Millions of Europeans witnessed a rare solar eclipse, with darkening skies visible across the continent. Iceland and northern Spain were in the zone of totality—the first time in 27 years the continent saw a total solar eclipse.

In the UK, the partial eclipse drew crowds to parks and beaches. Many lined up in advance for protective glasses, which were sold out both on Amazon and in most optical stores. In Edinburgh, the Moon began to cover the Sun at 18:08 local time, peaking at 19:10, when occultation reached around 90 percent.

The shortage of glasses fueled speculation, with resellers offering protective glasses costing around £3 for up to £100 a pair. Some viewers used alternative viewing methods, such as using colanders as homemade pinhole cameras. According to John Lewis, sales of colanders increased by almost 40 percent before the eclipse.

For the UK, this was the most significant such event since 1999 - the next one is not expected until September 23, 2090.

In Iceland, viewing the total eclipse was marred by cloud cover for many, while in northern Spain, conditions were more favorable. On the Spanish island of Menorca, where temperatures remained around 31°C even in the dark, tourists observed the eclipse from beaches and rocky coastal areas. At the moment of the maximum phase, the Sun turned into a pale ring low above the horizon - complete darkness did not occur, but the lighting resembled twilight at an unusual time of day.