It will be a partial eclipse in Ireland...
People will be able to witness a partial solar eclipse in the skies above Ireland this evening.
For around 50 minutes from 7.30pm this evening, the people of Ireland will be able to see the spectacle in the sky which will obscure about 10% of the sun from view.
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, totally or partially obscuring the image of the sun from viewing from Earth.
A total solar eclipse will take place in the US as the Sun is completely covered by the Moon's shadow and plunges areas into fleeting moments of darkness.
But if you're expecting some eerie darkness in Ireland you'll be left disappointed. As we mentioned earlier, only about 10% of Sun will be covered from the centre of Ireland during the spectacle. There will be a little bit more obscured in the South-East and a little bit less in the North.
People are being warned not to attempt to look at the partial eclipse with a naked eye this evening as it's not safe to do so and may damage your eyes. In the US, when totality hits, people will be able to remove their eclipse glasses and look at the eclipsed Sun.
In Ireland the eclipse will begin at 7.37pm and hit its maximum at 8pm, lasting until 8.23pm.
There hasn't been a total eclipse of the Sun in Ireland since 1727 and there won't be another one in Ireland until 2090.
However, seeing all of this is weather dependent, and if it's cloudy, the chances are you'll see little to nothing at all as the Sun will be so low in the sky at the time.
