Scotland's best places to see partial solar eclipse this weekend (2025)

Some parts of Scotland are more likely to observe the celestial event than others.

A partial solar eclipse is set to be visible in certain areas of Scotland this weekend.

The celestial event happens when the Moon moves between the Sun and the Earth, but not in perfect alignment. This results in only a portion of the Sun being obscured.

As reported by the Scottish Daily Express, the eclipse will be observable in the UK from 9.56am to 12.14pm on Saturday. It is expected to reach its peak in Inverness around 11.08am.

However, cloudy and rainy weather may thwart those in the north of Scotland hoping to witness the partial solar eclipse. While the area is typically one of the prime locations for eclipse viewing on a clear day, experts have warned there is a 45 per cent chance it will not be visible.

Spokesperson for the Met Office Stephen Dixon commented: "There's patchy cloud around on Saturday in the south. The north west of Scotland, which has the best window for seeing the partial solar eclipse, is unfortunately going to see rain and cloudy skies."

He added: "There's a bit of a split for the weekend weather, with more frequent wind and rain in the north of the country, particularly Scotland. Those further south will generally be drier through the day on Saturday.

"Hints of high pressure building from the south west will, on Sunday and through to the start of the week, settle the UK's weather down again and bring a fair degree of dry, fine weather with patchy clouds at times, but also some sunshine as we move through to the start of next week.

"It's fairly common for UK spring that we get these periods of rain, of fronts moving in from the west and northwest and also high pressure moving in from the south.

"Really it's part of the UK's position meteorologically, we see these competing dominant weather regimes."

If you are interested in watching the partial solar eclipse yourself, it is important to do so safely. Failing to take proper precautions when viewing an eclipse can lead to permanent eye damage.

The safest way to watch an eclipse is through a device called pinhole camera. The camera, which can be easily crafted at home, projects sunlight on a piece of card inside of a cereal box.

As reported by the Daily Record, a variety of other celestial events were visible in skies across Scotland and the UK earlier this month. During March, stargazers were treated to two eclipses, Mercury in retrograde, and the full 'Worm Moon'.

March's full moon, which peaked at 6:55am on March 14, gets its name as the result of Native American traditions. It is derived from the worm trails that emerge in the softening ground as winter gives way to spring.

Read on for the top locations to see the partial solar eclipse in Scotland this weekend.

Scotland's best places to see partial solar eclipse

• Aberdeen: 40.6%, starting at 10.11am, peaking at 11.09am and ending at 12.09pm
• Dundee: 40.8%, starting at 10.09am, peaking at 11.08am and ending at 12.07pm
• Edinburgh: 40.5%, starting at 10.08am, peaking at 11.07am and ending at 12.06pm
• Fort William: 43.9%, starting at 10.07am, peaking at 11.06am, and ending 12.07pm
• Glasgow: 41.7%, starting at 10.07am, peaking at 11.06am and ending at 12.06pm
• Inverness: 43.3%, starting at 10.09am, peaking at 11.08am and ending at 12.08pm