A PARTIAL ECLIPSE of the Sun will be visible from Ireland tomorrow morning

The eclipse of the sun will be visible between 10:06am and 11:40am, with the maximum eclipse set to occur at approximately 10:52am.

Solar eclipses occur whenever the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, which casts its shadow down on the planet.

A total solar eclipse is when the Moon completely blocks the light of the Sun, temporarily blocking all light reaching the Earth.

Tomorrow’s eclipse is set to only be partial however, with total solar eclipses being very rare.

According to David Moore, founder of the Astronomy Ireland, the last total solar eclipse to be visible from Ireland was in 1724.

He added that the next total solar eclipse won’t be visible in Ireland until 2090.

Moore warned against people looking directly at the eclipse with their naked eye, saying it can permanently damage vision.

“However, you should not look at the Sun at any stage of the eclipse with the naked eye, and certainly not with binoculars or telescopes as you can permanently damage your eyesight in a fraction of a second,” said Moore.

The eclipse will be visible across most of the Northern Hemisphere, with it set to begin in Iceland and end in India.

However, the Moon’s shadow will not hit Earth during this eclipse.

“To start getting the sense of darkness in the sky, to perceive a kind of cold light, the Sun needs to be at least 95 percent obscured,” Paris Observatory astronomer Florent Deleflie said.

“We will see that a small piece of the Sun is missing. It won’t be spectacular, but it’s always an event for amateur astronomers — and it can make for beautiful photos.”

It will be the 16th partial solar eclipse of the century, and the second of this year.

The next total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, according to NASA.

Additional reporting by Tadgh McNally

© AFP 2022