Irish stargazers may have their hopes dashed at catching a glimpse of an eclipse of the moon set to be visible across the country tomorrow due to cloudy weather.
Astronomy Ireland has said what is known as a Penumbral Eclipse of the Moon will take place around 7:10pm tomorrow evening and will be visible to the naked eye for several hours.
But Met Eireann has warned that a spate of cloudy weather on Friday evening could ruin the view for many.
Forecaster Matthew Martin told the Irish Mirror: “Unfortunately, it looks like there’s some rain going to move in with a lot of cloud from 3pm [on Friday].
“It will be clear enough along the East Coast until around maybe 5pm but then it’s really going to be a cloudy night with outbreaks of rain spreading across the country so it doesn’t look too positive for those hoping to see the eclipse.”
Officially the lunar event will run from 5:08pm to 9:12pm and should the weather remain clear, it can be seen all over Ireland.
But astronomy enthusiasts have been warned the effect is very subtle at the start and end of the eclipse, and nothing will be noticed by the naked eye until half an hour before mid eclipse.
For those reasons, Astronomy Ireland is urging people to watch from 6:40pm to 7:40pm, with 7:10pm being the optimal time.
David Moore, Chairman of Astronomy Ireland said: “A Penumbral Eclipse is not as impressive as a Total Eclipse. Both are caused by the Moon passing through the Earth’s shadow but in a Total Eclipse the Moon goes fully inside the Earth’s shadow and dims by a factor of nearly 1 million in brightness.
“This won’t happen on Friday night. Instead, the Moon skims the edge of the Earth’s shadow and the lower edge of the Full Moon will be noticeably darkened for about half an hour either side of 7:10pm.”
Binoculars are said to give an even better view but are not essential.
Those living outside of cities also need not worry as public lighting will make no difference, meaning city dwellers can see the eclipse just as well as those in dark rural areas.
Punters looking to capture a photo of the exciting event are in luck as cameras, including smartphone cameras, will give an amazing result as the eclipse is very slow moving.
There will be three more of these Penumbral Eclipses of the Moon in 2020 and all will be visible from Ireland set to occur on June 5, July 5 and November 30.
But people won’t want to miss Friday's eclipse as it will be the deepest and best placed of the four Irish eclipses this year.
