DHAKA: Millions of people in the UK and northern Europe are witnessing the best solar eclipse in years.

In a solar eclipse, a path across the Earth's surface is plunged into darkness as the Moon comes between us and the Sun.

This commenced at 07:41 GMT and the deepest part of the Moon's shadow touched the Earth's surface at 09:13 GMT. Visibility is weather dependent.

Experts are warning people not to look directly at the Sun.

Direct viewing could cause serious harm - but there are ways to watch the eclipse safely and many people are looking for a chance to do so.

Within the UK, those opportunities are heavily dependent on the cloud cover that currently shrouds much of the country.

The deep shadow forms first in the North Atlantic, before sweeping up into the Arctic Circle and ending at the North Pole.

The UK will not see a solar eclipse on this scale again until 2026, but the British forecast is not particularly encouraging.

Nonetheless, all parts of the UK are in line to see at least 83% of the Sun's disc obscured by the Moon.

The eclipse is a morning show.

The exact moment of greatest darkness for UK skywatchers will be dependent on the location

Source: BBC

BDST: 1520 HRS, MAR 20, 2015