Star turn

Britain experienced a solar eclipse but not the total eclipse visible in Iceland and Spain. How often do eclipses occur?

– During the decade 2021-30 there have been, or will be, 22 eclipses visible somewhere on Earth. Of these, 6 were or will be total eclipses in some locations.

– The average location on Earth could expect to experience a partial eclipse every 2.6 years and a total eclipse every 374 years.

– However, eclipses are more common above the Arctic Circle (once every 2.2 years) than at the Equator (2.8 years).

– Total eclipses are a little more common in the northern hemisphere than in the southern because the Earth is further away from the sun in the northern summer, and therefore the sun appears smaller in the sky at the time of maximum daylight.

Sized up

A boat carrying a record 230 migrants crossed the Channel. At what point do we stop calling them ‘small’ boats? (Average number of migrants per boat)

August 2018                                                 3

July 2019                                                    11

July 2020                                                    11

July 2021                                                    27

July 2022                                                    41

July 2023                                                    52

July 2024                                                    59

July 2025                                                    62

July 2026                                                    72

Source: Home Office

Dry run

Has the south-east of England become more prone to drought over recent decades? (Average rainfall in mm)

1991-2020

June                          53.68

July                           53.66

August                      63.07

1961-1990

June                          54.48

July                           48.32

August                      58.53

Source: Met Office

Poor houses

Some 2.36 million households in England, 9.4% of the total, are defined as living in ‘fuel poverty’. Where, and in what sort of housing, do they live?

– 17.2% of privately rented homes are in fuel poverty, compared with 6.5% of owner-occupied homes.

– The highest proportion of fuel-poor households are found in converted flats (15.8%) and the lowest proportion in detached houses (6.6%).

– The most fuel-poor regions are the West Midlands (10.9%) and London (10.3%).   The least are the south-east (7.8 %) and the north-east (8.2%).

Source: Department for Energy Security and Net Zero