Those returning to work this morning after the Christmas break may possibly feel a little light has gone out of their lives.

If so, they are absolutely correct.

A partial solar eclipse will take place in what is being predicted as the highlight of the 2011 astronomical year.

With the rising sun partially obscured by the moon this morning, commuters who raise their heads will see a chunk ‘bitten' out of the left side of the sun.

The phenomenon — which will affect 40% of the sun — should be visible to everyone around an hour after sunrise, between 8.30am and 9.30am, if cloud cover is favourable, and will ensure a particularly dull journey back to the workplace.

The UK Interim Chief Medical Officer Dame Sally Davies has warned observers not to look directly at the sun to avoid damaged eyesight or even blindness.

“This should be the astronomical highlight of 2011, and it only happens a few days into the year,” David Moore, chairman of Astronomy Ireland, said yesterday.

This eclipse will be the last to be seen from Northern Ireland for the next four years, with the next not due until March 2015.