Cricket fans at Edgbaston were among the sporting spectators treated to a stunning view of the Wednesday evening partial solar eclipse. The sky took on an eerie darkness as the Moon obscured more than 90 percent of the Sun, leaving only a slim crescent of light visible. Spectators watching the Birmingham Phoenix face MI London in The Hundred were able to take in the spectacle from the stands, with many wearing protective glasses. The eclipse marked the most significant solar eclipse visible from British skies since the total eclipse of 1999.
Many fans watched on at Edgbaston through special glasses
Other sporting events were also held under the unusual backdrop of the eclipse. Floodlights were activated in anticipation at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham. Small groups, including Swedish athletes Erika Warff and Tilde Bjerager, gathered outside Alexander Stadium to observe the phenomenon, congregating on both sides of the terrace below the west stand.
Floodlights at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham were also on in anticipation of the eclipse
Some spectators wore protective paper glasses, while others observed the event through their phone cameras; however, the rare occurrence was already obscured by clouds when it peaked at approximately 7:15 PM. In Salzburg, football fans attending the UEFA Super Cup between Aston Villa and European champions Paris Saint-Germain also gazed skywards.
Football fans watched on at the UEFA Super Cup match between PSG and Aston Villa in Salzburg
The eclipse took place around half an hour before kickoff in the Austrian city.