Millions across the UK geared up for the most dramatic partial eclipse spectacle since 1999, with last-minute scrambling for glasses and DIY pinhole camera instructions to view the phenomenon safely.
This evening, Wednesday, August 12, the moon completely blocked the sun along a 180-mile-wide path across parts of the world, marking a total solar eclipse in Greenland, Iceland, northern Spain and the far north of Russia.
In the UK, millions saw a deep partial eclipse, with coverage anticipated between 90 and 95 percent, making it the most dramatic eclipse since 1999.
The Met Office forecast that Plymouth and the surrounding areas would experience 94.66 percent coverage from the eclipse, with the event peaking around 7.16pm. Large parts of Bristol, Gloucestershire and Wales witnessed 93 percent coverage.
In the region, the eclipse started at about 6.18pm, peaked at 7.15pm and finished at about 8.10pm. Those who missed it will have to wait until 2090 for the next total solar eclipse visible from the UK, making it a once-in-a-generation opportunity.
A live blog brought updates and photos from the event. One seagull took in the phenomenon near a gondola on the Falmouth Observation Wheel.
Meteor showers occur when the Earth moves through space surrounded by comets breaking up. It is believed to be the first time that the peak of a shower has coincided with a solar eclipse. Some scientists said it is the "best night of the year" in astronomy.
A meteor shower was set to put on a show just hours after millions of Brits witnessed the solar eclipse. The Perseid meteor shower was visible from midnight until dawn on Thursday, August 13.
The solar eclipse was captured through solar eclipse glasses from Painswick, looking out towards May Hill, in Gloucestershire. Unique projections of the eclipse appeared across the South West, including on a yellow car in Plymouth, a house in Hanbury Road, Clifton, and a white van in Cornwall at St Anthony's Head. The eclipse was also pictured through x-ray paper at 30x magnification in Plymouth.
A sea of cars left Clifton Downs in Bristol "all at once" as the traffic was described as "chaos".
Solar Eclipse Draws Millions Across UK South West