"It is always difficult to establish if the eclipses were seen in the ancient past as bad omens or good omens."

The partial solar eclipse will start at 10:07 GMT and finish at 12:00. According to the Royal Astronomical Society, the Moon will reach its maximum coverage of the Sun at around 11:00 – that’s when the eclipse will look most dramatic. The good news is that everyone in the UK should be able to see the partial eclipse.

If that’s too long to wait, two total lunar eclipses are also coming, one in September and another next March. Unlike total solar eclipses, which are visible only along a narrow path on Earth’s surface, total lunar eclipses can be seen by mostly anyone on the night side of the planet.