Donegal stargazers encouraged to check out Sunday's Partial Eclipse of the Moon

A deep Partial Eclipse of the Moon will take place on Sunday, September 7.

While the east coast is slightly favoured, Astronomy Ireland are encouraging everyone in Donegal and the west to get out and watch the eastern horizon as the Sun sets around 7:55pm and the moon begins to rise at exactly the same time.

By about 8pm on the east coast, the moon is sitting on the horizon with just the lower left sliver visible as the rest of the Moon is eclipsed and would be seen glowing a very dull red - some say a blood red moon - were it not for the fact that at sunset, the sky is too bright with very strong twilight.

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So, even east coast viewers are going to have to wait for the sky to get darker and the Moon to get higher in the east.

“This is ok as the Moon does not slip out of the Earth's shadow (ending the partial phase of the eclipse) until 8:56pm by which time the Moon will be 8 degrees up in the East,” said David Moore, Chairman of Astronomy Ireland.

“Therefore, I would be watching the East horizon (exactly opposite the Sun in the sky) from just before 8pm and until 8:56pm. At some stage you will see the partially eclipsed Moon low in the East, assuming the sky is clear of course.”

The eclipse should be visible from all of Ireland until about 9:30pm.