Maynooth Uni hosting special solar eclipse event
A photo from 1990 showing what a 95% eclipse looks like
ON 12 August there will be a near total (94-97%) solar eclipse in Ireland which will be the darkest eclipse here until 2090, and Maynooth University is bringing out its boffins to host a free public event on campus that evening that is already booked out!
Maynooth University’s Department of Physics is hosting the event from 5.30pm to 8.30pm at the Iontas Building on the North Campus, and will be a viewing of the deepest solar eclipse visible from Ireland in decades.
Notably, the next solar eclipse with more than 90 per cent of the sun obscured will not be visible from Ireland for another 64 years, making this a once-in-a-generation opportunity.
The last total eclipse over Ireland was way back in 1724, although we came close to one in 1999 which hit totality over Cornwall and the English Channel.
This free public event combines safe eclipse viewing with a series of accessible talks and family-friendly demonstrations exploring the science of the Sun and its influence on our world.
The eclipse provides a rare opportunity to engage the public with topics including astronomy, climate science, renewable energy, quantum physics and space research.
Throughout the evening, visitors will be able to view the eclipse safely using specialist solar viewing equipment and hear from leading researchers.
These will include talks on the story of the sun, the Quantum sun, harnessing its power . ‘Einstein and the Eclipse', and whether our sun might go supernova – all from a host of experts.
