London will see its most complete solar eclipse in over a quarter of a century today.

It is estimated that around 90% of the sun will be covered by the moon, triggering a rare and stunning natural phenomenon.

There won’t be a better eclipse in Britain until 2090, so you won’t want to miss this one.

But the phenomenon isn’t without its risks and Londoners should take care as they try to catch a glimpse.

Here is everything you need to know about the solar eclipse.

An eclipse occurs when the moon moves directly between the Sun and Earth. This blocks the light of the Sun to part of Earth, totally or partially.

The type of solar eclipse you experience depends on the relative positions of the Sun, Earth and Moon, as well as where exactly on Earth you're watching from.

There will be a partial eclipse on Wednesday. It is a rare event because of how much of the sun will be blocked.

This week’s solar eclipse will begin at 6.17pm for those based in London, Bristol, and Cardiff.

The height of the eclipse is expected at 7.13pm for Londoners and it will last around 1 hour and 49 minutes until 8.06pm.

For those in Manchester and Liverpool, the eclipse will commence at 6.13pm, while for those in Scotland, the eclipse will begin closer to 6.08pm.

Some European countries, like Greenland and Iceland, are set to experience a total eclipse.

Partial solar eclipses carry more risks than total solar eclipses, because the latter involves the sun being entirely covered, albeit only briefly.

During a partial solar eclipse, it is never safe to look at the sun without eye protection, even though it looks as though it is being blocked by the moon.

“The glasses you use must comply with the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard. Glasses that have reached this safety standard will have the ISO standard printed on them, and they will have a manufacturer’s report showing their compliance based on rigorous testing. They must also be free of any perforations or folds in the silvered lenses, as any damage to them risks making them unsafe to use,” Dr Greg Brown, astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, explains.

“Do not under any circumstances use ordinary sunglasses – not only do these not provide the necessary protection from the sun’s light, but the little light that they do block will make viewing the sun feel more comfortable even while the risk is still very much present.

Solar eclipse glasses have a special silver filter that blocks all but one part in 100,000 of the sun’s light, with some transmitting even less than that. They also specifically reduce the ultraviolet radiation down to safe levels, making the light of the sun safe to observe,” Dr Brown continues.

Alternatively, you can see a live stream provided by The Standard so you can watch safely.

You can also check with your local astronomical society to see if they’re running any eclipse-viewing events or you can build your own pinhole projector.

This can be done by making a hole in a piece of card. Hold the card in one hand and a blank piece of paper in the other.

You can then line the card and paper up so an image of the Sun appears on your screen.

Experts also recommend using a colander.

Imo Bell, a planetarium astronomer at the Royal Greenwich Observatory, explains: “You can project the image of the eclipse using a household item like a colander which has lots of holes in – point the colander towards the Sun with your back facing it, and in the shadow of the colander you’ll be able to see the eclipse in the holes, which is really cool.”

There are plenty of apps which will help you find the clearest possible view of the eclipse, including Eclipse Horizon Checker.

But the general rule of thumb is that high vantage points in elevated spots like Primrose Hill and Greenwich Park will be the best place to secure a view.