Tomorrow a small number of lucky people will get to witness the first and only total solar eclipse of 2012! A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes in between the Sun and Earth, hiding the Sun from view.
Australians in the northeastern part of the county will have the best chance of seeing the sun totally eclipsed, but the longest moments of the sun totally eclipsed will happen somewhere over the Pacific Ocean.
The partial eclipse can be seen in many more of the places in the South Pacific Basin such as New Zealand and Antarctica. South America will also be able to see the partial eclipse.
DID YOU KNOW?
- Solar eclipses can only happen during a new moon when the Sun and Moon are lined up.
- In some cultures (ancient and modern) a solar eclipse is considered a bad omen.
- There can be between two and five eclipses every year, though it is rare to have five eclipses in a single year.
- Staring at the Sun during an eclipse is just as dangerous and harmful as staring at the Sun on a normal day. The only time it’s remotely safe is the short time when the sun is totally eclipsed.
- A solar eclipse is the only time astronomers can see and study the Sun’s outer atmosphere which is called the corona.