IRELAND YESTERDAY experienced a partial solar eclipse that saw part of the sun blotted out by the moon.
It was the first of two eclipses this month: there will be a near-total lunar eclipse on August 16th, when 81 per cent of the moon will be in the Earth's shadow.
Despite the clouds, David Moore, chairman of Astronomy Ireland, said a clear view of the eclipse was seen over Dublin at 9.24am amid "glorious blue sky" as the moon partially passed in front of the sun.
Mr Moore said that at 10.15am, a large chunk of the left-hand side of the sun could be seen in eclipse through a gap in the clouds. He said the clouds helped viewers here because they dimmed the glare. A total eclipse was witnessed in nations including Russia and China.
