A deep partial solar eclipse will be visible across the island of Ireland on Wednesday evening, obscuring more than 90% of the sun and marking the largest such event seen from the island until September 2090. It will be followed hours later by the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, with astronomers describing the coincidence of both events, alongside a lunar eclipse due in two weeks, as making August an exceptional month for skywatching.

The eclipse begins at around 18:10 BST, with coverage varying by location: 93.05% in Belfast, 93.77% in Londonderry, 96.43% in Cork, and up to 98.01% at Skellig Michael off the Kerry coast. Those travelling to Spain will see a total eclipse, the first visible from western Europe since 1999. Experts warn that viewers must never look directly at the sun, even during the partial eclipse, and should use certified eclipse glasses or projection methods such as a pinhole viewer, while the Perseid shower, produced by debris from comet Swift-Tuttle, should benefit from dark, moonless skies later that night.