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Total
Solar Eclipse 2023 April 20
An
event that was held in high expectation since the last total solar
eclipse to grace the Australian mainland in November 2012. This one was
very special as it was a rare hybrid eclipse that started annular
in the Indian Ocean, then
became total, and then annular at the end of the track over the Pacific
Ocean. The path of totality, which just touched the Australia
mainland on the Exmouth Peninsula, Western Australia, was only 40 km
wide and maximum duration was 63 seconds. Greatest eclipse occurred
slightly south of Timor-Leste, an island east of Indonesia, with
totality lasting 76 seconds. Duration at my location of Sal Salis
on the western side of the peninsula in the Cape Range National Park,
was 48 seconds. The entire duration of the eclipse was an unusually long
2 hours 57 minutes.
While
Exmouth, with its tourism- based economy, is the only significant population centre on the
peninsula, its normal population of 2,600 was
swelled by many, many thousands of Aussies and visitors from all over
the world who flocked to this prime destination. A little to the north
of Exmouth is the North West Cape VLF radio communications base and
other military installations which were established there in the early
1960's due to its very isolated location. Two of the region's prime
tourist activities are "swimming with the whale-sharks" and
snorkelling (and scuba diving) in the surrounding warm, clear waters,
including those of the Ningaloo Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage coral reef
just metres from the shore. April is a relatively dry month at Exmouth,
though cloud cover can be significant. Average daytime temperatures were
around 30oC and 24oC in the evenings. Despite
concerns that Cyclone Ilsa might impact (it didn't) and the moderately
cloudy skies on the 19th, eclipse day dawned clear and sunny and
remained so to after 4th contact.
The
partial phases passed uneventfully, though the air gained a distinct
chill approaching totality and the gusty onshore winds abated. Then,
the light faded more gradually than expected and the Moon's umbra
arrived. It
was a beautifully stunning show where I managed to observe the majority of the
48 secs of totality with my eyes. The intensity of the inner corona and
the coronal streamers piercing the deep blue sky, together with bright
prominences on the lunar edge, were breathtaking. Even
nearby Jupiter, and Venus low in the NE, were spotted. Totality was way
brighter than anticipated (based on previous experience) most likely
because of the extra illumination from the inner corona due to the
closeness in size of the Moon and Sun in the sky, which was aided by
light reflected off the surrounding sand and water. At third contact,
shadow bands were very clearly visible on the off-white sand on which I
was standing and a small flock of little corellas made quite an audible
commotion as the shortest "night" they had ever experienced
had come and gone in almost no time at all.
Altogether, a most extraordinary experience.
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