Partial eclipse takes place in skies over Northern Ireland

Anthony Murphy captured this image of a crow on a fence during the partial eclipse

Stargazers were treated to a rare partial solar eclipse on Tuesday as the moon obscured around a quarter of the sun.

Cloudy weather ruined the event for some but others were fortunate to witness it.

The last partial solar eclipse was in June 2021 when up to 45% of the sun was blocked.

Another eclipse of the same magnitude is due to take place in April 2024.

The next total solar eclipse to be seen from Ireland the UK will be in 2090.

This was the first partial eclipse in the skies above Northern Ireland in almost a year-and-a-half.

It started just after 10:00 BST on Tuesday when the moon began to pass between the sun and the earth.

It peaked between 10:50 and 11:00, and ended at about 11:45 with times varying depending on the location.

Up to 25% of the sun's diameter was covered at the peak, making the sun appear crescent shaped.

Astronomy Ireland said Belfast was the best vantage point, with 25% of the star blocked out at its height at 10:53.

The skies over Upper Lough Erne were darker than normal

In comparison, Cork saw just 17% coverage when it peaked there at 10:50 local time.

While there was a fair amount of cloud cover, there were some breaks for clearer viewing.

"The next partial eclipse in Ireland won't happen until April 2024, but it won't be as good as this one", said David Moore from Astronomy Ireland.

This image of the eclipse was taken by Matthew Barry in Belfast

A partial eclipse of the sun is the best that many of us can expect to see in this part of the world in a lifetime.

"The last time a total eclipse occurred over Ireland was in 1724 and the next won't happen until September 2090", said David.