Stargazing Live at Jodrell Bank

17 Mar 2015

Join Professor Brian Cox and Dara O'Briain live for the biggest astronomical event so far this century for three consecutive nights starting on Wednesday, 18 March on BBC2

The programmes will be broadcast live from the Observatory Control Room and the Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre as usual, with Professor Brian Cox and comedian Dara O Briain presenting. There will be shows on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evening, with an extra show featuring the eclipse on Friday morning.

Professor Tim O’Brien, Associate Director of the Observatory, part of The University of Manchester, will also be appearing on the show. He said of the eclipse: “This only happens in the UK every decade or so, so this is incredibly exciting.  It will be a great chance to view the eclipse, so long as the weather is fine. It all starts from about 8.30am this Friday".

Visit the blog on the Jodrell Bank Discovery centre website for more details – including what to expect if you manage to view the eclipse from Manchester.

Important safety advice

Never look at the Sun directly as you will damage your eyes and it could cause blindness. The only way to safely watch the eclipse directly is to wear APPROVED solar eclipse glasses. Before you look at the Sun, CHECK THE GLASSES FOR DAMAGE, including scratches. Put them on and look around - if you can see ANY glimpse of light, they are damaged. You should see nothing at all unless looking at the Sun.

Alternatively, a simple way to view the eclipse safely is to use a colander. Hold it so that the light shines through the holes onto the ground or a onto piece of paper. When the eclipse takes place you will see dozens of miniature crescents.