Make sure you keep your eyes peeled for a lunar eclipse that’s making an appearance over Ireland during the week.
A partial lunar eclipse will be visible on Tuesday night, where two-thirds of the moon will be hidden by the Earth’s shadow.
It also just so happens to be the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch that saw astronaut Neil Armstrong take man’s first steps on the moon.
You’ll be able to see the lunar phenomenon over Irish skies between 10pm and midnight on Tuesday; this will be the last lunar eclipse over Ireland for over two years.
If you happen to be in Dublin that evening, Astronomy Ireland will be hosting a free Lunar Eclipse Watch at its Blanchardstown headquarters.
They’ll be setting up some of Ireland’s most powerful telescopes to watch the eclipse and will be kicking things off with an Eclipse Talk at 9.30pm. You can find more details about the event on astronomy.ie.
David Moore, founder of Astronomy Ireland, said, “This eclipse occurs exactly 50 years to the day that Neil Armstrong was launched to the Moon to make his historic ‘small step/giant leap’ a few days later.
“It’s as if the cosmos knew there was an important anniversary to alert the world to and organised this eclipse on this historic date to kick off Apollo 11 celebrations.”
Here’s hoping for clear skies…
