Mayo set for a rare solar eclipse tonight
A photo from 1990 showing what a 95% eclipse looks like
Mayo could be one of the best places in the country to see a solar eclipse this evening.
Ireland will experience a partial eclipse, what experts are calling ‘a unique lifetime experience’.
A solar eclipse is where the moon passes between the sun and the earth, blocking the sun’s light.
The west and south of the country should see up to 98 percent coverage of the sun while in the east and north, it will be around 94 percent. Clouds could hinder the experience however.
Parts of Spain, Greenland, Iceland, Russia and Portugal will experience a total eclipse.
The event will become visible just after 6pm with maximum coverage of the Sun occurring shortly after 7pm.
The Moon is expected to have cleared the Sun by around 8pm.
A solar eclipse viewing party will take place in Newport, hosted by Newport Astronomy Club at the Railway Bridge in the town. They are gathering at 5.45pm.
The Solas centre at Eachleim, on the Mullet peninsula, are welcoming people to witness the eclipse there, stating that their location on the western edge of Mayo puts them closer to the path of the total eclipse and meaning they will experience ‘a particularly deep partial eclipse’.
They did add though that weather is a consideration.
“At the moment, we have considerable cloud cover over Erris and conditions aren't looking particularly promising. However, Atlantic weather can change quickly, and even a brief break or thinning in the cloud around 7.09pm could give us a glimpse of the eclipse,” they stated.
Director at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) at Dunsink Observatory Professor Peter Gallagher told RTÉ that this will be ‘a unique lifetime experience’ as the next eclipse is not due here until 2090.
It was 1999 when the last significant eclipse was visible in Ireland.
People are being warned to view safely and advised not to try to look at the sun using sunglasses or binoculars, as this can lead to damage to the retina in the eye.
