News in Science

Crescent Sun to grace Australian skies

Moon's shadow Sky watchers across Australia will be treated to a partial solar eclipse this afternoon, as the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth.

Starting at around 4:00 pm (AEST), the Sun will slowly transform from a bright round disc to a setting crescent in some parts of the country.

Dr Tanya Hill, astronomer at the Melbourne Planetarium, says that although the Moon will cover a significant part of the Sun during the eclipse, most people will see very little change to the daytime conditions.

"It will only be if you're using the right methods to view to Sun that you'll actually be able to see that the solar eclipse is happening," says Hill.

While the eclipse will be visible across the country, the greatest coverage will occur in the south, with up to two-thirds of the Sun covered by the Moon when viewed from Hobart.

"That might sound like a lot it really doesn't change viewing conditions very much at all," says Hill.

"It really isn't until the final moments of a total solar eclipse [when it is nearly covered] that things are getting dark."

According to Hill, the Moon is slightly further from the Earth than 'normal' during this solar eclipse and will create what is known as an annular eclipse of the Sun.

"The area that is going to see the annular eclipse is down in Antarctica where about 99 per cent of the Sun will be covered by the Moon leaving behind a very thin ring of the Sun," she says.

Safe viewing

Unlike a lunar eclipse, which is safe to view with the naked eye, Hill warns sky watchers not to directly view this partial solar eclipse without adequate precautions.

"We want to encourage people to experience the eclipse but to do it safely," she says.

"One of the really important things to remember is not to look directly at the Sun at any time."

"Most observatories and science centres sell eclipse viewing filters, which look a lot like those old 3D-movie viewing glasses. They have a very strong filter in them and they block out most of the Sun's light and allow you to look at the eclipse and see the event happening."

Another method of viewing the eclipse is the pinhole camera projection method.

"You take a piece of paper and cut a small hole in it," explains Hill. "You don't look through the hole; instead you let the Sun's light shine and project it onto a clear of ground, wall or fence and see an image of the Sun.

Eclipse watchers around the world can watch it online at the astronomical website Slooh, with coverage starting at 4:00 pm (6 am UTC).

For more information about these techniques check out our guide on how to safely view the Sun during an eclipse.

Future total solar eclipses

The next total solar eclipse to cross the Earth's surface will be on March 2015, over the northern Atlantic Ocean, followed by another over Indonesia a year later.

"The United States is excited about the total eclipse in 2017, which will go right across the whole of America. They have been preparing for that for years," says Hill.

Australia will have to wait until 2023 for its next total solar eclipse over the tip of Western Australia, followed by another over the Northern Territory and New South Wales in 2028.