In the very early hours of tomorrow morning, sky-gazers will get to glimpse a rare total solar eclipse.
There’s just one problem: as it’ll still be nighttime here in Australia, viewers won’t be able to see anything in our skies – instead, the phenomenon will be visible only in North America, in certain parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada.
That said, you’ll still be able to watch the event from the comfort of your own home.
Here’s how, and everything else you need to know about the total solar eclipse.
What actually is a total solar eclipse?
A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon is perfectly positioned between the Earth and the sun, blocking out the light from the latter and casting a huge shadow onto our planet.
These are slightly different from a partial solar eclipse – when the moon only obscures part of the sun.
Eclipses can be quite dangerous to view – special glasses are crucial for safely observing the sun as the moon marches across the sky.
During “totality” when the sun is completely shrouded, it’s fine to remove your glasses and look with your naked eyes. But before and after, certified eclipse glasses are essential to avoid eye damage, as are solar filters for cameras, binoculars and telescopes.
When will the total solar eclipse take place?
This year’s total solar eclipse will begin at about 2:38am (AEST) but won’t be visible from mainland North America until about 4:07am when totality hits Mexico’s western coast, according to NASA.
It’ll then continue on a north-east path across the continent for more than an hour and a half, until it exits Canada at about 5:46am.
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Where will the total solar eclipse be visible?
The “path of totality” – the area where the total eclipse is forecast to be visible – stretches from Mexico’s Pacific coast, passing through the likes of Dallas, Cleveland and Niagara Falls (which is expecting so many tourists that it’s declared a state of emergency), all the way up to Newfoundland in Canada’s east.
Totality will be visible for about five minutes from any one area on the ground. That’s quite a long time and is due to just how close the moon is to us at the moment.
It will be 360,000 kilometres from Earth away on eclipse day and will appear slightly bigger in the sky thanks to that proximity, resulting in an especially long period of sun-blocked darkness.
While the total eclipse will only be visible from that narrow stretch of land, pretty much the entire North American continent will be able to view at least a partial eclipse.
How can you watch the total solar eclipse in Australia?
Unlike last year’s total eclipse that was visible from Exmouth in Western Australia, this one won’t be visible in Australian skies, so your best bet to watch is online.
When is the next total eclipse, and will that one be visible in Australia?
The next total solar eclipse won’t take place until 2026. That one also won’t be visible Down Under, instead showing up in the skies of Greenland, Iceland and Spain.
We’ll have to wait until 2028 for our turn, when a total eclipse will pass over much of Australia, stretching from Western Australia’s Kimberley region all the way down to Sydney.
– With Associated Press
