Skywatchers have predicted that Cheshire will witness a 90 per cent partial eclipse of the sun on August 11.
"Effectively nine tenths of the sun will be blocked out by the black disc of the moon," said Sylvia Chaplin, manager of Jodrell Bank's science centre.
"It will be like dusk but we are trying to warn people that it will still be dangerous to look directly at the sun."
Thousands of visitors are expected to flock to Devon and Cornwall - the only place in the country where the total eclipse will be seen.
But bad weather could make their trip pointless.
"The last total eclipse happened 70 years ago, but all we need is a cloudy day and no one will see it wherever they are," said Sylvia.
Highway bosses have asked drivers thinking of travelling to the south coast to plan their journey in advance to cut queues.
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