NATIONAL – (NEXSTAR) – For nearly two minutes, a total solar eclipse will turn day into night over Antarctica on Saturday.
The eclipse, which will occur when the moon passes directly between the sun and Earth, will blot out the daylight for 1 minute and 54 seconds. Totality is the brief period during an eclipse when the sun or moon is totally obscured.
To get the full, live experience one has to be on the world’s southernmost continent, but several other locations will see a partial eclipse Dec. 4, according to NASA.
Instead of being bathed in darkness, however, viewers in the following places may only see a dark shadow appearing on the sun’s surface: Saint Helena, Namibia, Lesotho, South Africa, South Georgia and Sandwich Islands, Crozet Islands, Falkland Islands, Chile, New Zealand, and Australia.
In Antarctica, the view will be striking, and may allow people to see the sun’s corona, the atmosphere around the sun which is usually too bright to observe.
The last total solar eclipse in Antarctica happened in November of 2003.
On April 20, 2023 the world will see totality again during a hybrid eclipse best visible from Indonesia, Australia and Papa New Guinea.
Traveling to Antarctica is no easy – or cheap – endeavor, but for those wanting to witness 2021’s total solar eclipse, there is another option – NASA will be streaming the event live.
If the weather cooperates, the stream will go live at 1:30 a.m. EST from Union Glacier, Antarctica with totality beginning at 2:44 a.m. EST.
