Robert's Ramblings

There was a time when a solar eclipse was seen as an ominous sign, a warning that forces beyond our understanding had power over us and that the Sun itself might somehow be taken away.

Today, solar eclipses are one of those internationally celebrated occasions where countries that have won the next orbital mechanics lottery get to host one of the world’s most spectacular celestial events.

Sadly, Ireland did not win this year. For that we will need to stick around another 64 years, until Saturday, 23 September 2090. Still, we made the most of the partial eclipse that graced our sky tonight.

It was always going to be a long shot that we would see anything at all. Despite an unseasonal 28°C here in County Cork, very seasonal cloud covered the sky for most of the day leading up to the event. For the two hours from start to finish, I think we glimpsed the Sun perhaps ten times, each glimpse lasting just a few seconds.

The most profound experience was that deep dip of light and the odd feeling it created just as we passed through the peak. Even with only a few percent of the Sun visible, it was still quite bright, but quite strange.

I got one or two lovely reminders of the eclipse before dark clouds hid it all. Of course, 10 minutes after it was all over, the Sun came out in full.

That’s Ireland!


#SolarEclipse #PartialSolarEclipse #Eclipse2026 #astrophotography #SolarPhotography #celestial #NightSkyPhotography #IrishSkies #Ireland #Cork #sun #eclipse