62 seconds of starry alignment
BlogThis Freo.
Eclipse chasers travelling north to Exmouth to view the total solar eclipse this week get a free coffee courtesy of the busy roadhouses along more than 10,000km of the North West Coastal Highway.
Caravans, 4WDs and families towing boats and pop-up holiday homes occupy rest areas and river crossings between Perth and Minilya, with all roads (Minilya-Exmouth Road) leading visitors to the best spot in WA to view the much-anticipated eclipse on April 20.
Tens of thousands of visitors from Australia and overseas are arriving on the remote North West town of about 2500 people to view the astronomical event of the year since the last total eclipse in 1974.
The WA Government has invested more than $20 million into improving road conditions, camping grounds and signs alerting drivers to the ‘Major Event’ in which the Sun will disappear behind the Moon for just 62 seconds after 10am on Thursday.
Music festivals will be held in Exmouth and Onlsow featuring free performances celebrating Indigenous culture and concerts by The Waifs, Hot Dub Time Machine and Caravan Sun.
Free Wifi spots have been set up to help manage the surge in demand for online news and images. Even the ADF is helping with logistics and local emergency services.
The eclipse will take about three hours, the Moon’s silhouette ‘touching’ or beginning its journey across the face of the Sun at 10.04am, reaching totality at 11.29am, before exiting nearly a minute later.
The ‘blackout’ (when the Moon completely covers the Sun) is visible from along a narrow band of totality across the planet, about 15,000km long by only about 150km wide. Only a narrow path across Earth that includes Exmouth and Barrow Island, eastern parts of East Timor and parts of Papua in Indonesia will experience totality.
Nearby Coral Bay and Onslow will experience a 99% ‘partial’ eclipse; Perth 77%; Brisbane 27%; Melbourne 21%; and Sydney 19%.
Importantly, stargazers are warned not to stare directly at the Sun and Moon dance. People can view the alignment with safety glasses, cameras or online.
