Top 5 things you need to know about Solar Eclipse 2023

The Solar Eclipse 2023 is on April 20, and you might be able to see the Moon entirely block the Sun for about 76 seconds if you are located in the southern hemisphere. In this article, we will explain the top 5 things you need to know about it!

If you don't know what a solar eclipse is, let's start by explaining it. Moon passes between the Sun and Earth and creates a shadow; that is what a solar eclipse is! Even though the Moon is 400 times smaller than the Sun, it is also 400 times closer to the Earth, making us experience the eclipse from certain places, this time the southern hemisphere.

Solar Eclipse 2023 date and location

Solar Eclipse 2023 is on April 20, and it can only be seen in the southern hemisphere, which means that you have to travel to Western Australia, Timor-Leste, and West Papua to experience the

If you really want to witness this valuable experience, you can join thousands of people traveling to the southern hemisphere from around the world. You can either join the action on land or hop on a yacht or a cruise ship to experience it on the ocean.

Before that, there are some things that you should know about Solar Eclipse 2023. Below you will find five of them!

Southern Hemisphere

The eclipse will only be seen in the southern hemisphere. It will start near Kerguelen Island in the Indian Ocean and move on to the Western Australian coasts before moving across Timor-Leste and West Papua. It will then make its finale near the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

That's why people from all around the world have booked their tickets to the places above on April 20. At its fullest, the eclipse will be visible for 76 seconds.

See also: Pink Moon 2023: Date, Meaning, and Other Celestial Highlights

Hybrid Solar Eclipse

Even though there are talks that it's an unusual hybrid kind that transitions from an annular or "ring of fire" eclipse (which requires solar eclipse glasses to witness) to a total solar eclipse (which can be seen without glasses), the truth is a little different if you are one of those who will go all the way to the southern hemisphere to witness something "different," bad news for you as it will be a "normal" total solar eclipse.

"It's just a description of the eclipse path as it changes from total to annular or annular to total—what you see is either a total, an annular, or a kind of broken annular. It's due primarily to the curvature of the Earth bringing that part of the path closer to the Sun," said Fred Espenak, ex-NASA astrophysicist, author, photographer, and most importantly, an eclipse expert.

Hybdird solar eclipses are very rare, as they occur only seven times in the 21st century; you won't be able to tell the difference this time.

Exclusive Experience

Solar Eclipse 2023 will be an exclusive experience for some because it won't be seen fully, even within the southern hemisphere. There are billions of people in the world, and only a few of them will witness it. According to Forbes, 50,000 tourists are expected to go to Exmouth Peninsula in Western Australia to witness totality.

Others will experience it in Timor-Leste and West Papua, as they are the other places that will host the eclipse for all 76 seconds. The population combines up to 375,000 people, who will witness the eclipse's totality, and that is only 0.004% of the total number of humans, making the event pretty exclusive.

Southeast Asia to see a "partial eclipse"

The totality of the Solar Eclipse 2023 might be exclusive for 0.004% of the total number of humans, but millions of others will see a "partial eclipse." Almost 700 million people in the region will see at least 50% of the eclipse.

Compared to the 76-second experience, witnessing the 50% is not the best, but if you are in the area, you might want to check it out.

One of the poorest countries is the protagonist

As mentioned above, Solar Eclipse 2023 will only be totally seen in the southern hemisphere, which contains one of the poorest countries in the world, Timor-Leste. The country's official languages are Portuguese and Tetum, and it ranks 173rd in the Total GDP list with $5.3 billion. The nominal total GDP of Timor-Leste is $2.45 million, 183rd in the world.

The government recently began the preparation for the rare event's tourism surge. People will gather in Lautem and Beaço Viqueque municipalities to view the eclipse. It is expected that there will be around 50,000 tourists visiting the country just to witness the Solar Eclipse 2023.

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