Astonishing photos emerge of rare solar eclipse as entire Australian town plunges into darkness – as huge crowds gather at the world’s best viewing spot
A tiny Australian town has plunged into darkness as thousands of tourists gather to bare witness to an extremely rare total solar eclipse.
The West Australian town of Exmouth was marked as the best viewing spot in the world to view the rare hybrid solar eclipse – the first in 10 years.
Hobby astronomers and NASA astronomers gathered to catch a glimpse, with local stargazers wearing special glasses and pointing modified binoculars to the sky.
The total eclipse occured in Exmouth at just before 1:30pm and lasted about 80 seconds. Other cities around the country could see a partial eclipse.
The movement in the heavens led residents of the town, population 2,800, to list their homes on Airbnb for up to $17,000 to make the most of the stargazing tourists.
The tiny West Australian town of Exmouth has been plunged into darkness by an extremely rare hybrid solar eclipse (pictured), the first of its kind in a decade
The eclipse over Exmouth reached totality at just before 11:30am
The state had poured over $1million into the small town to prepare for the town’s 80 seconds of fame and a population increase of about 12,000.
One of the observers, a NASA astronomer, jumped up and down in excitement as the moon passed in front of the sun.
Another, a Belgian eclipse chaser, marked Exmouth as the 24th solar eclipse he has seen in his life.
‘My first was in the French entrails in the Caribbean,’ he told the ABC.
‘All of them [are] different, and this was very beautiful.’
More Australian cities are set to be able to view the event at varying strengths as the day continues.
Darwin and Broome are set to receive an eclipse of over 80 per cent completion while Alice Springs and Cairns will experience coverage of over 40 per cent.
Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane will receive a slight eclipse, while Hobart will see just 5 per cent of the sun covered.
A hybrid eclipse passes between a annular and total eclipse in the same event
Stargazers used binoculars with specific solar eclipse lenses to see the eclipse first hand
Gawkers were warned to not view the eclipse directly with the naked eye to avoid solar retinopathy.
The condition can result in life-long symptoms of blurred vision and disrupted colouring, and has affected eclipse-gazers across the world in the past.
The rare eclipse is a combination between a total eclipse and an annular eclipse, making the eclipse appear different depending on where you observe it from as it passes from annular to total and back.
An annular eclipse is characterised with a reddish hue as the sun is slightly larger than the moon, leading behind a visual effect similar to a sunrise or a sunset.
A total eclipse occurs when the moon is situated perfectly in front of the run, blocking out all but a halo of white light.
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