Watch the first Hybrid Solar Eclipse in a DECADE: Amazing video shows rare phenomenon plunging parts of Australia into total darkness
- This morning, thousands of Australians were plunged into cold darkness due to a rare ‘hybrid’ solar eclipse
- This is when the moon blocks out a different proportion of the sun in different parts of the world
- Western Australia was treated to an 80-second ‘total’ solar eclipse, where the sun was completely covered
Last night, thousands of people in Australia were plunged into darkness due to a rare ‘hybrid’ solar eclipse.
This type of astronomical event – where the moon blocks out a different proportion of the sun in different parts of the world – only occurs once every ten years.
Western Australia (WA) was one of the regions that experienced a ‘total’ solar eclipse, where the face of the sun was completely blocked by the moon.
This ‘moment of totality’, which took place early this morning at 04:27 BST (11:27 AWST), was captured from Exmouth, WA, and streamed live by Perth Observatory.
In other parts of the southern hemisphere, an ‘annular’ solar eclipse was visible, where the moon appeared slightly smaller than the sun and left a ring of light around its silhouette.
The tiny West Australian town of Exmouth was plunged into darkness on Thursday morning by an extremely rare hybrid solar eclipse (pictured) – the first of its kind in a decade
Over 30,000 people turned in to watch the livestream put on by NASA, which saw the moon slowly covering more and more of the sun, until it reached an 80-second total eclipse.
Solar eclipse: Types
Total: Moon completely blocks out the sun, casting a shadow on Earth
Annular: Moon doesn’t completely cover the sun, resulting in a halo of sunlight known as a ‘ring of fire’ visible around the silhouette of the moon
Partial: Sun is only partially covered by the moon, making it look like the sun has had a ‘bite’ taken out of it
Hybrid: Combination of a total and an annular solar eclipse
In Exmouth – which is about 745 miles (1,200 km) north of Perth – hobby and expert astronomers gathered to catch a glimpse, with local stargazers wearing special glasses and pointing modified binoculars to the sky.
The West Australian government poured millions of dollars into the small town to prepare for its 80 seconds of fame and a brief population increase of about 12,000.
This event saw residents of the town, population 2,800, to list their homes on Airbnb for up to $17,000 AUD ($11,500 USD, £9,000) to make the most of the stargazing tourists.
The temperature in the town suddenly dropped by 9°F (5°C) when the eclipse reached totality, as the moon cast its shadow over a 25 mile-wide (40 km) area.
The first total eclipse appeared over the Indian Ocean at sunrise, and then moved across the southern hemisphere for the last one to appear over the Pacific at sunset.
As the moon moved throughout the day, different regions were able to witness different phases of the eclipse; either total, annular or ‘partial’.
The latter is where only part of the sun is blocked by the moon at the eclipse’s peak, so it appears to have a ‘bite’ taken out of it.
Hybrid eclipses occur when Earth is in the ‘sweet spot’ so the moon and the sun are almost the exact same size in the sky, said NASA solar expert Dr Michael Kirk.
‘It’s a crazy phenomenon,’ Dr Kirk said.
‘You’re actually watching the moon get larger in the sky.’
The last time a hybrid solar eclipse occurred was way back in November 2013, plunging parts of Africa, Europe and America into darkness.
And keen astronomers certainly wouldn’t want to miss this week’s event, as the next one isn’t due until November 2031.
This ‘moment of totality’, which took place early this morning at 04:27 BST (11:27 AWST) was captured from Exmouth, Western Australia, and streamed live by Perth Observatory
A hybrid solar eclipse is seen from Lautem, East Timor on Thursday, April 20. The lucky few people in its path either saw the darkness of a total eclipse or a ‘ring of fire’ as the sun peeked from behind the new moon in an ‘annular’ eclipse
Hybrid eclipses occur when Earth is in the ‘sweet spot’ so the moon and the sun are almost the exact same size in the sky, said NASA solar expert Dr Michael Kirk. Pictured: Composite image of hybrid solar eclipse from Surabaya, Indonesia on April 20
British astronaut Tim Peake travelled to Australia to observe the eclipse for himself, tweeting it was ‘One of the most surreal events [he has] experienced’.
Dr Lucie Green, a physics professor at University College London (UCL), also flew halfway around the world to witness the event with a telescope from Aberystwyth University in Wales.
She tweeted: ‘Wow, the total phase of the eclipse was phenomenal!
‘The corona at solar maximum has so much structure.’
One of the Exmouth-based observers, NASA astronomer Henry Throop, jumped up and down in excitement when interviewed shortly after the moon had passed in front of the sun.
‘Isn’t it incredible? This is so fantastic. It was mind-blowing. It was so sharp and it was so bright,’ the visibly excited Washington resident said.
‘You could see the corona around the sun there. It’s only a minute long, but it really felt like a long time.
‘There´s nothing else you can see which looks like that. It was just awesome. Spectacular.
‘And then you could see Jupiter and Mercury and to be able to see those at the same time during the day – even seeing Mercury at all is pretty rare. So that was just awesome,’ Mr Throop added.
