The When: Eclipses in Australia and New Zealand

Australia and New Zealand will see a good number of total solar eclipses this century (in addition to numerous annular and lunar eclipses). There will be 11 total eclipses in the 21st century, and in just the years 2023 to 2038, 5 total solar eclipses will cross the continent, giving Australians an amazing opportunity to see several total eclipses of the Sun in their lifetimes. New Zealand is gifted with 5 total eclipses of the Sun, all of which are also visible in Australia.

Multiple Occultations

It's estimated that any one spot on Earth sees a total solar eclipse something like once in every 360 years, on average. So to see two eclipses from a given place in a lifetime is very rare.

This century, however, Australians will have numerous opportunities to see two total eclipses of the Sun from one location, particularly in the eclipse blitz of 2023 to 2038:

• The islands off the Pilbara coast, particularly uninhabited Bessieres Island, will see the total eclipses of April 2023 and December 2038.
• On the Queensland / New South Wales border, just south of Currawinya National Park, the total eclipses of July 2028 and November 2030 will be seen.
• Western Queensland at Lake Machattie will see total eclipses in July 2028 and July 2037.
• Surat, in south-east Queensland, will see the total eclipses of November 2030 and July 2037.
• The south end of Lake Gairdner in South Australia will see total eclipses in November 2030 and December 2038 (and later one in May 2068).
• In Western Australia, the area just east of Lake Carnegie will witness the total eclipses of July 2037 and December 2038.

Adelaide Area

The area north of Adelaide is particularly well blessed with total solar eclipses this century. The following eclipses pass through here:

• 4 Dec, 2002
• 25 Nov, 2030
• 26 Dec, 2038
• 31 May, 2068
• 27 Jan, 2093

Eclipse Island

Eclipse Island, in Western Australia near Albany, is named for Captain George Vancouver's observation of the total solar eclipse of 1791 (though in that position he saw only a partial eclipse, albeit a deep one). Appropriately, Eclipse Island sees two total solar eclipses this century, on 17 December 2066 and 22 May 2077.

Australia / New Zealand Solar Eclipses

The following chart shows the paths all major solar eclipses which will be visible from Australia and New Zealand in this century. Use the zoom controls on the left to zoom in and out; hover over the marker in the middle of an eclipse track to see information on that eclipse. Bear in mind that for each eclipse shown, a partial eclipse is visible over a much wider area.

27 Sep, 1791 AD max: 23:42 UT Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.02; Saros 121)	The Sun was darkened for 1 minute and 38 seconds by a dramatic total eclipse covering a path up to 106 km wide. This was a sight worth seeing, and was visible from south-western and south-eastern Australia. The partial eclipse was visible across Australia and New Zealand.
21 Sep, 1922 AD 02:04–07:16 UT Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.07; Saros 133)	A dramatic total eclipse plunged the Sun into darkness for 5 minutes and 59 seconds at maximum, creating an amazing spectacle for observers in a broad path up to 226 km wide. It was seen in the horn of Africa, and across Australia.
4 Dec, 2002 AD 04:51–10:11 UT Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.02; Saros 142)	A dramatic total eclipse plunged the Sun into darkness for 2 minutes and 4 seconds at maximum, creating an amazing spectacle for observers in a path up to 87 km wide. It was seen across southern Africa, the south Pacific, and southern Australia. The partial eclipse was visible in most of Africa, and western Australia.
13 Nov, 2012 AD 19:37 on 13 Nov–00:45 on 14 Nov UT Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.05; Saros 133)	A dramatic total eclipse plunged the Sun into darkness for 4 minutes and 2 seconds at maximum, creating an amazing spectacle for observers in a broad path up to 179 km wide. It was seen in northern Australia and across the south Pacific, ending off South America. The partial eclipse was visible over Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.
20 Apr, 2023 AD 01:34–06:59 UT Hybrid Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.01; Saros 129)	The Sun was darkened for 1 minute and 16 seconds by a dramatic hybrid eclipse covering a narrow path at most 49 km wide. This was a sight worth seeing, and was visible in extreme north-western Australia, East Timor, and Indonesia. The partial eclipse was visible across Australia and southeast Asia.
22 Jul, 2028 AD 00:27–05:23 UT Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.06; Saros 146)	A dramatic total eclipse will plunge the Sun into darkness for 5 minutes and 10 seconds at maximum, creating an amazing spectacle for observers in a broad path up to 230 km wide. It will be seen in the Cocos islands, Christmas island, across Australia from northern Western Australia to Sydney, and across the South Island of New Zealand at Dunedin. The partial eclipse will be visible across south-east Asia and Australia.
25 Nov, 2030 AD 04:16–09:23 UT Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.05; Saros 133)	A dramatic total eclipse will plunge the Sun into darkness for 3 minutes and 44 seconds at maximum, creating an amazing spectacle for observers in a broad path up to 169 km wide. It will be seen across Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, and south-eastern Australia. The partial eclipse will be visible from southern Africa, the southern Indian Ocean, Australia, and Antarctica.
13 Jul, 2037 AD 00:14–05:03 UT Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.04; Saros 127)	A dramatic total eclipse will plunge the Sun into darkness for 3 minutes and 58 seconds at maximum, creating an amazing spectacle for observers in a broad path up to 201 km wide. It will be seen across central Australia and in the North Island of New Zealand. The partial eclipse will be visible in southern Asia and Australia.
26 Dec, 2038 AD 22:19 on 25 Dec–03:37 UT Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.03; Saros 142)	A dramatic total eclipse will plunge the Sun into darkness for 2 minutes and 18 seconds at maximum, creating an amazing spectacle for observers in a path up to 95 km wide. It will be seen from Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, and central New Zealand. The partial eclipse will be visible across south Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
17 Dec, 2066 AD 21:47 on 16 Dec–02:55 UT Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.04; Saros 133)	A dramatic total eclipse will plunge the Sun into darkness for 3 minutes and 14 seconds at maximum, creating an amazing spectacle for observers in a path up to 152 km wide. It will be seen in far south-western Australia, the southern part of New Zealand's Stewart Island / Rakiura, and the south Pacific. The partial eclipse will be visible in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.
31 May, 2068 AD 01:29–06:19 UT Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.01; Saros 148)	The Sun will be darkened for 1 minute and 6 seconds by a dramatic total eclipse covering a narrow path at most 63 km wide. This will be a sight worth seeing, and will be visible across the south of Australia and the South Island of New Zealand. The partial eclipse will be visible in Australia, New Zealand, and south Asia.
22 May, 2077 AD 00:09–05:17 UT Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.03; Saros 129)	A dramatic total eclipse will plunge the Sun into darkness for 2 minutes and 54 seconds at maximum, creating an amazing spectacle for observers in a path up to 119 km wide. It will be seen in Australia, the southern islands of Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. The partial eclipse will be visible across South Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
27 Jan, 2093 AD 00:41–05:57 UT Total Solar Eclipse (umbral mag. 1.03; Saros 142)	A dramatic total eclipse will plunge the Sun into darkness for 2 minutes and 58 seconds at maximum, creating an amazing spectacle for observers in a path up to 119 km wide. It will be seen from eastern Australia, New Caledonia, and southern Vanuatu. The partial eclipse will be visible across Australia, Indonesia, and New Zealand.