Isle of Man ‘very well placed’ for solar eclipse spectacular

Despite the high degree of coverage, “even 7% of the sun will still give quite a degree of illumination,” he explained.

Parkin encouraged people to watch the phenomenon, himself profoundly affected by seeing his first eclipse that had left him “smitten”.

For those watching from the Isle of Man on Wednesday, Parkin suggested locations along the west coast for the best view, particularly Peel or Niarbyl.

And he said it was “extremely important” anyone watching used appropriate solar eclipse eyewear.

The eclipse will be total in parts of the world including Iceland, northern Spain, northern Portugal, and parts of the Atlantic and North America, with totality lasting for a maximum of about a minute and a half.

The west coast of Ireland will see an even greater partial eclipse, at around 95-96%, he said.

The coverage experienced from the island on Wednesday is the most significant since the total solar eclipse in 1999, without another to match or surpass it until 2151.