The 20th April 2023, all eyes will turn to Exmouth, a popular tourist destination along the sun-drenched, north-west coast of Western Australia.

On that date, for 62 seconds, the Moon will totally obscure the blinding Solar disc, plunging the 41Km wide “Path of Totality” into darkness.

This is one of nature’s most spectacular events, a Total Solar Eclipse.

The action of the Moon blocking out the full disc of the Sun enables both professional and amateur astronomers to observe and study the Solar Chromosphere, the lower atmosphere of the Sun, that is normally rendered invisible due to the extreme brightness of the Sun’s surface.

It also reveals the spectacular Solar Corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun. This is the rarefied Solar plasma that is streaming off the Sun at a rate of a million tonnes per second and heated to temperatures over one million degrees Celsius. The Solar plasma in the Corona is shaped and twisted by complex magnetic fields emanating from the Sun.

The Ningaloo 2023 Solar Eclipse is extra special. It is a rare “Hybrid Eclipse.”

A Hybrid Eclipse is where the distance between the Earth and Moon are so finely balanced, that the curvature of the Earth influences how much the Moon covers the disc of the Sun. From Exmouth, observers will witness a Total Solar Eclipse.

By far, the most important aspect about the Ningaloo Total Solar Eclipse is the inspiration and excitement it will provide, not just to seasoned astronomers, but to the future generations of scientists such as primary and secondary school students. This celestial event is an incredible opportunity to witness the mechanics of the Solar System at work.

It is with great pleasure the Gravity Discovery Centre & Observatory is working together with the Department of Jobs Training Science and Innovation along with Tourism WA to you this spectacular celestial event.