Path of totality for the 2028 Total Solar Eclipse
About the 2028 Eclipse
The eclipse path begins midway over the Indian Ocean, west of Australia. The path of totality crosses Australian External Territories, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and then Christmas Island, before making its initial Australian landfall at Mitchell River National Park, Western Australia. The path of totality then tracks southeast across the Western Australian outback, reaching maximum totality (5 minutes, 10 seconds) close to Drysdale River Station.
After crossing the coast, most of the eclipse path is in remote and sparsely inhabited desert country. There are many outback towns within the path of totality, as it heads toward the east coast just south of Sydney. A .kml file of Google Earth locations, where significant roads cross the centre line, is available to download here. These are listed as uncorrected Start of total eclipse (C2) and End of total eclipse (C3) intervals for that roadside location. It may be safe to observe the eclipse from these roadside locations or close by, the author suggests an assessment be made prior to the eclipse event.
Path of Totality
The Moon's shadow during a total solar eclipse has two parts: the umbra, where a total eclipse is seen, and the penumbra, where only a partial eclipse is seen. The umbra is quite small, perhaps as narrow as a few kilometres or as wide as a couple of hundred; whereas the penumbra is much wider, a couple of thousand kilometres or so.
This means, of course, that when a total eclipse occurs, it is only visible from a small part of the Earth, whereas the accompanying partial eclipse is seen over a much larger area. However, the shadow isn't simply a "spot" on the Earth; due to the movement of the Earth and Moon, and rotation of the Earth, the shadow actually races across the Earth's surface at around three thousand kilometres per hour, causing the Moon's shadow to "write" a long track across the Earth. This track is shown as the blue line in the above map.
Observing any Solar Eclipse safely
Eye safety
DO NOT look at the Sun directly aided (with a monocular, pair of binoculars, camera lens, telescope etc ... ) because you will go blind very quickly, probably instantly. DO NOT look at the Sun directly unaided, it could take a while but you may damage your eyesight or go blind.
There are special types of filters available to safely observe the Sun, from simple "eclipse glasses" to elaborate and expensive hydrogen alpha filters. There are some alternate techniques used, if solar filters are unavailable or inappropriate for the purpose of the observation. If you don't know what you are doing, don't try to do it, always remember that you only have one pair of eyes.
Road safety
If you happen to stop at, or close to, any of the locations indicated on the above map, you may become a hazard to other road users. If you can't stop and safely park at the precise location shown, move onto or go back to a location where you can stop and safely park for the solar eclipse event. A couple of kilometers off track will not make much difference to the observation time.
So what's my observation plan?
The current plan is to travel by road, caravan in tow, from Middleton, South Australia to Nyngan, New South Wales, a distance of about 900km with an overnight stop or two on the way. On the morning of the 22nd, head east toward Gilgandra on the A32 and then take the Oxley Highway, stopping at the 4 minute, 0.1 seconds totality mark about 8km west of Collie, a short drive of about 100km. I still have about 2½ years to practice my polar alignment skills. Have lunch and watch the show. At the conclusion of the main event, it's another 50km into Gilgandra for the night. The following day will probably take us to our final outward destination at Coonabarrabran, where we are keen to revisit the Crystal Kingdom and perhaps visit some old friends, prior to heading back home to South Australia.
So what will be used for this observation.
Eclipse glasses are always good to have available, they are simple to use and safe if worn properly. I usually have several pair more than I think I will ever need.
You never know when someone will stop to inquire about what you're looking at, on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. It's good to share.
As we will be traveling, a minimal amount of observing equipment would be preferred, so a conventional telescope set up is out of the question. I have chosen a 500mm mirror telephoto lens mounted on a ZWO ASI camera, ZWO harmonic mount with a ZWO ASIAir+ and a Meade tripod as my basic equipment suite. This is small enough to pack/carry and quick to set up. I will post a couple more images here as/when I have all the components together.
