What time is the solar eclipse on June 10 2021? Where in Scotland is the best place to see it and will we get a 'ring of fire'?
The total solar eclipse of 2 July 2019 as seen from Chile, which will also experience a total eclipse today (Photo: Marcelo Hernandez/Getty Images)  As many across the world will be grabbing their popcorn to see the solar eclipse on Thursday, this guide will take you through moon-related questions for viewers in Scotland. Sign up to our daily newsletter The i newsletter cut through the noise Sign up Thanks for signing up! Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... It is an annular eclipse where the sun is obscured by a shadow of the moon. This occurs when the sun, moon and Earth are aligned. This alignment coincides with a new moon which indicates when the Moon is closest to the ecliptic plane- the imaginary path containing Earth's orbit around the sun. The eclipse causes the sun to appear as a very bright ring, or annulus, in a phenomenon dubbed as the "ring of fire". However, observers in the UK and Ireland will see a crescent Sun instead of a ring, as this will be a partial eclipse. Dr Emily Drabek-Maunder, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, told the PA news agency: "This 'ring of fire' will be seen from Russia, Greenland and northern Canada. "From the UK, the annular solar eclipse will be a partial eclipse, meaning that we'll only see the Moon pass in front of a small part of the Sun." Experts have said the best place to view the moon in the UK will be in the northwest of the country. Shetland is expected to have the best view in the UK of a solar eclipse on Thursday. It is expected to have a 39% obscuration, according to BBCs Sky at Night Magazine. An obscuration indicates how much of the sun's disc area is covered by the shadow of the moon as a percentage. The next best place to view the moon is Lochinver with a 36.8% obscuration, Inverness at 35% and Edinburgh at 31%. Secretary Jane Macaulay from Wild Skies Shetland which organises sky-related events told the BBC: "The further north you are, the more of the sun will be obscured by the moon. "Watching from Unst, the most northerly island in the UK, folk will be in the best position in the whole country to observe the phenomenon." From the UK, the eclipse will occur late morning, according to experts. Astronomers have said the phenomenon will begin at 10.08am on June 10 in the UK. A maximum eclipse is expected to occur at 11.13am, when the Moon will cover close to one-third of the Sun. The partial eclipse will then end at 12.22pm. Solar eclipse health and safety  Viewing the eclipse with the naked eye can be hazardous as a result of the potential damage the sun can cause to the eyes. To prevent the eclipse damaging vision, eclipse glasses that allow the sun to be viewed safely can be used but do not just rock up with your ordinary shades. NASA said: "Solar viewing or eclipses glasses are NOT regular sunglasses; regular sunglasses are not safe for viewing the Sun." Projection devices such as pinhole cameras can also prevent potential damage. A message from the Editor:Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.