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How to watch rare partial solar eclipse at Dundee observatory

Details of a special event this Saturday have been revealed.

Staff at the Mills Observatory in Dundee.
Staff at the Mills Observatory in Dundee. Image: Leisure and Culture Dundee

Visitors to a Dundee observatory are being given the chance to see a rare astronomical event this weekend.

A partial solar eclipse will take place on Saturday morning.

It will result in more than 40% of the sun being obscured by the moon as it passes between the sun and the Earth.

Mills Observatory in Dundee has now revealed details of a special event to let locals get a closer look at the event – which will not happen again for another six decades.

Experts at the Balgay Park observatory say the eclipse will last for around two hours in the city, starting at 10.09am and peaking at 11.09am.

Special event at Mills Observatory for partial solar eclipse

To help visitors see the eclipse unfolding, Mills Observatory will open for a special free event at 9.30am on Saturday.

Mills Observatory staff member, Kim Carmichael, tries on a pair on eclipse glasses for Saturday's event.
Mills Observatory staff member, Kim Carmichael, tries on a pair on eclipse glasses for Saturday’s event. Image: Leisure and Culture Dundee

Eastfield Cafe will be on-site to serve refreshments and wood-fired bacon rolls.

Special glasses to be able to view the eclipse will also be available for £1, while there will be a solar projector and space-themed crafts for families.

The observatory will then close at 12.30pm and reopen at 6.30pm for the evening session.

This will be the last day before the observatory shuts until October.

Ryan Bertie, Sofia Bertie and Sheila Nicolson, who put visitor numbers at Mills Observatory above the 14,000 mark for the season when visiting on Tuesday night. Image: Leisure and Culture Dundee

It comes as Leisure and Culture Dundee, which runs the facility, says it has enjoyed its most successful season ever after being saved from possible closure.

More than 14,000 people have visited since October – more than double the previous year.

Mills Observatory in Dundee.
Mills Observatory in Dundee. Image: Kim Cessford/DC Thomson

Anna Day, head of cultural services at Leisure and Culture Dundee, said: “We are grateful to everyone who has visited us in large numbers over the winter season.

“We would also like to thank those who have committed extra funding to ensure that everyone has access to this valuable piece of Dundee’s heritage, as well as our team and Dundee Astronomical Society, who have made this season such a success.”

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