Solar Eclipse: Cheers As The Clouds Parted

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Whoops of joy greeted the sun as the moon passed over it, delighting millions of skywatchers across northern Europe.

As the clouds parted over the Faroe Islands, turning total darkness to light again in seconds, thrilled crowds shouted in enchantment, with many yelling out: "Oh my God, Oh my God!"

The spectacular eclipse has been described as "amazing", "beautiful" and "eerie".

At one point, at around 9.40am, Sky News senior correspondent Ian Woods said: "We are standing in total darkness, I can hardly see the camera."

After the sun emerged again Woods said: "It was so grey and miserable, weather-wise, that we were preparing to give up on the whole thing.

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A pupil at St Vincent's Catholic Primary School in Altrincham looks through special glasses at the partial solar eclipse

Bridal and groom Sarah Wolf and Michael Wilde (R) and their guests look through a rescue foil as they watch the partial solar eclipse in Munich

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A woman uses protective glasses for her dog in Nice, southeastern France

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People watch the partial solar eclipse from the grounds of Belfast Zoo, in Belfast

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People wearing special sunglasses wait for a total solar eclipse on Svalbard

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"But then suddenly we saw it - it was absolutely awe-inspiring. Just at the end, it went very, very dark and then we saw a glimpse of totality.

"We only got a few seconds of totality before the sun emerged again, but it was incredible."

Jill Lucas, who travelled to Faroe from Pennsylvania in the US, told Woods: "This is a thrill in itself, to be this dark at nine o'clock in the morning - it's like nine o'clock at night."

However, despite the excited reaction from some, not all of the 10,000 visitors turning up on Faroe were satisfied.

"It was overcast, there was rain and wind. You could see nothing. It was a disappointment for everybody," said Gabor Lantos, a Hungarian tourist.

"Some tourists were so irritated, they argued with tour operators, demanding their money back," he said, adding that would be impossible.

Elsewhere, the moon took its first nibble out of the right hand side of the sun at 8.28am in Skegness, on the east coast of Lincolnshire.

Security guard and amateur photographer Gary Martin, 45, took his camera to the seafront straight after a night shift.

"It's been brilliant," he said. "It was very important not to miss it and by taking photos - I can keep the memories for years to come."

Val Goll, 65, from the town described feeling an unusual "atmosphere" and a noticeable drop in temperature as the moon passed in front of the sun.

"I'm immensely pleased and excited to have seen it," she said. "It is beautiful."

Meanwhile, some of the best experiences were had in Newquay, Cornwall, where there was an 85% eclipse and some clear skies.

Sky's Isabel Webster chatted to children who wore special glasses to observe the spectacle.

One boy, Archie, said: "It's the first one I've seen and I saw it through the glasses, to avoid causing damage to my eyes. It's really good."

Another witness in Newquay said: "It was quite eerie, everything just went pretty dark and the birds seemed to go quiet."

On the Isle of Lewis, in Scotland, where there was a 95% eclipse, viewers turned out with makeshift cameras made from cardboard boxes.

One viewer, called Elliott, told Sky's James Matthews: "I'm quite impressed - what I can see is not very big - but the box has drawn attention to the eclipse."

Space journalist Sarah Cruddas told Sky News: "Not only was the solar eclipse amazing, but equally amazing is the fact that so many people, schools, news organisations, are so engaged in what's going on.

"This really is a once-in-a-lifetime event - you can tell it's a lot darker outside."

Despite the excitement some voiced their disappointment on Twitter after poor weather spoiled views.

Software engineer Amarjeet Rai (@sonu27), from London, wrote: "Solar eclipse this morning. Shame it's cloudy."

Fellow user @RGGoldie wrote from Jersey: "So cloudy I can't even tell where the sun is right now."

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