The UK's next total solar eclipse won't be until 2081 in the Channel Islands.
It is only meant to happen once every 375 years or so on any one place in the world - but the perfect alignment of Earth, the sun and the moon will be stunning viewers in Illinois, US, for the second time in less than a decade. Thousands of people are set to flock to the midwestern state on 8 April for the total solar eclipse, a celestial event described by an astronomy expert as 'our planet's greatest spectacle'.
' The astrophysics professor said a total eclipse is only expected to occur, on average, once every 375 years in any single location, making the events in Illinois extremely rare. 'Southern Illinois is considered the eclipse crossroads of America because it was in the centerline for the path of totality in 2017 and will be again in 2024,' the Illinois Department of Natural Resources said.