Solar eclipse Galway: Best viewing spots and times as shops issue glasses update
It is a rare phenomenon which you will not get the chance to see again fully for 60 years
Ireland and the UK are gearing up to witness a rare and wonderful solar eclipse on Wednesday.
From 6pm to 8pm, the moon will move between the sun and the earth eventually blocking out the sun’s light.
The first contact will hit Galway at around 6:12pm; at 7:10pm, the eclipse will be at its maximum stage and by 8:06pm, it will have ended.
The sun will only be fully eclipsed for less than two minutes for the majority of those who manage to see it.
There has been mass hysteria to buy special glasses to witness this monumental event with one Galway shop having to come out and address false rumours that they were one of the few stores stocking them.
The Bon Bon shop in Salthill said: “Hi all, just to let you know, we do not have glasses in stock for the eclipse, sorry for the misinformation posted by someone.”
Glasses have not been easy to come by, with subscribers of Astronomy Ireland Magazine the luckiest of the lot after the Magazine was inundated with requests.
NASA has warned you will need proper eclipse glasses to look safely at the eclipse which are “thousands of times darker than normal sunglasses”
Watching the eclipse without these special glasses is not recommended nor is recording the eclipse on a smart device which could end up frying the chip inside.
It will be the first time the solar eclipse has been so visible since 1999 with the next chance of a total viewing said to be as late as 2090.
The best viewing areas in Galway will not depend on your location, but rather if we can get clear skies after 6pm - which is looking likely so far according to Met Eireann’s forecast.
David Moore, editor of Astronomy Ireland magazine, has advised the public to gauge where the sun is on Tuesday between 6pm to 8pm.
“That’s roughly where the eclipse will occur on Wednesday, and that’s where you will need the clear skies”.