We joined lots of other Brighton residents at the seafront to watch the partial solar eclipse. We found a spot on Hove Lawns and sat for a while, surrounded by happy people: families, friends, organised groups. Almost every group had some kind of viewing mechanism with them. I saw a lot of repurposed cereal boxes, a decent amount of solar glasses (us included), a few CD-based viewers and a lot of colanders.

Crowds gathered on Hove Lawns for the eclipse, silhouetted against a hazy sun over the sea

Crowds spread across Hove Lawns with Brighton's i360 tower and seafront buildings behind

Great to see the partial eclipse. Even better to feel the sense of community. Everyone gathered for one thing, and for once it was a natural phenomenon.

A blue crescent-shaped lens flare beside the hazy sun, echoing the eclipse's crescent shape

This is the best photo I got, and it’s the lens flare that is the interesting bit, showing the crescent shape of the sun. Rarely would a photo of a lens flare be something I’d enjoy looking at!

Holding up the homemade pinhole viewer, cut from a page of my notebook

A tiny crescent of light projected through the pinhole onto the notebook page below

Just before leaving the house I pierced a sheet in my notebook with a pin and used it to view the eclipse. It worked well enough, and I enjoyed the simplicity.