Solar Eclipse 2015: Best Internet Reactions
From Bonnie Tyler to the humble kitchen colander, the underwhelming eclipse has brought out the best in online humour
This morning, the UK witnessed a partial solar eclipse and pretty much everyone lost their damn minds over it.
My photo of the #eclipse2015 from #chester earlier today. pic.twitter.com/sdUIEHAsYk
— Grand National Guide (@grandnational09) March 20, 2015
Alas in true British style the main event, which occurred between 9.30am and 10.40am across the country, was a complete dud thanks to cloudy skies across much of the UK obscuring any kind of glimpse of the natural phenomenon.
You couldn’t move on Twitter for reactions to the eclipse, that saw many shake their virtual fists in righteous indignation at the cheek of the clouds while those lucky enough to actually see something couldn’t stop professing their love for the humble colander.
Safety first. You must never look directly at an eclipse, as The League of Gentlemen star Reese Shearsmith found out the hard way.
Don't be fooled by the clouds. I looked for 10 seconds max. #eclipse2015 pic.twitter.com/anekr0SS67
— Reece Shearsmith (@ReeceShearsmith) March 20, 2015
We were all advised to wear special eclipse viewing glasses. Sky’s Kay Burley was RIDICULOUSLY EXCITED about the whole thing. Her words, not ours.
Ridiculously excited about #eclipse2015. Colander at the ready... Watch live here http://t.co/25pUDsbv8f pic.twitter.com/bvmTy1WsUo
— Kay Burley (@KayBurley) March 20, 2015
But we all know those glasses make you look like a loser. Does this dog look happy to you?
Lucky for these cool dudes, they had some welding masks lying around. Yeah, that’s so much better.
For those of us in London, the supposedly magical occurrence looked less like something out of a sci-fi film and a whole lot more like this:
I got an amazing photo of the #eclipse2015 pic.twitter.com/iPjBJ1gHl7
— Lee Nelson (@RealLeeNelson) March 20, 2015
Some ingenious Tweeters combined their love of sarcasm and emojis to create their very own eclipse.
Seems legit.... #Eclipse2015 pic.twitter.com/7bJ5VBVTJH
— Next Big Fight (@NextBigFight) March 20, 2015
As we all know, there is a Simpsons quote for every key moment in life. Today there were two that perfectly summed up the eclipse. First up was a nod to the late Leonard Nimoy:
"A solar eclipse, the cosmic ballet goes on." "Does anyone wanna switch seats?" #eclipse2015 pic.twitter.com/tsake9ULLF
— SimpsonsQOTD (@SimpsonsQOTD) March 20, 2015
But the reality was something a bit more like this:
Half of the UK trying to see the #eclipse2015 pic.twitter.com/hEaIaQPnYq
— カビゴン (@LORDGOODALLSAYS) March 20, 2015
For those of us lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the eclipse in all its glory, the simple kitchen colander became the hero of the hour as people used theirs to witness the majesty of the moment. But it did make us wonder – are we the only people in the country who don’t have a fancy metal colander?
These poor children, who had likely never seen an eclipse in their lifetime, became confused by the sudden disappearance of the sun and began praying to this strange new god.
Prep pupils enjoyed learning about the #eclipse2015 this morning in a special assembly pic.twitter.com/DlkCUB6sYr
— The Perse School (@ThePerseSchool) March 20, 2015
Brands aplenty tried to hop on the eclipse bandwagon, to the surprise of no-one.
Now this is what we call an eclipse! #eclipse2015 pic.twitter.com/Q7Xwlmx5iW
— Candy Kittens (@CandyKittens_UK) March 20, 2015
Total eclipse of the tart #eclipse2015 pic.twitter.com/ZDy8rVh2kq
— pieminister (@pieminister) March 19, 2015
Guys, you're loving the #oreoeclipse cover - but don't ACTUALLY use it to look at the eclipse, alright? pic.twitter.com/xf492w0cQT
— The Sun (@TheSunNewspaper) March 20, 2015
The real triumph of the day with the resurfacing of this iconic Jaffa Cake ad:
*grabs Jaffa Cakes* #eclipse2015 pic.twitter.com/KFuL7ch5E2
— Pretty52 (@Pretty52) March 20, 2015
Plus, any day that you've got Bonnie Tyler's 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' stuck in your head is a good day.
Admit it, how many people are singing Bonnie Tyler in their heads this morning?
— Richard Osman (@richardosman) March 20, 2015
Obviously if Bonnie Tyler had recorded a song called Partial Lunar Eclipse of the Heart, she’d be an awful lot richer now.
— Stuart Heritage (@stuheritage) March 20, 2015
Despite Professor Brian Cox and every major TV news outlet trying to convince us that this was, like, THE most important thing EVER, the majority of us were left feeling like this:
Me after the #Eclipse2015 pic.twitter.com/92xzhkKyRA
— Gavin & Stacey React (@GavStaceyReacts) March 20, 2015
Oh well. Until 2026!
Did you catch a glimpse of the eclipse? Let us know on Twitter!
[Man So Amazing Two Women Throw Themselves Off A Bridge For Him]
[Woman Gives Birth On The Toilet. Twice.]