A solar eclipse occurs in the daytime at new moon – when the moon is between Earth and the sun – and blocks out some or all of its light. Pictured: The hybrid solar eclipse as seen from Lautem, East Timor
The last time a hybrid solar eclipse occurred was way back in November 2013 , plunging parts of Africa, Europe and America into darkness. Pictured: Phases of hybrid solar eclipse from Quezon City in the Philippines on April 20
A partial hybrid solar eclipse is reflected on a data sheet with the use of a telescope at an astronomical observatory compound in Quezon City in the Philippines on April 20
The first total eclipse appeared over the Indian Ocean at sunrise, and then moved across the southern hemisphere for the last one to appear over the Pacific at sunset. Pictured: A boy looks at the hybrid solar eclipse through an astronomical telescope in Marikina City, the Philippines on April 20
First-time eclipse chaser Julie Copson, who travelled more than 600 miles (1,000 km) from the Australian west coast port city of Fremantle north to Exmouth, said the phenomenon left her skin tingling.
‘I feel so emotional, like I could cry. The colour changed and seeing the corona and sun flares,’ Ms Copson said.
‘It was very strong and the temperature dropped so much.’
It was the fifth eclipse for Detroit resident Shane Varrti, who began planning his trip to Exmouth a year ago.
‘It’s very exciting. All this effort has come to fruition'” Mr Varrti said.
Another observer, a Belgian eclipse chaser, marked Exmouth as the 24th solar eclipse he had witnessed in his life.
‘My first was in … the Caribbean,’ he said.
‘All of them [are] different, and this was very beautiful.’
As the moon moved throughout the day, different regions were able to witness different phases of the eclipse; either total, annular or ‘partial’. Pictured: A man uses a protective mirror to watch the solar eclipse in Palembang, Indonesia on April 20
In Exmouth – which is about 745 miles (1,200 km) north of Perth – hobby and expert astronomers gathered to catch a glimpse, with local stargazers wearing special glasses and pointing modified binoculars to the sky
This event saw residents of Exmouth, population 2,800, to list their homes on Airbnb for up to $17,000 AUD ($11,500 USD, £9,000) to make the most of the stargazing tourists
READ MORE- Partial solar eclipse graces skies
A partial solar eclipse appeared in skies around the world in October
A solar eclipse occurs in the daytime at new moon – when the moon is between Earth and the sun – and blocks out some or all of its light.
Because the moon ‘wobbles’ up and down, a new moon can happen with it blocking all the sun (total solar eclipse) or partially blocking the sun (partial solar eclipse).
The more of the sun is obstructed, the darker it will be when the eclipse occurs.
A hybrid solar eclipse is a combination of a total and an annular solar eclipse, but it’s preceded by a partial solar eclipse as the moon moves into position.
Dr Greg Brown, astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, told MailOnline that this eclipse would only be visible from Australia, East Timor, Indonesia, the southern Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean.
Other regions surrounding these places would also experience a ‘partial’ solar eclipse, due to the nature of how a hybrid solar eclipse works.
Because the Earth is spherical, at any given moment, some points on the planet are closer to or farther from the moon than others.
So when a shadow is cast over the Earth during an eclipse, different parts of the world are in different parts of its shadow.
The centre point of the shadow – which is the point on Earth closest to the moon – and the track it draws across the planet is known as the ‘path of totality’.
Some people stood in the path of totality will be blocked completely from any sunlight by the moon, so will see a total solar eclipse.
Locations in this path during today’s eclipse were Western Australia, East Timor and Indonesia.
But as the moon continues along its path, it will get slightly further away from the Earth, making it appear smaller and not cover as much of the sun.
Those stood in the path of totality at this point will witness an annular solar eclipse, which leaves behind a visual effect similar to a sunrise or a sunset.
Finally, people stood in the moon’s shadow but not in the path of totality will experience a partial eclipse.
The curvature of the Earth sometimes means that the moon will be close enough to our planet during part of the eclipse to cover the whole of the sun, but too far away to do so during another part. Different regions then see a total or annular eclipse
Unfortunately, the next total solar eclipse – when the moon completely blocks the face of the sun – isn’t visible in the UK for another 67 years.
Occurring on September 23, 2090, this solar eclipse will be the first total solar eclipse visible from Britain since August 11, 1999, and the first visible from Ireland since May 22, 1724.
However, the next US solar eclipse will take place on April 8, 2024, passing from Texas to Maine.
This will be seen as a partial eclipse in parts of Britain just before sunset.
But the hybrid eclipse is not the only reasons stargazers should keep their eyes to the skies this week.
The Lyrid meteor shower is returning for its annual dance across the night skies in the early hours of Sunday morning.
This celestial display is expected to peak at 02:06 BST (21:06 EDT on Saturday) with up to 18 shooting stars flying overhead every hour.
Meteor showers, or shooting stars, are caused when pieces of debris known as meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up, causing streaks of light.
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