If you live in the far south of the world, you may be able to view the total solar eclipse on Saturday. If the weather holds, there could be a livestream.
When the new moon passes in front of the sun, there is a solar eclipse. Don't look at the sun directly with your eyes; instead, follow the safety guide we have later in this article to help you.
A total solar eclipse happens when the moon is close enough to block all of the sun's light. If an observer is in the narrow path of totality, they will see a sunset and a fiery outer layer of the sun.
There are amazing solar eclipse pictures from around the world.
The best view of the eclipse is from the surrounding waters, although some partial phases can be seen in Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and South Africa.
The next total solar eclipse will take place on April 20, 2023. The eclipse will pass over a populated region that includes south and east Asia.
There are some tips to help you get the most out of the eclipse.
How long is the solar eclipse?
The event will be brief. We are lucky that the moon is small enough to cover the entire face of the sun from Earth's perspective.
Sky & Telescope says that the totality will last just 1 minute and 54 seconds, but this is dependent on where you are standing.
The solar eclipse begins at 2 a.m. The greatest point of the total solar eclipse occurs at 2:33 a.m. The partial eclipse ends at 3:06 a.m. According to NASA.
There is a timetable for the solar eclipse.
There is a location.
A partial eclipse begins.
The eclipse was the maximum.
The partial eclipse is over.
The sun is covered.
The Palmer Station is in the South Pole.
3:34 a.m.
4:30 a.m.
4:30 a.m.
There was a 95 percent success rate.
The Emperor Point is in the South Pole.
3:44 a.m.
4:30 a.m.
4:30 a.m.
100%
There is a city in Australia.
The time is 7:44 p.m.
The time is 8:12 p.m.
Below the horizon.
2%
South Africa's Cape Town.
7:44 a.m.
8:19 a.m.
9:00 a.m.
12%
Cabo Kempe is in Argentina.
Below the horizon.
4:30 a.m.
4:30 a.m.
25%
What will the solar eclipse look like?
In this timelapse image of the Great South American Eclipse on July 2, the sun sets behind the Andes mountains as the moon crosses directly in front of it, creating a stunning "diamond ring" effect in the evening sky. Chirag Upreti is the image credit.
The sun's diameter is 400 times greater than the moon's, so total solar eclipses happen because of this happy coincidence. You get a total solar eclipse when the moon and the sun intersect every 18 months or so.
The dark shadow of the moon sweeps across the surface in regions where totality occurs. Eclipse chasers describe totality as a unique experience where the sun's disk falls to a crescent while the moon's shadow overtakes the region.
While the sun is completely covered, the corona layer will peek out around the moon. The total phase of the eclipse will last less than two minutes, but at rare times the alignment is lucky enough to give skywatchers 7.5 minutes of totality.
Where is the solar eclipse?
The path of the solar eclipse in December of 2021 will take it across Antarctica. Fred Espenak is a NASA scientist.
Only a small group of humans will be able to see the total solar eclipse on December 4. This eclipse will pass over the most isolated part of the world, the Antarctic peninsula.
You can see it online. NASA plans to broadcast the total solar eclipse from Union Glacier and the other locations. The stream begins at 1:30 a.m. The totality begins at 2:44 a.m. The stream ends at 3:37 a.m. The time is 0837 GMT.
The southernmost tip of South America's cone has very little land available on which to stand. There will be a partial eclipse in nearby regions, but the best place to view it is in the watery regions surrounding it.
The southernmost regions of Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and South Africa will see a small shadow of the lunar disk moving over the sun.
This is the southern summer and the sun is always shining in Antarctica. Emperor Point won't see twilight again until the middle of February 2022, according to the sun graph from Time and Date.
There are viewing tips for the solar eclipse.
If you don't wear proper eye protection, you can end up with permanent eye damage if you look directly at the sun.
Special protective eyewear or certified eclipse glasses are required to watch an eclipse. Basic sunglasses are not enough to keep your eyes safe. The safest way to observe an eclipse is indirectly, using a camera that you can make at home.
Astrophotographers use special solar filters on their equipment. A simple, wide-angle snap should be enough to document one of these events.
NASA warns that you should be careful. "If you are in the path of a total solar eclipse, you can take off your solar viewing or eclipse glasses only when the moon is completely blocking the sun," NASA advises, "to learn when you can safely remove your glasses, see this page."
Space.com's readers would like to see your solar eclipse photo, so send it to spacephotos@space.com with your name and location.
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