Explained in plain English
What causes an eclipse?
An eclipse happens when one celestial body blocks the light from another. In this story's case, it's a solar eclipse: the Moon passes directly between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow. This alignment makes the Sun appear to 'dim' or even disappear from our perspective, as the Moon temporarily covers it.
Stories that explain this
12 August eclipse will dim UK skiesThis explainer came from a news story
BriefTea explains every UK news story in 80 words — and when a story assumes something you don't know, its Knowledge Galaxy maps the background so you can explore until it makes sense. Free, no ads, no paywall.
Get BriefTea on the App Store