A rush to find protective eyewear is underway across the UK in anticipation of Wednesday’s partial solar eclipse. High street retailers are reporting depleted stocks of eclipse glasses, and online shoppers attempting to purchase them are being informed that deliveries may not occur until the end of the week.
The Royal Observatory Greenwich has confirmed it has sold out of solar eclipse glasses both online and in its shops due to high demand. Similarly, some online retailers are showing delivery dates that would be too late for Wednesday's event, with one example indicating delivery on Thursday, 13 August.
Consumer experts have advised against using ordinary sunglasses, recommending specialised glasses for safe viewing. However, a spokesperson for Astronomers Without Borders suggested the shortage is due to a lack of advance planning rather than an overall scarcity, noting that 300,000 pairs were imported from the US, with 100,000 already distributed to astronomy clubs and community groups.
For those unable to secure glasses, Jake Foster, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, suggests indirect viewing methods. Household items with small holes, such as a colander or a piece of paper with a pinhole, can project an image of the eclipse onto a flat surface, allowing viewers to observe the shadow safely without looking directly at the sun.