The Moon’s shadow as it crosses the Earth is only 100-260km wide, and you have to be located within that narrow path to see the totally eclipsed Sun. While total solar eclipses happen roughly every 18 months being able to see totality is rarer still. Solar eclipses happen just as often, but they are seen by far fewer people because the shadow created by the Moon passing in front of the Sun covers a much smaller fraction of the Earth.įurthermore, partial solar eclipses are difficult to observe and they pale in comparison to the experience of a total solar eclipse. Lunar eclipses are seen by more people because everyone on the night side of the Earth during a lunar eclipse will see the event.
However, roughly every six months the orbits align to produce a pair of eclipses – a lunar eclipse at Full Moon, followed by a solar eclipse at New Moon (as we are experiencing now), or vice versa. Solar eclipses are relatively rare experiences, because the Moon’s orbit is tilted by 5 degrees relative to Earth’s orbit around the Sun, so they don’t quite move in the same plane. Then, with your back to the Sun, hold the cup so the sunlight passes through the hole onto a flat surface such as a piece of paper or a wall, projecting an image of the Sun on the surface.īut because this is such a minor eclipse and it will happen at sunset in eastern Australia, it may be hard to focus the Sun’s image in this way.
This involves making a small hole in the bottom of a plastic cup or piece of cardboard. Normally, the projection method is a great way to observe solar eclipses. You can check websites such as Spaceweather to see what’s happening on the Sun’s surface right now. The Sun is currently moving from a quiet phase to an active one, as part of a cycle that repeats every 11 years. These glasses also allow you to see any sunspots that might be active. Most importantly, never look at the Sun directly – even when it’s low on the horizon.īe sure to protect your eyes by using specially designed eclipse glasses. Solar eclipses are one astronomical event that require special care to observe. It’s not until about 80% or more of the Sun is obscured before we notice any change in daylight. In fact, if you weren’t aware of it, you wouldn’t even know the eclipse was happening. But move further north to Queenstown and the eclipse is barely visible for the setting Sun.
Invercargill will see 4% of the Sun obscured by the Moon, with the Moon passing by the Sun’s left side. For Melbourne, this drops to just 2%, while in Canberra it’s hardly visible – the Sun is crossing the horizon as a tiny eclipse occurs. Of all Australia’s capital cities, Hobart will see the largest eclipse, but even so only 11% of the Sun’s area will be covered. The Moon’s goodnight kissĪs the Sun sinks towards the horizon the Moon will appear to kiss the top-left of the Sun. For South America and Africa, the eclipse will be in the early morning for Australia and New Zealand it will happen as the Sun is setting. Meanwhile, the southern tips of South America, Africa, Australia and New Zealand will see a fairly minor partial eclipse.