Eclipse 2026: Where are the best spots in Northern Ireland to catch spectacular event - and which places could struggle?
Northern Ireland’s going to a real split when it comes to viewing tomorrow’s eclipse of the sun, with thick cloud expected to block some areas’ ability to see the stunning event.
Ulster’s set to grow dim on Wednesday evening, with up to 94% 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.
Viewing events are planned all over the province, with Armagh Planetarium staging a family fun day from 10am to 8pm, while Queen’s University Belfast hosts a bash on the front lawn of the campus’s Lanyon Building allowing the public to watch it take place
But the Met Office predicts cloud over parts of Northern Ireland, which could hamper people’s ability to see the astronomical spectacular.
And they warn that the sun will be hazy over much of the province, due to the eclipse starting so late in the day.
It begins at 6.10pm, reaching its maximum close to an hour later, and will be over by 8pm.
Looking directly at the sun during a solar eclipse can cause damage to the retina, so specialist safety glasses are essential – and as of the start of this week, had almost sold out online.
According to the Met Office, however, cloud cover could mean people in the north and west of Northern Ireland have difficulty seeing it properly, a spokesperson telling the News Letter that counties Fermanagh, Tyrone and Londonderry will be particularly affected.
There may even be light rain showers in the first two of those counties over the course of the day.
But it’s better news for counties Armagh and Down, the spokesperson said, where cloud cover will be comparatively limited.
“In terms of a good vantage point, finding a hill would be a good idea,” they added.
The director of Armagh Planetarium, professor Michael Burton, said Wednesday evening’s eclipse promises to be “an extraordinary sight”.
“At its peak, the sun will be reduced to the thinnest sliver of light, low over the western horizon,” he said. “It is going to be a beautiful and quite eerie spectacle.”
He added: “The last time skies over Ireland darkened to this extent was in 1999. On that occasion people travelled from all over to stand under the path of totality in Cornwall. You don’t need to travel anywhere this time, history is coming to us.”
He reminded the public not to look directly at the eclipse.
“The sun is never safe to look at directly with the naked eye, binoculars or a camera, no matter how much of it is covered by the moon,” he said.
“Sunlight contains strong and harmful ultraviolet light. Use eclipse glasses, solar filters or make a pinhole projector using a cardboard box, tin foil and white paper.”
Parts of the UK will witness up to 95% of the sun obscured by the moon. Areas in Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain will see a total eclipse.