Between the hours of 8.30 and 10.30 this morning, the skies turned a darker shade of grey as the sun disappeared behind the moon, in what experts are describing as a "near-total eclipse".

Scientists from Hawaii, Aberystwyth University and Trinity College Dublin - along with Futureproof's Jonathan McCrea - travelled up into the clouds with the Irish Air Corps to capture a glimpse of the eclipse.

While those of us on Earth had to contend with heavy cloud cover, Jonathan and those on board were able to view the rare phenomenon from its greatest vantage point - and it didn't disappoint.

Jonathan spoke to Newstalk Breakfast from 20,000ft this morning about what to expect:

Listen back to Jonathan McCrea's full report from 13,000ft here:

During a Solar Eclipse, the moon aligns before the sun, blocks out the light from our star and the night sky appears in what should be broad daylight. 

Here in Ireland, the sun will be 90% covered, producing a sunrise/sunset effect. You'll be able to see some stars and most unusually the planet Venus. If you're lucky enough to be in Donegal this Friday, you'll have the best view in the country, and possibly the World, as 93% of the sun will disappear. 

During the eclipse, you may notice birds acting strangely, as they will think it's night time and start to roost. Scientists from Trinity College Dublin plan to record the reaction of animals in Dublin Zoo.

If you're planning on experiencing the eclipse, we obviously recommend you don't look directly at the sun. The safest way to view is by making your own pinhole projector. 

There are optical illusions available during this astronomical event. Solar expert and Futureproof contributor Peter Gallagher recommends us to "look at the shadows under a tree. You'll see hundreds of little solar images during the eclipse window on Friday morning. Or if you criss-cross your fingers and look at their shadow cast on the ground, you'll see lots of little images of the sun."

Join us in the sky for Eclipse 2015:

Scientist from Hawaii, Aberystwyth University and Trinity College Dublin - along with our very own Jonathan McCrea - will be up above the clouds with the Irish Air Corp to take in the eclipse from it's greatest vantage point.

At 11,000 feet high, -15 degrees celsius and in a direct path to the solar eclipse, pilots will open the window and both Jonathan and scientists on board will record this near-total eclipse. 

Join Futureproof on Newstalk.com as we bring you Eclipse 2015 live from 11,000 feet. Friday 20th March from 8.30am.