TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSEMbabane, EswatiniThursday 2 August 2046 · times in UTC+2
4m 05s
OF TOTAL DARKNESS
The Sun disappears completely. The corona comes out around a black disc, bright stars and planets appear, and the horizon glows like sunset in every direction at once.
When the filter comes off →100% COVERED SUN 43° UP 10 km OFF CENTRE
02 · TIMING
When does it happen?
The whole eclipse runs 2h 46m. All times are local, in UTC+2.
11:45 MAX 13:12 14:31
| Phase | LOCAL TIME | SUN |
|---|---|---|
| First contactthe Moon touches the Sun's edge | 11:45 | 46° N |
| Totality beginsfilters off — the corona | 13:10 | — |
| Maximumthe deepest point | 13:12 | 43° NNW |
| Totality endsfilters back on, immediately | 13:14 | — |
| Last contactthe Sun is whole again | 14:31 | 33° NW |
03 · DIRECTION
Where do I look?
At maximum the Sun stands 43° above the horizon to the north-west — high enough to clear most buildings and trees.
The Sun's height and bearing at maximum, from Mbabane. The horizon is at 0°.
THE EXPERIENCE
What it will actually be like
The Sun disappears entirely. For those few minutes the corona is visible around a black disc, bright stars and planets come out, and the horizon takes on the colours of a sunset in every direction at once. It is not a deeper version of a partial eclipse; it is a different event, and the difference arrives in the last few seconds.
SAFETY
Looking at it without hurting yourself
Keep a certified solar filter on for every part of the eclipse except totality itself. During totality, and only then, it is safe to look with the naked eye — and the filter must go back on the instant the Sun reappears.
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?
Mbabane lies inside the path, 10 km from its centre line. The path is 182 km wide here.
THE DAY
- SUNRISE
- 06:34
- SUNSET
- 17:29
- DAY LENGTH
- 10h 55m
- CIVIL DUSK
- 17:53
REFERENCE FIGURES
- OBSCURATION
- 100%
- COORDINATES
- 26.317° S, 31.14° E
- PATH WIDTH
- 182 km
- SHADOW SPEED
- 2,198 km/h
- SAROS
- 146 · no. 23
- MAGNITUDE
- 1.0233
- GAMMA
- -0.5350
Contact times are accurate to a couple of seconds at the coordinates above. Altitudes are geometric — unrefracted, on the WGS 84 ellipsoid.
NEXT FROM MBABANE
What else is coming here?
The rest of what the sky over Mbabane has coming, soonest first.