Total eclipse of the Moon
28 August 2007
In August 2007 we will see a total eclipse of the Moon. A total eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow and is only illuminated by reddish light scattered from the Earth's atmosphere.
Sequence of images showing the total lunar eclipse on 16 July 2000. © Copyright Melissa Hulbert, used with permission
This event will be our first chance in Sydney to see a total eclipse of the Moon from beginning to end since the very impressive one in July 2000. It will start at a convenient time in the evening with the Moon moving into the Earth's shadow at 6.51pm. Totality, when the Moon is completely within the shadow, will commence at 7.52pm. The Moon will start coming out of the shadow at 9.23pm and the eclipse will end at 10.24pm. Eclipses of the Moon are completely safe to watch.
Paths of the 2004 and 2012 transits
of Venus across the Sun.
Dr M Anderson, Sydney Observatory
Transit of Venus
6 June 2012
A transit of Venus occurs when Venus is observed to move across the face of the Sun. The first transit since 1882 occurred on 8 June 2004. Luckily you will only have to wait 8 years for the next transit on 6 June 2012. The 2012 transit is visible in Sydney from beginning to end, starting at 8.16am (1st contact) and ending at 2.44pm (last contact).
Transits of Venus are historically important events. This is especially important for Australia as James Cook's main reason for undertaking a voyage on which he charted Australia's east coast was to observe the 1769 transit from the island of Tahiti. Other transits occurred in 1761, 1874 and 1882. By observing a transit, astronomers could for the first time calculate the distance from the Earth to the Sun with some accuracy.
Path of the 2012 total eclipse of the Sun
in Australia
Total eclipse of the Sun
14 November 2012
This will be the first opportunity to see a total eclipse from Australia since the South Australian eclipse of 2002. In 2012 the eclipse will be visible from North Queensland. The eclipse track will begin in the Gulf of Carpentaria, cut through Cape York and after moving out into the Coral Sea continue across the Pacific Ocean towards North America.
Cairns is on the path of the eclipse and may be the best viewing spot. Totality will occur at 6.40am Eastern Standard Time with the Sun 14 degrees above the horizon. Totality will last just over two minutes.
In Sydney the eclipse will be seen as partial beginning at 7.09am and finishing at 9.04am. Eclipse maximum will be at 8.02am with about 70% of the Sun's diameter covered by the Moon.
Path of the 2028 total eclipse of the Sun
in Australia
Total eclipse of the Sun
22 July 2028
Should you be in Sydney on 22 July 2028 at
2.00pm you can view a total eclipse of the Sun.
For 3 minutes and 50 seconds the Moon will fully cover the Sun, called totality, turning daytime into night time. This event is rarely visible from a large city like Sydney. Interestingly a similar eclipse happened on 26 March 1857. The astronomer Rev. William Scott travelled to South Head at the entrance to Sydney Harbour. At 6:50am he tried to observe the eclipse, for the 3 minutes that the Moon fully covered the Sun. As sunrise was at 6.00am, the Sun was only 9 degrees about the eastern horizon. Luck was not on his side as clouds made it impossible to directly view the eclipse.
