PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE · SUN SETS DURINGCape Town, South AfricaSaturday 5 December 2048 · times in UTC+2
71.3%
OF THE SUN COVERED
A clear bite is taken out of the Sun. Daylight barely changes, so this is an eclipse you have to know about to notice.
THE SUN SETS PART-WAY THROUGH
Sunset is at 19:46, with the Sun still 71.3% covered. Everything after that happens below your horizon.02 · TIMING
When does it happen?
The whole eclipse runs 1h 44m. All times are local, in UTC+2.
18:04 MAX 18:58 19:48
| Phase | LOCAL TIME | SUN |
|---|---|---|
| First contactthe Moon touches the Sun's edge | 18:04 | 19° WSW |
| Maximumthe deepest point | 18:58 | 8° WSW |
| SUNSET 19:46 NOTHING BELOW THIS LINE IS VISIBLE | ||
| Last contacthappens after the Sun has set | 19:48 | BELOW HORIZON1° under |
Times for the hidden phases are given because they are real — they are simply not observable from here.
03 · DIRECTION
Where do I look?
At maximum the Sun is just 8° above the horizon to the west. You will need a clear, flat horizon — over water, or from high ground.
The Sun's height and bearing at maximum, from Cape Town. The horizon is at 0°.
THE EXPERIENCE
What it will actually be like
A distinct bite is taken out of the Sun, reaching 71.3% at maximum. Daylight barely changes — the eye adapts far too well for that — so this is an eclipse you have to know about to notice. Use a filter; the remaining Sun is as dangerous as an uneclipsed one.
SAFETY
Looking at it without hurting yourself
A certified solar filter stays on for the whole eclipse. The Sun is never completely covered here, and what remains is as dangerous to look at as an uneclipsed Sun. Sunglasses are not a filter.
Sunglasses, smoked glass, exposed film and phone screens are not filters. If you can see anything else through it, it is not dark enough.
04 · POSITION
Should I travel?
The path passes 1,038 km to the north-west of Cape Town and is 118 km wide. Only inside it is the Sun covered completely.
THE DAY
- SUNRISE
- 05:27
- SUNSET
- 19:46
- DAY LENGTH
- 14h 19m
- CIVIL DUSK
- 20:15
REFERENCE FIGURES
- OBSCURATION
- 71.3%
- COORDINATES
- 33.925° S, 18.424° E
- PATH WIDTH
- 118 km
- SHADOW SPEED
- 2,539 km/h
- SAROS
- 133 · no. 44
- MAGNITUDE
- 0.7676
- GAMMA
- -0.3974
Contact times are accurate to a couple of seconds at the coordinates above. Altitudes are geometric — unrefracted, on the WGS 84 ellipsoid.
NEXT FROM CAPE TOWN
What else is coming here?
The rest of what the sky over Cape Town has coming, soonest first.