A total solar eclipse occurs on Wednesday, 4 December, 2002, giving central/southern Africa its second major eclipse show in just 18 months.
The eclipse begins in the Atlantic, and then crosses Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Mozambique between 05:55 and 06:30 UT. It then crosses the southern Indian Ocean, passing between St. Paul island and Kerguelen, and then cuts into south-eastern Australia, where it ends just after 09:10 UT, at local sunset.
The partial eclipse will be visible over most of Africa and Madagascar, and western and southern Australia.
More information on this eclipse may be found at Fred Espenak's site.
Please note that these maps are very approximate. Check with reliable sources before making travel plans.
This map shows more detail of the path in Africa:
The eclipse hits the mainland just after 05:55 UT; the path width is 51km, and totality will last around 50 seconds at this point.
The eclipse leaves the African mainland just after 06:25 UT. By then, the eclipse path will be 78km wide, and totality will last over one and a half minutes.
The eclipse arrives in Australia, at the coastal town of Ceduna, just before it ends at local sunset, just after 09:10 UT:
The path is less than 38km wide at this point, and totality will last around 30 seconds. Still should be amazing sight as the Sun sets into the Moon!
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Copyright (C) 1995-2005 Ian Cameron Smith.
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