Here’s an invitation to people interested in astronomy to join staff from the Department of Physics at Maynooth University on Wednesday, August 12th 2026 from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm for a special public celebration of one of the deepest solar eclipses visible from Ireland in decades. The next eclipse with > 90% obscuration of the Sun by the Moon won’t be seen again in Ireland until 2090, by which time I will have retired.
Experience the eclipse safely through:
- eclipse viewing glasses
- solar telescopes
- live astronomy demonstrations
List of Solar Talks during the evening:
- Dr. Emma Whelan – The Story of the Sun
- Dr. Joshuah Heath – The Quantum Sun
- Dr. Marcin Gradziel – (Electric) Power from the Sun. The good, the bad, and the glinty!
- Dr. Michelle McCrystall – The star of the show: How the Sun drives our climate
- Prof. Peter Coles – Einstein and the Eclipse (Who He? Ed.)
- Dr. Patrick Kavanagh – Will our Sun go Supernova?
The evening will also include:
- an immersive* astronomy show in our inflatable planetarium
- hands-on arts and crafts activities for children
*especially if it rains
Maynooth University Staff can reserve a place here until June 14th, after which booking will be opened to the general public – I’ll repost this invitation with a link at that time.
In the Dark 