Astrophysicist Brian May shares advice for viewing the solar eclipse

Queen guitarist Brian May has been sharing advice on how best to view the solar eclipse tonight (August 12). READ MORE: Adam Lambert tells us about upcoming new music, and why artists need to “use their platforms for the greater good” A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly between the Earth and the sun, resulting in the moon casting a shadow on the Earth. The last event of its kind visible occurred in the UK in 1999. Much of Europe will experience a total eclipse while the likes of the UK will experience a partial eclipse this evening from 6.30pm BST. Over the past few days, May, who is qualified astrophysicist after achieving a PHD degree in 2007, has been giving regular updates on his Instagram page, sharing advice on how best to view it. In one particular post, he showed a partial eclipse so far. He also warned against “looking straight at the Sun” and not going “anywhere near a telescope or binoculars pointed at the Sun”. May also suggested “making a small pin hole in a sheet of cardboard”, and “practice projecting an image of the Sun through this hole on to a piece of white card”. In another post he shows himself in Spain preparing for the eclipse and he is hopef...