Armagh Observatory and Planetarium welcomed crowds for Northern Ireland’s deepest partial solar eclipse in almost 30 years, as around 93% of the Sun was blocked by the Moon on Tuesday.
The eclipse was the largest seen in the region since 1999, when thousands gathered as daylight briefly turned to dusk. Astronomers said Northern Ireland will not see a deeper partial eclipse until 2090.
Viewing event held in Armagh
People gathered at the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium for a public viewing event described in the source report as a once-in-a-generation opportunity. The eclipse could be seen through breaks in cloud cover, although views across Northern Ireland were obscured at times.
Before the event, Observatory Director Professor Michael Burton said the sight offered a reminder of Earth’s place in the wider universe.
“It does remind us that we are a small part of the universe, and this is a cosmic happening out there, and we are part of that.”
He added that an eclipse was an occasion when people could feel connected to major events taking place in the solar system.
“But an eclipse is one of those occasions where we know we’re part of a greater sphere, we’re part of major events in our solar system.”
Safety advice for stargazers
Experts warned people not to look directly at the Sun. They advised using specialised eclipse glasses or pinhole-style projections to view the event safely.
Suggestions that a colander could be used to help observe the eclipse also led to a surge in sales. John Lewis said sales of the kitchen item had risen by almost 40% compared with the previous year after Nasa recommended colanders as a safe viewing aid.
The eclipse was partial in Northern Ireland, while the Sun was completely hidden in northern Spain. Belfast solar physicist Dr Ryan Milligan travelled there to reach the path of totality, which he described as the Moon’s shadow cast on Earth and typically around 100 miles wide.
Queen’s University Belfast also hosted an eclipse viewing evening on the front lawn outside its Lanyon Place building. Dhara Patel, a space expert at the National Space Centre, described the event as “incredible” and said its greater coverage made it different from recent eclipses that reached about 30% coverage.