of scary”.

Commander Dave Lee, Royal Navy Parachute Display Team, spent the event parachuting into Pendennis Castle at the beginning of the eclipse.

Lee was one of five members of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines jumping out of the small aircraft at about 6,000ft (1829m), before deploying their colourful canopies.

Lee said: “It is really a once in a lifetime experience, you have a very real feeling of immediacy and freedom, and you get a great view.”

David Heathfield spent the event telling stories about the “rare” mythology surrounding eclipses, in particular, the story of Amano-Iwato – the Japanese goddess of the sun – who hid in a cave depriving the world of light.

“I had to go all the way to Japanese Shinto mythology to find it”, he said.