Bolton will experience a partial solar eclipse this evening, Monday, as the sun sets, though you may not even notice.

As much of North America will be plunged into darkness through a total eclipse, Boltonians may be able to see a partial eclipse – however, the sunset will cut the phenomenon short.

According to calculations by timeanddate.com, Boltonians can expect to see a very small partial solar eclipse from 7.55pm until sunset at 7.58pm.

The website calculates that the sun will be obscured by less than one per cent in the eclipse, before the sun sets.

However, cloud cover will make the phenomenon – which will already be difficult to see – even more difficult to notice.

In 2015, thousands across Bolton watched a partial solar eclipse, with 90 per cent of the sun covered.

Further afield, those in Ireland have a much better chance of seeing the eclipse today, with obscuration levels of more than 30 per cent and the eclipse lasting for half-an-hour.

In North America, the path of totality – where the eclipse will be fully visible – will range from Mexico’s Pacific coast to US states including Texas, Illinois, Ohio and New York.

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It will then make its way to Canada, moving from the city of Montreal to the provinces of New Brunswick and Newfoundland.

Looking directly at the Sun is still dangerous, but the eclipse can be viewed safely through real solar eclipse glasses – not 3D glasses or anything similar.

However the safest, one of the cheapest and most convenient ways to view the event is by pinhole projection – make a hole in a piece of card, hold it under the Sun, and hold a piece of paper behind the card.

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Using this method, people should be able to see the shape of the Sun projected onto the paper, taking away the need to look directly at the Sun.

Even with these measures, as with most astronomical events, the skies need to be clear so the phenomenon can be observed.

There are between two and five solar eclipses each year with a total eclipse taking place every 18 months or so.

Total solar eclipses are seen every 400 years from any one place on the surface of the Earth.

The next total eclipse of the Sun visible from the UK is in September 2090, and nearby there will be another one in 2026 that is visible in northern Spain, tracking up to Iceland.

The last time a total solar eclipse was seen from the UK was in 1999, although the only place to witness totality was Cornwall.

If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Bolton. Please get in touch at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk.