As you've probably been told, it's never a good idea to stare straight into the sun. And just because today will see up to 90 per cent of the sun obscured in the first solar eclipse of the millennium doesn't make that any different.

Neither sunglasses, telescopes, binoculars or camera viewfinders will save your retinas from damage, so a simple pinhole projector is the simplest way of observing this rare astronomical event.

A pinhole projector can be made from any available pieces of card or cardboard - e.g. a shoe box or breakfast cereal box - and requires little more than some paper, glue and tinfoil.

The video below explains.

The eclipse will begin today at 8.30am and reach its peak at 9.30am, when 90 per cent of the sun will be obscured. It will be another 11 years before the next solar eclipse visible in Ireland.