People across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, western Asia, the North Indian Ocean, and the North Atlantic are encouraged to point their eyes to the skies today as a partial solar eclipse is happening today, 25 October.
This morning, 25 October, an eclipse will start at 9:58 am in Iceland d will end off the coast of India at 2:02 pm.
According to the IMCCE institute of France’s Paris Observatory, the eclipse will cross Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa on its way.
Except for a few states in the northeastern region, most of the states in India will be able to witness the solar eclipses.
Where you can see the solar eclipse – where the eclipse will be visible
The partial solar eclipse will last for about one hour and 45 minutes. In India, the eclipse will be visible for over an hour in most places, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, and Mathura.
In Iceland, where the eclipse is due to start, it will begin just before nine o’clock in the morning and won’t last as long as it will in India. The eclipse will be happening at the same time the Sun is rising, so it will be low in the sky.
In the UK and Ireland, Scotland will be witnessing the best views of the partial eclipse, particularly in the Shetland Isles after ten o’clock in the morning.
For the best chance of seeing it in Ireland this morning, sky gazers are told to look to the skies at around 10:52 when it is in maximum view.
Be careful when looking – don’t look directly at the Sun
Dr Robert Massey of the Royal Astronomical Society said that the spectacle will cause the Moon to block the view of “some or all of the bright solar surface”. He said that the Sun will “appear to have a bit taken out of it”.
He has advised against looking directly at the Sun as it can cause serious damage to the eyes. This is regardless of a large portion of the Sun being blocked out.
He also said that it would not be advisable to look at the Sun through binoculars, telescopes, or the telephoto lens on an SLR camera. The easiest and safest way to look at the partial eclipse is to “use a pinhole in a piece of card.
An exciting week of phenomena – what to look for next
This partial eclipse comes at the end of an exciting week of phenomena visible in our skies.
The Orionids meteor shower, caused by Hailey’s Comet, has been visible in the UK and Ireland for the last several days, with the peak being on 21 and 22 October.
While the meteor is visible throughout the month of October, it was said that the shower lit up Irish skies with around 25 meteors per hour. The best time to view it was between midnight and sunrise on the morning of 22 October.
For those keen to witness more night-sky phenomena, the Taurids meteor showers will be visible in our skies between 12 and 13 November.
