Hybrid Solar Eclipse of April 20, 2023 – Australia, Indonesia, Timor Leste
On April 20, 2023, the rarest type of solar eclipse will occur. It's called a hybrid eclipse. Here you’ll learn where and when to watch the solar eclipse and what makes it so special. Find out if the eclipse is visible from your location with a free multifunctional astronomy app Sky Tonight or a dedicated eclipse hunting app Eclipse Guide.
Contents
- What is a hybrid solar eclipse?
- What will the solar eclipse look like from my location?
- When is the solar eclipse in April 2023?
- Hybrid solar eclipse 2023 map – Western Australia, Indonesia, East Timor
- When is the next solar eclipse?
- Bottom line
What is a hybrid solar eclipse?
A hybrid solar eclipse is a rare type of solar eclipse that changes from annular to total and vice versa along its path. It occurs when the apparent size of the Moon closely matches that of the Sun as seen from the Earth. As a result, the curvature of the Earth begins to play a role in the appearance of the eclipse. In places where the Moon is near the zenith during the eclipse, its apparent size will be greatest, causing a total solar eclipse. And in places where the Moon is closer to the horizon, observers will see an annular eclipse because the apparent size of the Moon will be slightly smaller compared to the Sun.
Hybrid solar eclipses occur about once every decade. Throughout this century, hybrid solar eclipses account for just 3.1% (7 out of 224) of all solar eclipses.
Do you know what other types of eclipses there are? Take our quiz to test your knowledge.
What will the solar eclipse look like from my location?
Solar eclipses are only visible in a small part of the world. You can find out which eclipses will be visible from your location with the Eclipse Guide app. Open the app and tap the magnifying glass icon in the upper left corner of the screen. You will see a list of upcoming solar and lunar eclipses. The eye icon marks the eclipses visible from your device’s location.
If you are using Sky Tonight, open the Calendar window and tap the date of the eclipse (April 19 or 20, depending on your time zone). The app will show you the events that are happening on that date. Tap the “Hybrid Solar Eclipse” event: the text in the Info section will tell you if the eclipse is visible from your location and, if it’s visible, at what time.
When is the solar eclipse in April 2023?
The hybrid solar eclipse will occur on April 20, 2023. It will reach its maximum phase on April 20, at 12:17 p.m. AWST (04:17 GMT).
What time is the solar eclipse 2023?
Here is the timeline of the solar eclipse on April 20, 2023. Note that the beginning and end times are given for the first and last locations to experience the eclipse. And don’t forget to convert GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) to your local time.
- The partial phase of the eclipse begins at 09:34 a.m. AWST (01:34 GMT)
- The full (total/annular) phase of the eclipse begins at 10:37 a.m. AWST (02:37 GMT)
- The maximum (total/annular) phase of the eclipse is at 12:17 p.m. AWST (04:17 GMT)
- The full (total/annular) phase of the eclipse ends at 01:56 p.m. AWST (05:56 GMT)
- The partial phase of the eclipse ends at 02:59 p.m. AWST (06:59 GMT)
What time is the solar eclipse 2023 in Exmouth, Australia?
One of the most popular locations for viewing the hybrid eclipse on April 20 is the Exmouth Peninsula in Australia. Here is the exact timeline of the eclipse for this location:
- The partial phase of the eclipse begins at 10:04 a.m. AWST
- The full (total) phase of the eclipse begins at 11:29 a.m. AWST
- The maximum (total/annular) phase of the eclipse is at 11:30 p.m. AWST
- The full (total) phase of the eclipse ends at 11:31 p.m. AWST
- The partial phase of the eclipse ends at 01:02 p.m. AWST
How long does the solar eclipse last?
On April 20, the maximum duration of the full (total/annular) phase of 1 minute and 16 seconds will be reached above the ocean. On land, the longest full eclipse of 1 minute and 14 seconds will be experienced by the observers in East Timor. A full phase in the Exmouth Peninsula, Australia, will take just 1 minute.
Hybrid solar eclipse 2023 map – Western Australia, Indonesia, East Timor
At least a partial phase of the eclipse will be visible from the southern Indian Ocean, parts of Antarctica, most of Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, most of Oceania, Southeast Asia, and the western Pacific Ocean.
The total phase of the eclipse will be visible from the east of East Timor, parts of West Papua, and the Exmouth Peninsula in Western Australia.
The transition from the annular to total eclipse will only be seen from remote locations in the Indian and Pacific Oceans near the Marshall Islands at one transition point and the French Southern and Antarctic Lands at another point.
When is the next solar eclipse?
The next solar eclipse will occur on October 14, 2023. It will be an annular solar eclipse. The next hybrid solar eclipse will occur on November 14, 2031.
You can find the dates, timelines, and visibility maps of upcoming solar and lunar eclipses in our colorful infographic. And get the Eclipse Guide app which provides visualizations and recommends the best locations to observe upcoming eclipses.
Bottom line
On April 20, 2023, a solar eclipse will be best visible from Australia, East Timor, and Indonesia. It’s called “hybrid” because it changes its appearance from annular to total and back to annular at specific points of its path. However, these points are at remote locations at sea, so the observers on land will see it as a total solar eclipse. Get the Eclipse Guide app to learn more about this and other upcoming eclipses, and follow us on social media to stay updated on all astronomical events.
