SPAIN’S AUGUST ECLIPSE IS A PREVIEW

Australia’s 2028 eclipse will reach millions at home

12th August 2026

Today, people across the Northern Hemisphere can experience the awesome experience of a total solar eclipse, the first on mainland Europe since 1999. The total eclipse will cross Spain (after first crossing remote Greenland and Iceland), with the rest of Europe experiencing a partial solar eclipse. For those in the path of the Moon’s shadow (known as the path of totality), the Moon will completely block the Sun, plunging the daytime sky into a surreal twilight and revealing the Sun’s white ethereal corona, with stars and planets appearing in the sky.

It is a timely reminder of an even more remarkable event heading our way. In less than two years, on 22 July 2028, Australia will experience our own total solar eclipse, the Australia Wide Eclipse 2028 (or AWE 2028). Almost a quarter of the Australian population, including over 70% of the New South Wales population, lives within the path of totality. This offers unprecedented access for millions of people to experience a total solar eclipse without having to travel.

The path of totality will cross Australia from the Kimberley to Sydney over Kununurra, Tennant Creek, Thargomindah, Burke, Dubbo, Bathurst and then the entire Greater Sydney area. A partial solar eclipse with the Moon covering at least part of the Sun will be visible over all of Australia.

The contrast with today’s challenging eclipse in Spain could hardly be greater. By the time the Moon’s shadow reaches the Spanish coast this evening, the Sun will be just 10 degrees above the horizon and setting fast, with mountainous terrain and a real risk of cloud further impacting on successful viewing. AWE 2028, by contrast, is a midday to early afternoon eclipse with the Sun high in the sky during Australia’s dry winter season, with the outback sections of the path historically being among the clearest skies of any eclipse track anywhere. Totality will also last far longer, up to 5 minutes in Western Australia and still over three and a half minutes for Sydney. This compares to a maximum of just 1 minute 49 seconds on offer in Spain today.

Incredibly, the 2028 eclipse will be the first of four total solar eclipses to cross the Australian continent between now and 2038, with eclipses in 2030, 2037 and 2038. Because total solar eclipses occur in a narrow path across the world, they are extremely rare at any one location. For Sydney the last one was in 1857 and the next one will not be until 2858.

“Today’s eclipse in Spain is a preview of what Australia can expect from AWE 2028 with millions able to view from their own backyard”, says former Australian Government Astronomer-at-Large and honorary professor at Macquarie University Fred Watson. “The excitement and tourism from a few minutes of darkness in Spain shows why Australians should be planning now for our eclipse”.

For information on the Australian eclipses, check out the Astronomical Society of Australia eclipse website. Search “ASA eclipse” or go to: https://eclipse.asa.astronomy.org.au

Mark your calendar now for 22 July 2028, a day to remember right across Australia.