Forthcoming Eclipses/13 November 2012

The Greatest Spectacle in the Whole of Nature

Total Solar Eclipse - 13 November 2012 in the South Pacific Ocean

This is a very challenging eclipse to observe as it spends most of its time crossing the southern Pacific Ocean after briefly crossing the north eastern part of Australia.

The track of the 13 November 2012 total eclipse from Australia across the Pacific Ocean

The eclipse starts when the centre of the moon’s shadow first touches the earth at sunrise in Arnhem Land at 20h 36m UT. The track then heads south eastwards across the Gulf of Carpentaria followed by northern Queensland. Here a number of small towns and homesteads lie in the path of totality as well as the largest city in the zone, Cairns. The shadow then speeds across the Great Barrier Reef and out across the Pacific passing north of New Zealand and not making any further landfall until sunset at 23h 47m UT, just short of the South American coast. The duration of totality maximises at 4m 2s in the middle of the ocean when the track is 180 km wide. Will anyone be there to see it?

Location

1^st Contact

(UT)

Time of

Mid-Eclipse

(UT)

Duration

Of

Totality

Elevation

of Sun at

Maximum

4^th Contact

(UT)

Palmerville

Cook Islands

19h 44.4m

20h 38.4m

2m 02s

11.9°

21h 38.3m

Port Douglas

Easter Island

19h 44.4m

20h 39.1m

2m 03s

13.5°

21h 39.6m

Cairns

19h 44.7m

20h 39.5m

2m 02s

13.9°

21h 40.2m

Timings for places in Queensland, Australia, experiencing a total eclipse

A partial eclipse will be visible over much of Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.

Location

1^st Contact

(UT)

Mid-Eclipse

(UT)

Maximum

Area of

Sun Eclipsed

Elevation

of Sun at

Maximum

4^th Contact

(UT)

Port Moresby

Papua New Guinea

Before sunrise

20h 39.3m

76.4%

11.7°

21h 31.9m

Noumea

New Caledonia

19h 51.6m

20h 56.2m

89.9%

37.9°

22h 09.3m

Norfolk Island

20h 01.2m

21h 07.5m

98.3%

42.2°

22h 22.0m

Brisbane

Australia

19h 56.3m

20h 54.3m

80.0%

26.1°

21h 58.8m

Suva

Fiji

19h 57.8m

21h 04.7m

55.0%

50.7°

22h 20.8m

Sydney

Australia

20h 07.2m

21h 02.7m

59.4%

27.0°

22h 03.6m

Adelaide

Australia

20h 12.6m

21h 00.5m

42.4%

16.4°

21h 52.3m

Melbourne

Australia

20h 16.1m

21h 06.2m

42.3%

23.0°

22h 00.4m

Auckland

New Zealand

20h 18.2m

21h 27.4m

84.8%

50.7°

22h 43.9m

Christchurch

New Zealand

20h 30.2m

21h 34.9m

61.8%

48.2°

22h 45.0m

Papeete

Tahiti

Tahiti

21h 24.8m

22h 27.3m

13.2%

79.4°

23h 28.6m