A tiny part of Australia will experience a total solar eclipse today.
Exmouth, on the tip of the North West Cape in Western Australia, is the only place where the Sun will be totally blocked out.
The rest of the country will experience what's called a partial solar eclipse — that's where only part of the Sun is blocked out.
Only got a few minutes to get up to speed?
Here are five things to know about today's eclipse — and a bonus question about the next one.
Click on the link below to be taken directly to that section:
- 1.What time is the eclipse?
- 2.How much of the Sun will be covered?
- 3.It's dangerous to look at a partial eclipse
- 4.You need special solar glasses or filters to view a partial eclipse
- 5.There's going to be a live stream of the solar eclipse
- 6.When is the next solar eclipse in Australia?
1. What time is the eclipse?
Around lunchtime.
We say that because the exact timing depends on where you are in the country.
And, while the Sun will only be totally blocked in Exmouth for just 58 seconds, the entire cosmic ballet unfolds over a few hours.
Here's a capital city breakdown of key eclipse times:
Scroll right on the table below for the full list locations listed in alphabetical order — times are shown in relevant local time.
Location |
Adelaide |
Brisbane |
Canberra |
Darwin |
Hobart |
Melbourne |
Perth |
Sydney |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Partial eclipse begins |
12:30pm |
1:43pm |
1:29pm |
12:17pm |
1:24pm | 1:15pm |
10:00am |
1:36pm |
Maximum eclipse |
1:30pm |
2:44pm |
2:22pm |
1:52pm |
2:06pm |
2:09pm |
11:20am |
2:28pm |
Partial eclipse ends |
2:35pm |
3:41pm |
3:12pm |
3:25pm |
2:46pm |
3:01pm |
12:46pm |
3:18pm |
And here's what's happening in Exmouth.
This table has two extra key times, spelling out when the Sun will begin to be totally covered (totality begins) and when the shadow starts disappearing (totality ends):
Exmouth* April 20, 2023 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Partial begins (AWST) |
Totality begins |
Max |
Totality ends |
Partial ends |
10:04:31 AM |
11:29:48 AM |
11:30:17 AM |
11:30:46 AM |
1:02:34 PM |
* exact location — times differ slightly across the surrounding area under the path of totality | ||||
2. How much of the Sun will be covered?
Again, that depends on where you are.
A larger portion of the Sun will be covered over Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Far North Queensland.
But the eclipse will be less dramatic in states like New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.
Location |
Percentage of the Sun covered |
|---|---|
Exmouth |
100 per cent |
Broome |
89 per cent |
Darwin |
81 per cent |
Perth |
71 per cent |
Alice Springs |
48 per cent |
Cairns |
42 per cent |
Adelaide |
21 per cent |
Brisbane |
16 per cent |
Melbourne |
11 per cent |
Sydney |
10 per cent |
Canberra |
10 per cent |
Hobart |
5 per cent |
3. It's dangerous to look at a partial eclipse
It's harmful to your eyes to look directly at the Sun, even if only a portion of it is visible.
And because the Sun is only going to be fully blocked out in Exmouth, that means it's unsafe to look directly at the Sun everywhere else in the country.
Because the Sun's surface is so bright, if you stare at any portion of it — no matter how small — it produces enough light to damage cells in the tissue lining the inside of the eye.
This can lead to permanent damage to your eyesight.
However, The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) says it's only safe to look at the Sun without special protection during the brief period when the Sun is completely covered in a total eclipse.
But, again, that is only happening in Exmouth.
And people viewing the eclipse from that slither of WA will have less than a minute to gaze at the darkened Sun. Here's more from RANZCO:
"Solar filters may only be removed when the Moon completely covers the Sun and it suddenly gets dark.
"Just prior to the Sun reappearing, to keep observing the remaining partial eclipse, solar shades must be worn again."
4. You need special solar glasses or filters to view a partial eclipse
Regular sunglasses don't count.
RANZCO says you need solar viewing glasses that meet the AS ISO 12312-2 standard, but certified filters that meet the Australian Standards for welding shields and goggles with a lens category higher than 12 may also be used.
And if you wear seeing glasses normally, make sure you wear solar eclipse glasses over the top of your regular glasses — not underneath.
RANZCO says people should be wary of these glasses, advising people to:
- Make sure they're from a reputable supplier
- Make sure they show the standard certification
- Check their legitimacy by visiting the manufacturer's website
- Make sure they're not scratched, punctured, torn or otherwise damaged
Children should always be supervised when using approved eclipse glasses.
Don't look at the Sun through binoculars, cameras or telescopes unless you've got the correct solar filter.
And if you're trying to photograph the eclipse, don't look at the Sun through the view finder of your camera — look at the screen instead.
These items are not safe for looking at the Sun:
- regular sunglasses
- polaroid filters
- dark glasses
- welding glasses
- X-ray film
- photographic neutral density filters
- red glass filters
- homemade sun filters
5. There's going to be a live stream of the solar eclipse
Perth Observatory will be live streaming the entire eclipse from Exmouth from 9:30am AWST.
We're also live blogging the whole thing later this morning.
6. When is the next solar eclipse in Australia?
In five years.
Here are some quick details on the next four eclipses that we'll experience in Australia:
- July 22, 2028: Totality will cross from the Kimberley, WA, through the Northern Territory, south-west Queensland, NSW and pass directly over Sydney
- November 25, 2030: Across South Australia, north-west NSW and southern Queensland
- July 13, 2037: Southern Western Australia, southern Northern Territory, western Queensland, passing directly over Brisbane and the Gold Coast
- December 26, 2038: Central Western Australia, South Australia, and along the NSW and Victorian border
