Total solar eclipse 2028 Jul 22 passes over Sydney CBD
This eclipse will pass over Australia from the north of WA to Sydney, the latter will experience 4 minutes of obscurity at 14:00 AEST. It will pass exactly over Dunedin NZ as well.
Have known about this upcoming total solar eclipse since 2002, when I was told about it while in Ceduna for the 20021202 eclipse. Am thoroughly looking forward to it, if I'm still breathing, have my observing site already scoped out and if cloudy near the coast, have back up locations further inland.
Just for added interest, from 2028 to 2038 Australia will have 4 total solar eclipses, something to look forward to.
This eclipse will pass over Australia from the north of WA to Sydney, the latter will experience 4 minutes of obscurity at 14:00 AEST. It will pass exactly over Dunedin NZ as well.
The 2030 event will be an almost exact repeat of the one on 4 December 2002. Similar time of day, time of year, altitude, but over 3 times as long. In my calendar!
The 2023 hybrid in WA is likely to be the most spectacular on the list at magnitude 1.006, which means that the chromosphere will be surrounding the lunar disk at mid totality. An incredible sight.
I've known about the 2028 eclipse for years. It's likely to be my last big eclipse hurrah. So why would you risk the weather on a winter's afternoon in Sydney? That's the worst weather prospects in the country! A trip out to Dubbo or, even better, Bourke will improve the weather prospects dramatically while increasing the duration of totality.
Personally, I'm hoping to fit this into a little drive to the other side of the 'island' that I am planning. On the Kunnunurra - Halls Creek road there is >5min totality (cf 3.48 in Sydney) with near 100% chance of clear skies. Even on the Stuart Hwy south of Tennant Ck you get 4.55 min totality and weather prospects nearly as good as the Kimberley. Why sit around in soggy Sydney?
Same here, OTOH seeing something like that from home is bound to be special. But yeah, the Barkly might be the place to go. Saw the 2013 Annular from there and it was great.
I know that there is a much better chance of clear skies west of the ranges, Mudgee, Dubbo areas but one thing I would like to see and I would need an elevated position for it, is to watch the moons shadow racing out to sea.
If the weather forecast for the day is for cloud on the coast then I will be heading inland the day before. With the length of the eclipse track across the country there will be plenty of places to choose from.
Do we really have to wait another 8 1/2 years, all this talk is getting me excited already.
My family is planning a trip to the Devils Marbles in the NT for the 2028 Total Eclipse, hoping to add a trip to Darwin in that time too but not the right time of year I would like to go, would prefer Novemberish when the storms are about.
If I make it to 2028 (from a work point of view) I hope to retire on that day at my place of work which is Sydney Observatory, 1986-2028 so 42 years though with a break here and there. But yes I acknowledge the dilemma of staying in Sydney and risk of coastal weather or head west? Still plenty of time to think it over and of course who knows what the next 8 years will bring.