Fog obscures partial solar eclipse

The view of the 70 per cent solar eclipse was obscured in West Berkshire by a thick layer of fog

WEST Berkshire residents were robbed of the pleasure of witnessing a rare partial solar eclipse this morning (Tuesday) by the heavy blanket of fog that covered the district.

The view of the 70 per cent eclipse would have been as good in West Berkshire as from anywhere on the planet, had it not been obscured by the thick layer of fog.

The phenomenon occurred from about 7:30am, but would have been visible from just after dawn around 8:06am ending around 9.30am.

Newbury Astronomical Society's spokesman, Steve Harris, was all set up for the event with photographic equipment at Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre at dawn this morning.

He said: “Watching a partial solar eclipse at dawn with the lake and birds in the foreground would have been a beautiful sight and at one stage it almost looked as if there was going to be a break in the clouds and that it would be visible, but in the end it was not to be.”

In other parts of the country, including North Hampshire, the weather did play along and the view of the sun, with its top two-thirds obscured, was described as resembling a large smiley face.

However, it wasn't all bad news for the society.

Last night (Monday) the chairman of the society, Richard Fleet, managed to get a rare picture of a meteor streaking across the sky during the Quadrantid meteor shower.

The meteor shower will be visible until Thursday.

If you managed to capture a picture of the solar eclipse or the meteor shower, the Newbury Weekly News would love to see.

Send your pictures to eddie.vanderwalt@newburynews.co.uk