A cosmic phenomenon for the stargazers.
Don’t forget to look up at the sky this month because, for the first time in 10 years, a total solar eclipse will be visible across Australia
Happening on April 20, 2023, this rare and truly beautiful celestial phenomena will allow stargazers to experience a full solar eclipse for the first time since 2012.
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around the region here.
A total solar eclipse is when the moon passes directly between the sun and Earth, completely blocking out the sun’s light and casting a shadow on Earth’s surface. Scientifically speaking, this shadow is known as the ‘umbra’, and the area beneath the shadow, where the total eclipse can be seen, is referred to as the ‘path of totality’.
The ‘path of totality’ for this total solar eclipse will begin in Exmouth, Western Australia and travel across the north of the country, where it will be at its most impressive. The path will be about 140 kilometres wide and last for just over three minutes at its maximum point.
People in WA within this path of totality will see the phenomena at its most impressive, with the sun disappearing completely, temperature dropping and planets becoming visible as the corona (the sun’s outer atmosphere) will appear as a glowing halo for the three minutes. A real sight to be seen!
For those of us not in WA, the eclipse won’t be as sensational but will still be beautiful and worth a gaze towards the sky.
Set the alarms, the sun will disappear above Sydney at 1.36pm, Brisbane at 1.43pm, and Adelaide from 12.23pm, while in Melbourne the rare event takes place at 1.15pm.
The next opportunity for peak one of these won’t be until 2043.
