Image source, EPA

Eyes across Europe turned to the sky as the Moon blocked out part - or in some cases all - of the Sun.

The spectacle prompted powerful and emotional reactions from those who witnessed it. Here are some of the most notable reactions we've heard from those throughout the eclipse's path:

• "Pretty incredible isn’t it” was the reaction of Neil Martin, of the Astronomical Society of Edinburgh, as he watched the partial eclipse over Scotland, adding "you never get bored of this view"
• In Port Talbot, south Wales, onlooker Kat described the sight as "phenomenal... a once in a lifetime opportunity with beautiful people, in our favourite place"

• Chilean scientist Yasmin Catricheo, who met up with scientists from around the world in Spain for the eclipse, said it was the "most amazing" one she had witnessed: "No words could describe the feeling... the universe is amazing"

• In London, teacher Dylan Vaughan-Streater drew a crowd with a pinhole camera he made "in about 10 minutes out of a poster tube"
• After viewing the total eclipse in Bargos, Spain, BBC science correspondent Pallab Ghosh said the experience "reminds us of what it is to be human, that we are a small planet in a vast cosmos and we are seeing the Sun in its beautiful, hidden form"

We're ending our live coverage now, but you can read our story here.

Alison Francis
Senior science journalist, reporting from north Cornwall

Before tonight, the last total solar eclipse in the UK and mainland Europe was 27 years ago.

But we’re entering a “golden age” of total solar eclipses between 2026 and 2028.

Eclipse chasers can travel around the world to be wowed by the spectacle of three total solar eclipses in the next couple of years.

There will also be two annular eclipses, that’s where the “ring of fire” of light from the Sun remains visible in a full circle around the edge of the Moon as it passes in front of our star.

We’ll see more partial eclipses in the UK, but with less of the Sun covered than this time. For the one in 2027 there will be about 45% coverage in some parts of the country.

But the UK won't see a total solar eclipse for over 64 years - not until 23rd September 2090.

Jack Grey
Live reporter

Image source, EPA

Millions across the UK have witnessed the most significant solar eclipse since 1999, with some across Europe witnessing the total darkness of a total eclipse.

Here's how the day played out:

The frantic search for eclipse glasses

Eclipse glasses have been flying off the shelves of UK shops, and so purchasing a pair on the day of the eclipse was a challenge for thousands.

In Cardiff, some shoppers were able to locate some for the hefty price of £20 per pair, while many missed out in Edinburgh in a rush to get a free pair from the local astronomical society.

First glimpses of the eclipse

At about 17:50 BST, the first images of the solar eclipse began from Iceland, about an hour before the country would experience the complete darkness of the totality.

Partial eclipse hits UK

At about 18:20 BST, the first images were seen of the eclipse in the UK. At a Cornwall beach party the atmosphere was "absolutely buzzing" as the eclipse came into view, with the organiser telling us people were looking up to the sky "amazed".

There was a "mellow yellow" tone in Greenwich as all eyes turned to the sky and the Parakeets began their evening song.

Totality hits Spain

At about 19:30 BST, the Moon blotted out the Sun in parts of Spain as onlookers were treated to a rare total eclipse.

A BBC reporter in Benevente, Spain, recounted nobody uttered a word as the light faded from the sky, or the following 84 seconds of darkness.

Eleri Griffiths
Reporting from Rest Bay, Porthcawl

Cali-Anne Jenkins, 42, her daughter Isla-Rose, 10, and her father, Paul Tipple, 64, all from Porthcawl, came together to celebrate the eclipse.

Paul was at St David’s Head in Pembrokeshire for the 1999 eclipse and said it was a “fantastic experience”.

Tonight was just as special, he said, adding that he was proud to “be here watching it with my girls”.

Cali-Anne, a student at the University of Plymouth, said she was glad she managed to catch the eclipse, describing it as an “incredible experience”.

For Isla-Rose, it was her first solar eclipse. She said it was “so exciting”.

Lorna Gordon
BBC Scotland correspondent

Sandy and Nick Burgoyne were meant to be heading home to the US this morning but decided to delay their flight so they could catch the eclipse.

They have been in Edinburgh for the past week to see some of the festival shows, and to see their son, Alex take part in his school’s performance of a Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The eclipse, from their vantage point on Calton Hill, took place above the Edinburgh skyline.

It was, they both said, much better than the one they saw in New York back in April 2024 - and well worth delaying their journey home for.

Rachel Flynn
Live reporter

Image source, Yasmin Catricheo

“I've seen three eclipses in my life, but today it was the most amazing one," says Chilean scientist Yasmin Catricheo, who travelled all the way to La Coruna, north-west Spain, to witness it.

"The beach was full of people, I was giving away eclipse glasses to those who didn’t have any."

She says she brought 40 pairs to hand out.

Catricheo met up with scientists from all over the world, including the US and Uruguay, who all brought their equipment to gather data from the eclipse.

"At the totality, everyone was cheering and sharing the excitement of what we were seeing. No words could describe the feeling," she adds.

"I really hope that everyone could experience something like this, at least once in their lives. The universe is amazing."

Alix Hattenstone
BBC England

Image source, Fifth Star Labs.

"You would not believe it - but we had clouds during totality," Dr Jenifer Millard tells me from Spain.

She had taken her dad, a fellow space fan, to Ibiza to watch the eclipse, but was unable to see the Sun's corona due to the cloud cover.

"Come all this way and there’s clouds! But we still had a fantastic time – we saw much of the partial eclipse," she says, adding that it was still well worth the trip.

“We saw the moon’s shadow sweeping across the sky and the clouds just enhanced that effect."

She says it got so dark during the totality that all of the animals went quiet.

"The atmosphere here is absolutely electric. It was extraordinary and then as the sun was setting, the partial eclipse was still happening."

