Did you know a rare, once-in-a-decade hybrid solar eclipse will occur on 20 April?
Exmouth in Western Australia will be the only place in Australia to experience a total solar eclipse. This means the Sun will be completely blocked out for 58 seconds before it reappears. A partial eclipse will happen on either side of this.
- The total eclipse will occur from 11:29:48 am – 11:30:46 am (AWST).
- The partial eclipse will occur from 10:04:31 am – 1:02:34 pm (AWST).
Up to 25,000 stargazers from all over the world are expected to travel to Exmouth to witness this astronomical milestone.
Why is this event so special?
Hybrid eclipses make up only about 3% of all solar eclipses. The last hybrid eclipse anywhere in the world was on 3 November 2013. The next is not until 14 November 2031.
Between 2 and 5 solar eclipses happen every year, casting shadows on different parts of the Earth each time.
This event is the first, and shortest, of 5 eclipses that will happen over Australia in the next 15 years.
The next eclipse, on 22 July 2028, will be a total eclipse that cuts a path down from the Kimberley across to Sydney.
Timings and locations for the partial eclipse
The rest of Australia will experience a partial solar eclipse. This means the sun is never completely blocked out.
- Perth: 11:20:30 pm (AWST), 71% of the sun will be covered
- Adelaide: 1:30:02 pm (ACST), 21% of the sun will be covered
- Darwin: 1:52:28 pm (ACST), 81% of the sun will be covered
- Hobart: 2:06:56 pm (AEST), 5% of the sun will be covered
- Melbourne: 2:09:05 pm (AEST), 11% of the sun will be covered
- Canberra: 2:22:10 pm (AEST), 10% of the sun will be covered
- Sydney: 2:28:56 pm (AEST), 10% of the sun will be covered
- Brisbane: 2:44:56 pm (AEST), 16% of the sun will be covered.
Remember, it is not safe to directly look at the sun, particularly during a partial solar eclipse or the partial phase of a total eclipse, without using proper eye protection.