Solar eclipse (illustration)
Solar eclipse (illustration)Thinkstock

A unique astronomical event is occurring on Friday, as the sun is due to come in for a total solar eclipse, a rare phenomenon that is sure to please skywatchers - as long as they take care not to damage their eyes from the sun rays.

The eclipse is also to be visible in Israel, the last such eclipse predicted until 2020.

"Only residents of the Faroe Islands - a tiny, self-governing country off the northern coast of the UK - will experience an 100 percent occlusion of the Sun," reports The Verge, a technological and science news site. 

The paper notes that those in the northwest reaches of Europe like Norway and northern Scotland will have the next best experience at roughly 90 to 95% occlusion.

Live footage from Britain reveals the rare event.

In Israel, the event is set to be visible roughly between 11:15 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., with maximum coverage anticipated around noon. It won't be quite as visually impressive in Israel given that only around 40% of the sun is to be covered when seen from the country's latitude.

Overcast weather may make it even more difficult to see - but those who are lucky and look at the right time just might be able to discern the unique phenomenon.

"Astronomers say the eclipse is set to be particularly striking, as the Moon is currently at the point of its elliptical orbit closest to the Earth - a configuration technically known as the perigee-syzygy of the Earth-Moon-Sun system but more memorably dubbed the 'supermoon,'" notes The Verge.

Gedalyah Reback contributed to this report.