The April 20th eclipse in Melbourne: Everything you need to know
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17.04.2023

The April 20th eclipse in Melbourne: Everything you need to know

april 20th eclipse melbourne

In a few days, Australia will experience a total solar eclipse for the first time in over a decade.

The only place to witness the full impact of the phenomenon is in the Ningaloo area of Western Australia.

At around 11:30 am in the rural beachside town of Exmouth, the moon will pass between the sun and the earth, momentarily blocking out the sun’s light. Sun seekers from across the world are already en route to the remote location – rumour has it Pink Floyd is even going to be there.

April 20th Eclipse Melbourne

  • On Thursday, Melbourne will experience a partial eclipse, where 21 per cent of the sun’s light will be shadowed by the moon
  • The event will take place between 1:15 and 3:01 pm
  • In Ningaloo, WA, it will be a total eclipse

Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.

However, the sight won’t be so dramatic in Melbourne, or in the rest of the country for that matter. From here, we will only be able to see a partial eclipse – just a small sliver of the sun will be blocked. The effect will be more noticeable in Perth and Darwin, but in the east and south of the country, we’ll have to look a little closer.

To catch sight of the partial eclipse in Melbourne, keep your eyes on the sky between 1:15 and 3:01 pm on Thursday April 20. It will be at its most dramatic at 2:09 pm, when 21 per cent of the sun’s light will be shaded by the moon. Weather for the day is currently expected to be partly cloudy with a 10 per cent chance of rain.

The event will be the first total solar eclipse in the country for over a decade and it won’t happen again until 2028. It’ll first be visible in the French Southern Territories, before swinging up to Ningaloo, then heading through East Timor and Indonesia.

For those who plan on checking it out, a few words of advice. You’ll be able to see it anywhere you can see the sun, so there’s no need to pick out a specific location. Also, please don’t look directly at it unless you want to completely destroy your retinas. Grab yourself a pair of eclipse glasses (good ones) or save some money and make a pinhole device.

For more on solar and lunar eclipses in Australia, head here