DARK SIDE OF THE SUN AS CITY MARVELS AT ECLIPSE
FIRST MINISTER JOINS MILLIONS FOR ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EVENT
More than 400 schoolchildren descended on the Glasgow Science Centre to catch a glimpse of the near total eclipse.
Pupils and their teachers started to gather outside the centre from 8am to witness the moon crossing in front of the sun for the first time since August 1999.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also there to join in on the fun as she donned a pair of glasses to watch the spectacle take place.
Millions of people across the country also took time out their day to watch the eclipse.
Around 200 people turned up to the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh to observe the eclipse, while 57 passengers took off from Glasgow airport to watch it from the skies.
The eclipse began at 8.45am, with the moon eventually crossing the sun’s path around an hour later covering up to 97 per cent of its face.
The thick cloud over Glasgow threatened to spoil the event, but a break in the clouds allowed it to be seen.
But people cheered and clapped as the moon blocked the sun for about 2.5 minutes under clear skies on the icy Norwegian islands of Svalbard, where tourists had been warned of risks of frostbite and polar bears after an attack on Thursday.
Clouds masked the sky over Torshavn, the capital of the Faroe Islands, further south and the only other place where a total eclipse was visible from land as the moon’s shadow skimmed across the Atlantic.
“It was overcast, there was rain and wind. You could see nothing. It was a disappointment ,” said Gabor Lantos, a Hungarian tourist.
“Some tourists were so ir- ritated, they argued with tour operators, demanding their money back.”
Others were awestruck by the sudden darkness.
“It was worth coming here from Australia, probably not as good as the 2012 eclipse we saw in Cairns, but still worth coming,” said Australian visitor Michael Tonks.
Street lights came on automatically as the sky blackened.