What is this? If you are aware that today, 12 August 2026, will see a solar eclipse in the UK, it might give you a clue. Yes, it is a beer box with some foil and cardboard taped to it but I think it will help me safely observe the point when the sun is over 90% occluded by the moon.

What you mustn’t do is look at the sun directly, even when most of it is covered. Instead, you can use a small hole to focus the light into a box. I’ve used foil pierced by a pen tip which doesn’t give a highly detailed result but should be enough to observe the change. The cardboard flap protects the side of my face from the sunlight – the viewing hole was already in the box at the far end of the side.

It is a bit jury-rigged but, although I am still waiting for around 7pm to properly try it out, I think I’ve done a proper job!