Solar eclipse viewing guide available

Offaly’s Seanie Morris has posted a guide to safely watching Friday’s solar eclipse on the Irish Federation of Astronomical Socities(IFAS) website.

Mr Morris, who is a member of the Midland Astronomy Club and Chairman of the IFAS said the eclipse will begin at around 8am and peak at 9.26am. “It will be at its darkest and coolest 15 minutes either side of 9.26am,” he explained.

The Midland Astronomy Club is planning a free event at Athlone Castle from 8am on Friday morning. Members will have solar telescopes and eclipse glasses available for anyone seeking to witness the eclipse.

A number of methods of safely watching the eclipse are outlined in the Mr Morris’s online guide. It can be viewed and downloaded for free from www.irishastronomy.org

Meanwhile, the Association of Optometrists Ireland(AOI) is warning people not to look directly at the sun.

Optometrists are advising the public to exercise caution in viewing next week’s solar eclipse as prolonged exposure to direct rays of the sun can burn the retina.

There will be a total solar eclipse over the Northern Hemisphere at the Faroe Islands (Norway) and a rare 92% partial eclipse over Ireland.

The AOI estimate the eclipse will be visible from 8.30am in the morning, peaking at about 9.30am and complete by 10.40am.

If the retina is damaged, vision is affected and it can take up to a year to heal, but in some cases there can be lasting damage known as Solar Retinopathy.

The AOI said that the safest way to view the eclipse is to make a small hole in a card, hold it up to the sun and project the image on the ground or a second piece of white card. People should not view the sun directly through the hole.

The eclipse can also be safely viewed through appropriate filters called Eclipse glasses. It is essential that these glasses have no scratches or damage to the lenses.

High protection welding goggles are also suitable (filter 14 or over). Sunglasses or 3D viewing glasses are not suitable and should not be used.

A sharper image can be obtained by using a pair of binoculars. The binoculars should be set up on a stand or tripod, with the lenses directed at the sun and the eyepiece focussing on a piece of white card. The sun must not be viewed through the binoculars or telescope directly under any circumstances.