The only solar eclipse visible from the UK this year is happening this month.

The partial eclipse takes place on Tuesday morning.

A solar eclipse happens when the Moon gets between the Earth and the Sun, which causes it to be obscured. In a partial solar eclipse it means the Sun's light will not be completely blocked off by the appearance of the Moon.

With the next total solar eclipse not happening until the year 2090 and nowhere on Earth able to witness the Sun being totally covered by the Moon this year - the event this autumn is sure to be an excellent replacement in the calendar of sky gazers.

Tuesday's partial eclipse, says the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, will begin at 10.08am and end at 11.51am.

While it will last for around an hour and 40 minutes, the peak - or the moment when the greatest amount of the Sun is blocked out by the passing Moon - is expected to happen at 10.59am.

Alongside the UK, the eclipse will be visible over most of Europe, northern Africa and the Middle East.

How to see it

With the majority of children on their half time holiday, Tuesday's event could be a great occasion for all the family providing the weather allows.

But it is worth remembering that you should never look directly at the sun so in order to watch you can either tune into the Royal Observatory's live stream or - if you're feeling crafty - design your own pinhole projector through which to watch.

Even with only around 15% of the Sun likely to be obscured you should still avoid looking directly at the sky.

The Royal Observatory suggests: "Never look directly at the Sun. This can cause serious eye damage or even blindness.

We're hoping to bring you the best view of the solar eclipse in the UK using our high-tech telescope at the Royal Observatory: the Annie Maunder Astrographic Telescope. Tune in to our live stream on Facebook or YouTube to watch our telescope view live."