"Absolutely magical.”

While some found inventive ways to project the effects of the eclipse, others donned quirky costumes to mark the occasion.

Image source, Neil Hall / EPA

Image source, Iso Ekle / Anadolu via Getty Images

Image source, osep LAGO / AFP via Getty Images

Image source, Brook Mitchell / Getty Images

Rachel Flynn
Live reporter

Image source, Chris Hankey

Amateur astronomer Chris Hankey says he was "trembling with excitement" to see the solar eclipse from the Isle of Scilly, which he says was "even better than expected".

The Isle of Scilly is a great place to view an eclipse, Chris says, because of its stable atmosphere, lack of mountains or haze.

"I'm a bit overwhelmed, it was just lovely," Chris tells me. He says he has travelled to other partial and lunar eclipses across the UK, but has been "waiting for clear skies to watch something like this for decades".

He, alongside other amateur astronomers on the island, set up a watch party, where the community could pick-up eclipse glasses and have a look through professional telescopes, one pictured above. "Everyone was amazed to see it," Chris says.

Kris Bramwell
On holiday in Spain

As the eclipse progressed, my partner Holly said the Sun looked like “a caterpillar has taken a nibble on a leaf", then it was looking like Pac-Man, a brushstroke, then an eyelash.

Finally, the temperature dropped.

As darkness descended and totality began, the guests on the rooftop pool deck with us erupted into applause.

Many have been planning for this moment for a while, but we’ve met people at the tonight who only discovered it was happening yesterday.

Together we’ve shared something memorable.

Rozina Sini
Your Voice

Image source, PA Media

London man Alex Yeung says "it felt like a pilgrimage" on the way to Primrose Hill to view the eclipse.

"I arrived about 10 mins before the eclipse and it was a lovely gathering of people to witness," he says, adding some who didn't have protective glasses brought colanders from their kitchens to project the shadow onto paper or cardboard.

"Some used pizza boxes. The cereal box viewer was very quirky to see."

He says there was a "loud cheer" after the eclipse passed by.

Rachel Flynn
Live reporter

Magnus Kristiansen says it was "really special" to see how many people gathered in Tasiilaq, which is located just 106km south of the Arctic Circle.

"It was amazing, almost 1000 people - we are only 2000 people. Half of the town were together," Kristiansen, who organised a watch party in the centre of Tasiilaq, tells me.

As it happened, the town went quiet, Kristiansen says, calling the moment "spectacular".

Image source, Magnus Kristiansen

Andrée Massiah
Reporting from east London

Dylan Vaughan-Streater, from east London, drew in a small crowd when he went out to see the solar eclipse.

He tells me: "I made the pinhole camera in about 10 minutes out of a poster tube, tin foil, baking paper and a cardboard box. It was the first time I made one of these!"

"I have loved science ever since I was a kid, and it’s why I became a science teacher," he adds.

"I wanted to see the solar eclipse as it is a once in a generational thing."

Eleri Griffiths
Reporting from Rest Bay, Porthcawl

Bonnie Tyler's music wasn't just played on Aberavon Beach tonight.

The sun is setting here in Porthcawl. It’s been an unreal evening with an atmosphere I’ll never forget.

As the eclipsed reached its peak, Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart played and the atmosphere was unbelievable.

One woman said she had shivers as it played.

My first eclipse - it will be a day I never forget. Let’s hope I see the next one in 2090.

Rachel Flynn
Live reporter

Image source, Emily Powell

Emily Powell tells me she was surrounded by "the whole of south Wales" while watching the eclipse from Aberavon Beach in Port Talbot, along with her wild swimming group Aberavon Bluetits.

"There were multiple generations dancing around as Bonnie Tyler played in the background," Emily says, calling it a "really special occasion".

"It was phenomenal to see the Moon move across the Sun above the sea," she says. "A once in a lifetime opportunity with beautiful people, in our favourite place," co-admin Kat chimes.

And what better way to mark such a historic occasion, than an eclipse-themed Welsh cakes made by Emily's mum.

"Thanks Mum!" she exclaims.

Image source, Amelia Powell

Ben Philip
Reporting from Ayr Beach

Unfortunately, not everyone in the UK got a clear view of the eclipse.

“The cloud just wasn’t on our side,” says one of the dozens of skygazers who gathered at Ayr Beach. And they weren’t wrong.

Thick blanket cloud covered the sky at the precise moment when the astronomical event should have been in full view - in what was supposed to be one of the best places in the country to see it.

There was the odd break in the cloud offering people a mere excited glimpse for a few seconds here and there.

Perhaps enough for some to catch a glimpse of what can be a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Rebecca Morelle
Science editor, reporting from north Cornwall

...And the eclipse has finished here in Cornwall - but we’ll be left with a fantastic sunset.

It’s over all too soon - but this brief alignment of the Sun, the Moon and our home, the Earth, has been unforgettable for those who saw it.

Natalia Bradford
Reporting from Benevente, Spain

Totality here in Benavente was such an emotional experience.

No matter the language spoken, the language of an eclipse is truly universal.

There were whoops and cheers from everyone all around me as the last little slice of the Sun disappeared behind the Moon.

Totality lasted just 1 minute and 24 seconds, but no one uttered a word for those 84 seconds.

I'm really glad to have shared this with my parents. My Dad turns 80 next year and it was his first total eclipse too - certainly a once in a lifetime experience!

Jamie Moreland
Reporting from south-east London

I haven’t been able to find any special glasses today to watch the solar eclipse, so instead I’ve been observing from my home in south-east London by creating a pinhole projector - with card from a porridge box and a piece of A4 paper.

I took a photo of the paper every couple of minutes from 19:00 BST and made a montage of images showing the shadow of the moon as it crossed in front of the Sun.

What a sight!