If you look up to the skies later this morning, you might catch a glimpse of a hotly-anticipated astronomical event.

A partial solar eclipse is expected to be visible in the UK today, with sky gazers set to see around a third of the sun blocked out by the moon.

What time will it happen?

Experts believe it will start in the UK just after 10am, with the maximum eclipse set to cover around 39pc of the sun at around 11.13am.

It is then expected to end for us at lunchtime, at around 12.22pm.

The further north you are, the more of the sun will be obscured for you – so those living in the Scottish Highlands will see more of the sun covered than we will here in Norfolk.

Will the weather get in the way?

According to the forecast this morning, probably not.

The Met Office says we might see some cloud cover in early afternoon, but this morning should be sunny and generally clear.

Ideal eclipse-viewing weather?

How can I view it safely?

Mark Thompson, astronomy broadcaster, author and co-presenter of BBC Stargazing Live, says to be careful when trying to spot the eclipse.

He said: "There are dangers with observing solar eclipses. The sun gives off a lot energy, not just visible light but lots of radiation we can’t see. The real danger of eclipses is that people will look at the sun to try and see it but that is the worst thing you could do.

"You can damage your eye sight just by looking at the sun normally, but looking at it through binoculars or telescopes, that makes it even worse.

"You can get solar eclipse glasses but they tend to sell out quite quickly when an eclipse is happening. It’s a thin piece of plastic material with a very thin layer of aluminium deposited on both sides of it."

I'm going to miss it! When will I next get the chance?

if you want to see a solar eclipse but can't this time for whatever reason, you'll have to wait more than a year for the next one.

"If people do miss this one then the next opportunity to see a partial solar eclipse will be October 2022, so next year," said Mr Thompson.