Eclipse 2026: Queen's University to host public viewing event in Belfast on Wednesday evening
A special public event is to be held for eclipse-watchers at Queen’s University Belfast on Wednesday evening.
The city’s set to grow dim, with more 90% of the sun to be obscured by the moon when the astronomical event is at its maximum.
According to experts, this week’s eclipse is the best coverage Northern Ireland can expect to witness until the year 2090, and excitement is already mounting as people get ready for the impressive moment.
The Astrophysics Research Centre at Queen’s University Belfast will host a viewing event on the front lawn of the campus’s Lanyon Building for the public to watch it take place, with free specialist eclipse glasses for attendees to view it safely.
Looking directly at the sun during a solar eclipse can cause damage to the retina, so the special glasses are essential – and have almost sold out online.
The viewing event takes place from 6pm to 8.30pm at Queen’s. The eclipse itself is start around 6.10pm and reach its maximum and little less than one hour later. It will be over by 8pm.
Alternative indoor arrangements will be made if the weather is poor, with a livestream of the eclipse.
Indeed, bad weather could be the enemy for people trying to catch a glimpse of the event, the Met Office forecasting that Wednesday could be a fairly cloudy evening in Northern Ireland.
This week will be the best coverage seen in an eclipse this century, with parts of the west of the UK witnessing up to 95% of the sun obscured by the moon. Parts of Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain will see a total eclipse.