90% Solar Eclipse to Darken Ireland Skies Wednesday
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- Ireland will see a deep partial solar eclipse on Wednesday evening with more than 90% of the sun obscured, the largest such eclipse visible from the island until September 2090, according to Astronomy Ireland.
- Skellig Michael will see the deepest coverage at 98.01%, followed by Cork at 96.43%, Dublin at 93.99%, Limerick at 96.03%, and Belfast at 93.05%, with the event running roughly from 18:10 to 20:09 BST depending on location.
- Spain will see a total solar eclipse — the first total eclipse visible from western Europe since 1999 — with David Moore of Astronomy Ireland calling the back-to-back eclipse-and-meteor double feature 'celestial fireworks'.
- Dr Rok Nežič of Armagh Observatory warned viewers never to look directly at the sun, noting that 'our retinas don't have pain receptors, so you won't know that you're damaging your eyes'.
- Astronomers recommended certified eclipse glasses, pinhole projectors made from cereal boxes, or projecting the sun's image with a colander, but cautioned against pointing smartphones or digital cameras at the sun without filters.
- The Perseid meteor shower will peak overnight Wednesday into Thursday, with a new moon ensuring dark skies and up to 100 meteors per hour potentially visible under clear conditions away from streetlights.
Why it matters: Ireland has not seen a total solar eclipse since 1724 and will not see another until September 2090, making this Wednesday's near-total event the closest most Irish skywatchers will come to totality in their lifetimes — and making proper eye protection critical, since the visible sliver of sun remains bright enough to permanently damage the retina without certified glasses or projection methods.
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