Michael Mattiazzo doesn't consider himself a hardcore eclipse chaser.
The amateur astronomer and astrophotographer is on the road to Exmouth to see his sixth total eclipse.
"Diehard eclipse chasers would see up to 20 in their lifetime," he said.
Total eclipses happen when the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun casting a shadow on Earth.
Mr Mattiazzo experienced his first total eclipse in his home state of South Australia in 2002. Since then he's travelled to remote locations around the world, from the Libyan desert (2006), the Mongolian steppe (2008), tropical north Australia (2012) to the Wyoming plains (2017).
"They were all different, and they were all spectacular," he said.
On April 20, Exmouth and a small part of the surrounding peninsula in Western Australia will be the only place in Australia that lies directly under the path of the Moon's central shadow.
That means 100 per cent of the Sun will be covered by the Moon for a short time.
The path is so narrow that even nearby locations such as Ningaloo and Onslow do not reach totality, and instead have a partial eclipse where 99 per cent of the Sun is covered.
"Being in the path of totality is analogous to having tickets to a grand final," Mr Mattiazzo said.
While the entire eclipse will last nearly three hours, it is just 58 seconds in the middle that lures Mr Mattiazzo to Exmouth.
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 | ||||
"I’m not interested in the partial phases of the eclipse ... but it all changes at totality when the last slivers of Sun are obscured," he said.
So what actually draws eclipse chasers from around the world to travel to remote locations for a spectacle that lasts — in this case — just under a minute?
Here are some of the stunning and sometimes eerie special effects that happen just before, during, and after totality.
Crescents everywhere
In the lead-up to totality, the Moon moves across the Sun gradually blocking it out.
It is not safe to directly look at the Sun during the partial phases of a total eclipse or a partial eclipse without using eye protection that meets Australian standards and is undamaged.
We'll talk about how to view and photograph the eclipse in our next story.
But one way to keep tabs on the progress of the eclipse in this phase is to look at your feet, said Jonti Horner, an astronomer at the University of Southern Queensland.
"You get this beautiful thing where you've got little crescents all over the ground in the shadows," said Professor Horner, who saw the effect during the 2012 total solar eclipse in Cairns.
The shadows are created by gaps in trees, which act like little pinhole cameras projecting crescents onto the ground.
Mysterious shadow bands
In the moments before totality begins, eclipse chasers often report seeing an eerie shadow approaching along the ground.
These wavy light and dark lines, which are most easily seen on plain-coloured surfaces, are known as shadow bands or shadow snakes.
"It creates a rippling effect," said Mr Mattiazzo, who has seen the phenomenon during all the eclipses he's been to.
"They are a very fleeting phenomenon, and occur just prior to and just after totality."
The phenomenon has been documented for centuries, Professor Horner said.
"But we still don't know what causes them."
The leading hypothesis is this mysterious effect may be due to the bending of thin slivers of light by atmospheric turbulence.
Diamond ring and Baily's beads
Just before totality, a burst of light appears on the margin of the Moon, giving it the appearance of a diamond ring.
The effect is created by light peeking through craters and valleys on the Moon's edge.
"The diamond ring effect is a reflection of the Moon not being perfectly spherical," Professor Horner said.
Then the diamond ring breaks up into what appear to be little beads of light.
These are the last vestiges of the Sun peeking through valleys on the Moon's surface just before totality.
The phenomenon is named after astronomer Francis Baily, who first described the effect in 1836.
"Baily's beads are beautiful," Professor Horner said.
"The first thing and the last thing that happens is a little bit of the Sun's disk will appear through a valley on the edge of the Moon."
Ruby red prominences erupting from the surface of the Sun also start to appear as the eclipse transitions from partial into total.
Even though there is only a tiny smidge of Sun left, it is not safe to view these effects without special eye protection or equipment.
"Any time any of the Sun is still exposed, it is dangerous," Professor Horner said.
"Even with just 1 per cent of the Sun's disk peeking through ... that is enough light to do damage to your eyes, particularly if you are looking through optical equipment."
Flowering corona
Totality begins when the Moon slips directly in front of the Sun, completely blocking out its light.
Planets and stars appear when darkness falls, and the landscape suddenly changes and becomes silent, except for the whoops of eclipse chasers.
"It gets really quite dark, animals get confused, and the temperature drops several degrees depending upon the length of totality," Mr Mattiazzo said.
In Exmouth, experienced eclipse watchers have just 58 seconds to view the eclipse before the Sun returns.
"It's all about timing. It can be dangerous for those who are not familiar with it," Mr Mattiazzo said.
According to the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists, it is safe to look at the Sun without eye protection only in the brief period when the Moon is completely covering the Sun during totality.
Glasses must be worn again before the Sun reappears. Getting the timing wrong can cause permanent eye damage, so some people may prefer to wear their solar shades throughout the entire eclipse.
Totality is the only time it is possible to see the bright halo of streamers from the Sun's corona, the outermost part of the Sun's atmosphere.
These streamers are created by superheated particles following magnetic field lines.
"Coronal streamers give it the appearance of a flower in bloom," Mr Mattiazzo said.
"Imagine the petals of a sunflower expanding out into space."
Bright red solar flares also arc off the Sun's surface, trapped in the magnetic field lines.
"If we are lucky, we may also see a coronal mass ejection taking place — a solar explosion sending a mass of plasma out into space," Mr Mattiazzo said.
Every single eclipse of the Sun's corona will look different, Professor Horner said.
"The corona is a very tumultuous, violently active place that behaves differently depending on how active the Sun is."
The end of totality is marked by return of Baily's beads and then the diamond ring as the Moon moves away from the Sun.
"The diamond ring is basically the last bit of sunlight at the beginning of a total eclipse, and the first bit of sunlight at the end of the total eclipse," Mr Mattiazzo said.
Baily's beads and the diamond ring are even more spectacular at the end of the eclipse than the beginning, due to the transition from dark back to light, but it is not safe to view them without special eye protection or equipment.
'It's a celebration'
Mr Mattiazzo is hoping the skies will be clear for this eclipse.
According to historical weather records he has good chance — the day has been clear 84 per cent of the time since 2000 — but clouds won't spoil his road trip.
"I plan holidays around eclipses, so if it's cloudy on the day, I won't be overly disappointed," he said.
"It's more of a journey to meet up with like-minded people.
"At the end of the day it's the camaraderie. You get to see people you haven't seen in years all gathering in the one spot.
"It's more of a celebration in the end."
Not in Exmouth? No worries
Luckily, for the rest of Australia outside of the very narrow strip that carves through Exmouth, there is a safe way to watch the total eclipse unfold.
Perth Observatory will be live streaming the eclipse from beginning to end from Exmouth.
We'll also keep you up to date with our live blog on the ABC.
