A partial eclipse of the sun will be visible over Ireland from approximately 10 am until 12.30 pm on Thursday.
The rare spectacle will occur as the moon passes in front of the sun.
Astronomy Ireland has encouraged people to book the day off work to witness the spectacle that happens only once every few years.
David Moore, Chairperson of Astronomy Ireland and editor of Astronomy Ireland magazine, told the Irish Mirror: “If you stood still on the Earth's surface, you would see a total eclipse once every 400 years, but partial eclipses, you can get them every couple of years.
“Why? Because the path where a bit of the sun is covered by the moon is thousands of miles wide compared to tens of miles for the total eclipse. So, a lot of people would get to see a partial eclipse.”
Mr Moore described how astronomers came to the realisation that eclipses are simply the moon passing in front of the sun.
He said: “Back in ancient times, they weren't so sure and very superstitious. In fact, as one story about, I think it was two Chinese court astronomers who failed to predict a total eclipse of the sun.
"Of course, when you have a total eclipse of the sun, which is not what we're getting on Thursday, our last one was in 1724, but when you do get one day turns to night.
"In fact, the Chinese used to think it was a dragon gobbling the sun, and they'd all turn out in force and bang pots and pans to scare the dragon away, and since the maximum eclipse you can ever get is seven minutes, it always worked.
"So two court astronomers failed to predict one eclipse, and the emperor had them beheaded. So we are always careful to predict eclipses. We don't want that happening to us.”
Mr Moore emphasised the importance of taking the necessary safety precautions when watching the eclipse.
He said: “It is dangerous to look at the sun, even with the naked eye. You can cause serious eye damage, especially if you stare at it for a long period of time.
“When you look up at the sun, you're squinting that’s your brain, eye combination telling you this is not good for my eyes. So, we advise people never to look at the sun.”
Astronomy Ireland has some simple tricks that will help you to observe the eclipse safely.
“One of them, the simplest doesn't cost much, is a pinhole. If you the punch, a tiny hole in a piece of tinfoil or a sheet of paper or cardboard and just a millimetre or two across the size of the tip of a pencil.
“You let the light from the sun stream through that, and you pick up the light on a piece of card held a few feet away.
“That acts as a mini pinhole camera, and you will actually get an image of the sun, and you'll see the bite taken out of it by the moon as the eclipse progresses.”
Another way to protect your eyes while watching the eclipse is by using EU certified filter glasses that are safety tested to ensure they block out damaging light.
Mr Moore said: “You know, people have held crisp packs up to the sun, and they think they see a cool view of the sun, and in fact, it could be lots of Infra-Red light getting through. So, only use EU certified eclipse filters.
“The one thing I should say, people should never, block capitals, never look at the sun with binoculars or telescopes. You will then be blinded before you can blink.
“They are extremely deadly. They all carry warnings on the side. never look at the sun with them but just to remind people.”
Next month will also see a spectacular sight as the International Space Station will be blazing across the sky.
As well as this, Mr Moore said: "August is the biggest shooting star shower of the year. There's 20 times more, shooting stars on August 12th .”
In September, Astronomy Ireland will be hosting their own event in the Wicklow Mountains.
Mr Moore said: “We hope we're going to be running the country's biggest annual star party on September fourth."
He added: “It’s called Starbecue, a barbecue under the stars when we gather giant telescopes from all around the country and invite the general public to come along, look through them at the wonders of the universe.”
