PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSEDarwin, AustraliaThursday 20 April 2023 · times in UTC+9:30
80.7%
OF THE SUN COVERED
A clear bite was taken out of the Sun. Daylight barely changed, so this was an eclipse you had to know about in advance to notice.
02 · TIMING
When did it happen?
The whole eclipse ran 3h 08m. All times are local, in UTC+9:30.
12:17 MAX 13:52 15:25
| Phase | LOCAL TIME | SUN |
|---|---|---|
| First contactthe Moon touches the Sun's edge | 12:17 | 65° NNE |
| Maximumthe deepest point | 13:52 | 61° NW |
| Last contactthe Sun is whole again | 15:25 | 44° WNW |
03 · DIRECTION
Where was it in the sky?
At maximum the Sun stood 61° above the horizon to the north-west — high enough to clear most buildings and trees.
The Sun's height and bearing at maximum, from Darwin. The horizon is at 0°.
THE EXPERIENCE
What it was actually like
A distinct bite was taken out of the Sun, reaching 80.7% at maximum. Daylight barely changed — the eye adapts far too well for that — so this was an eclipse you had to know about in advance to notice. Anyone watching needed a filter; the remaining Sun was as dangerous as an uneclipsed one.
04 · POSITION
Where was it seen?
The path passed 618 km to the north-west of Darwin and was 49 km wide. Only inside it was the Sun covered completely.
THE DAY
- SUNRISE
- 06:52
- SUNSET
- 18:38
- DAY LENGTH
- 11h 46m
- CIVIL DUSK
- 19:00
REFERENCE FIGURES
- OBSCURATION
- 80.7%
- COORDINATES
- 12.462° S, 130.842° E
- PATH WIDTH
- 49 km
- SHADOW SPEED
- 2,170 km/h
- SAROS
- 129 · no. 49
- MAGNITUDE
- 0.8449
- GAMMA
- -0.3952
Contact times are accurate to a couple of seconds at the coordinates above. Altitudes are geometric — unrefracted, on the WGS 84 ellipsoid.
NEXT FROM DARWIN
What else is coming here?
The rest of what the sky over Darwin has coming, soonest first.