Eclipse of 1999 remembered in York - in 15 fabulous pictures

The moon will obscure more than 90 per cent of the sun soon after 6pm until shortly after 8pm tonight (Wednesday) - the most it has been blocked above UK skies for 27 years.

Anyone old enough will remember that August 11, 1999 became one of those “where were you?” moments and one of the most-viewed total solar eclipses in human history.

Eclipse watchers study intently from their vantage point near York Minster as the solar eclipse begins to reach its climax. (Image: Newsquest)

People of all ages watched from workplace car parks, playgrounds, back gardens or alongside strangers who had stopped in Parliament Street or taken advantage of the higher vantage point at the top of Clifford's Tower or on the roof of the then Moat House Hotel (today's Radisson Blue).

Spectators watch the solar eclipse from the top of Clifford's Tower. (Image: Newsquest)

For a few extraordinary minutes, the city paused as people peered upwards through specially-bought eclipse glasses, hoping for a glimpse of the rare celestial spectacle.

Solar eclipse watchers Peter Parish and Emma Cotton, of the Moat House Hotel, in York, watch from the hotel's roof. Picture David Harrison. (Image: Newsquest)

That memorable skyward moment was captured by The Press team of photographers as the sun, moon and a great deal of public curiosity briefly brought people together.

Leslie Walker, 81, with friends, projects the eclipse on to card outside St Chad's, York. (Image: Newsquest)

For many, the eclipse is remembered as much for the build-up as the event itself. There were warnings not to look directly at the sun, our newspaper's guide on how to watch safely, makeshift viewers made from cereal boxes and a rush to find the distinctive protective glasses.

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The skies may not have delivered perfect conditions everywhere, but that hardly seemed to dampen the occasion. The gradual dimming of the daylight, the strange hush and the shared sense of anticipation were enough to make it feel momentous.

Grandfather Doug Norton from York shows members of his family how to project the eclipse in the Museum Gardens. (Image: Newsquest)

The only part of Britain to witness the full blacking out of the sun by the moon was Cornwall, hundreds of miles from York.

Leslie Walker projects the solar eclipse on to a card at St Chad's Church in York, as William Salter, aged seven, looks on. (Image: Newsquest)

More than a quarter of a century on, the images offer a reminder of a time before smartphones became the default way of recording every major event. Instead, people simply watched as the sky did something unforgettable.

Ada Stabler, 95, from Stamford Bridge, planned to view the solar eclipse for the second time in her long life using the 'smoked glass' method she used in 1917. Picture Steven Bradshaw. (Image: The Press)

Tonight's rare partial eclipse is set to take place soon after 6pm and 8.06pm when the moon will obscure up to 95 per cent of the sun.

The maximum point of coverage is expected to be at around 7.13pm. A solar eclipse is when the moon passes between the earth and the sun, totally or partly obscuring the light of the sun for a viewer on earth.