Partial solar eclipse photo: RBerteig
It looks like the city of Cairns in Queensland, Australia, may reign as the capital of the world for total solar eclipse chasers in 2012. About an hour after sunrise on November 14, in this privileged part of the world, the moon will completely cover over the solar disk, to display a total eclipse of the sun for some two minutes.
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A total eclipse of the sun counts as one of nature’s greatest spectacles. Day momentarily turns into night. The brighter planets and stars pop out into the sky and the sun’s mysterious corona can be seen with the naked eye.
The path of the total solar eclipse is shown (in blue) on the map below. The moon’s dark shadow travels approximately 14,500 kilometers (9,000 miles) over the Earth’s surface in a little more than three hours. The total eclipse starts at sunrise at the northeast corner of Kakadu National Park in Australia’s Northern Territory and ends at sunset in the South Pacific Ocean, to the west of South America. The path of the total eclipse only touches land in northern Australia. After leaving the east coast of Australia, the moon’s dark shadow travels over the vastness of the South Pacific Ocean. We zoom in on northern Australia later on in the article.
Worldwide Map of the 2012 November 13 Solar Eclipse
Worldwide map of 2012 November 13 solar eclipse courtesy of NASA Eclipse Web Site
Before and after totality – when the sun is only partially eclipsed – you absolutely need proper eye protection to view a solar eclipse, else you risk blindness or permanent eye injury.
Eclipse glasses enable you to safely watch a solar eclipse. Click here.
Observing solar eclipses safely
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Local eclipse times for Cairns, Australia (November 14)
Sunrise: 5:35 a.m. local time
Partial eclipse begins: 5:45 a.m.
Total eclipse begins: 6:39 a.m.
Greatest eclipse: 6:40 a.m.
Total eclipse ends: 6:41 a.m.
Partial eclipse ends: 7:41 a.m.
Source: timeanddate.com
Zooming in on the total eclipse path through in northern Australia
Total eclipse path in northern Australia courtesy of Fred Espenak, NASA's GSFC. Click here for larger map and more details
Who will see a partial solar eclipse?
Small dark dot represents path of total solar eclipse and the large gray shadow the partial solar eclipse
Outside of the path of the total solar eclipse, a partial solar eclipse can be viewed from southeast Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, South Pacific islands, part of Antarctica and southern South America. If you live east of the International Date Line (South America) the eclipse will happen on November 13. If you live west of the International Date Line (New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand) the eclipse will take place on November 14.
Eclipse calculator giving local times of eclipse in your sky
Eclipse computer giving eclipse times in Universal Time
How do I translate Universal Time into my time?
Local eclipse times for Western Hemisphere (November 13)
Santiago, Chile (Tuesday, November 13)
Partial eclipse begins: 7:50 p.m. local time
greatest eclipse: 8:20 p.m. local time
Sunset: 8:20 p.m. local time
Osorno, Chile (Tuesday, November 13)
Partial solar eclipse begins: 7:46 p.m. local time
Greatest eclipse: 8:36 p.m. local time
Sunset: 8:46 p.m. local time
Rarotonga, Cook Islands (Tuesday, November 13)
Partial eclipse begins: 10:43 a.m. local time
Greatest eclipse: 11:57 a.m. local time
Partial eclipse ends: 1:15 p.m. local time
Pago Pago, America Samoa (Tuesday, November 13)
Partial eclipse begins: 9:18 a.m. local time
Greatest eclipse: 10:20 a.m. local time
partial eclipse ends: 11:30 a.m. local time
Local eclipse times for Eastern Hemisphere (November 14)
Port Moresby, New Guinea (Wednesday, November 14)
Partial eclipse begins: 5:39 a.m. local time
Sunrise: 5:40 a.m. local time
Greatest eclipse: 6:33 a.m. local time
Partial eclipse ends: 7:32 a.m. local time
Perth, Western Australia (Wednesday, November 14)
Partial eclipse begins: 5:34 a.m. local time
Sunrise: 6:53 a.m. local time
Greatest eclipse: 6:53 a.m. local time
Partial eclipse ends: 7:45 a.m. local time
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (Wednesday, November 14)
Partial eclipse begins: 7:07 a.m. local time
Greatest eclipse: 8:03 a.m. local time
Partial eclipse ends: 9:04 local time
Wellington, New Zealand (Wednesday, November 14)
Partial eclipse begins: 9:27 a.m. local time
Greatest eclipse: 10:35 a.m. local time
Partial eclipse ends: 11:48 a.m. local time
Honiara. Solomon Islands (Wednesday, November 14)
Partial eclipse begins: 6:41 a.m. local time
Greatest eclipse: 7:37 a.m. local time
Partial eclipse ends: 8:40 a.m. local time
Source: timeamddate.com
