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Irish scientists comment on the upcoming solar eclipse in the UK and Ireland.
Dr Ryan Milligan, Astrophysics Research Centre, Queen’s University Belfast, said:
“On March 29th, between 10am and noon, a partial solar eclipse will be visible from much of the UK. The Moon will pass between the Sun and the Earth causing almost half the Sun to be obscured around 11am. It is not safe to look directly at the Sun at anytime; use only specially approved solar-eclipse glasses or project an image of the Sun through a pinhole on a piece card on to the ground.
Clear skies will be needed to witness this event and exact times may vary slightly based on your location. While partial solar eclipses are relatively common (around once a year), this event is the prelude to the much rarer, total solar eclipse happening in August 2026. This will be the first total solar eclipse visible from mainland Europe this millennium, with the totality primarily visible from Iceland and Spain.”
Dr Sophie Murray, Technical Officer, Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies (DIAS), said:
“A partial solar eclipse will take place on Saturday March 29 from around 10:00 – 12:00 GMT (maximum at 11:00). This is when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth appearing to cover part of the Sun, giving it a crescent shape in the sky. This is unlike a total solar eclipse where the Sun is completely blocked. In Dublin on the 29 March about 40% of the Sun will be covered.
Never look at the Sun directly as it can damage your eyes! If you don’t have access to solar telescopes or approved eclipse viewing glasses the pinhole method is a good way to see the eclipse. You can make a simple pinhole projector by poking a small hole in a piece of paper or cardboard and letting sunlight pass through it onto the ground or another surface, where you’ll see a small, inverted image of the eclipsed Sun.
Solar activity is quite high right now so you may also see sunspots on the Sun’s surface when viewing the eclipse! If you miss the event on Saturday the next partial solar eclipse visible from Ireland will occur on 12 August 2026. You can also always see images of the Sun’s surface and atmosphere in real time at SolarMonitor.org, a website maintained by space scientists at Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.”
Declared interests: None received.