Australia, New Zealand · 22 July 2028
Total solar eclipse of 22 July 2028
Totality crosses Australia and New Zealand and lasts up to 5 minutes 10 seconds. Southeast Asia and Indonesia see a partial eclipse.
Next: Total solar eclipse, 25 November 2030
GreatestSaturday 22 July 2028, 02:55 UTC
Your timeSaturday 22 July 2028, 02:55 UTC
Where to see totality
The path of totality runs across Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales, Sydney, the Tasman Sea and the South Island of New Zealand. Greatest eclipse falls in the Kimberley, Western Australia, at 02:55 UTC.
The shadow reaches Sydney at about 04:01 UTC (14:01 GMT+10).
| Place | Totality |
|---|---|
| Bourke, New South Wales | 4 min 5 s |
| Dubbo, New South Wales | 3 min 51 s |
| Sydney | 3 min 49 s |
| Tennant Creek, Northern Territory | 3 min 26 s |
| Queenstown, New Zealand | 2 min 55 s |
| Kununurra, Western Australia | 2 min 54 s |
| Dunedin, New Zealand | 2 min 51 s |
Durations on the centre line or in the town itself. A few kilometres towards the edge of the path cuts them sharply, so head for the middle.
The centre line runs right over Sydney: its first total solar eclipse since 1857.
Outside the path, Southeast Asia and Indonesia see a partial eclipse. The Moon takes a bite out of the Sun there, bigger the closer you are to the path.
NASA's interactive map shows the edges of the path down to the street, with the times for any spot you click.
What is happening
The Moon passes exactly between the Sun and the Earth. It is about 400 times smaller than the Sun and, by a coincidence, about 400 times closer, so from inside its shadow it covers the Sun's bright face exactly.
In the minutes before totality the light turns strange and thin, the air cools and shadows sharpen. Then the last bead of sunlight vanishes, the sky drops to a deep twilight blue, the brightest planets and stars come out, and the Sun's corona, its outer atmosphere at over a million degrees, spreads around the black Moon in pearly streamers. Pink prominences may show on the edge. Here that lasts up to 5 min 10 s.
Only the narrow band under the Moon's darkest shadow sees totality. A far wider area sees a partial eclipse, where the Moon covers part of the Sun and daylight hardly changes.
How to watch safely
- Wear eclipse glasses that meet the ISO 12312-2 standard for every moment the Sun is even partly visible. Sunglasses, however dark, are not safe.
- Never look through binoculars, a telescope or a camera without a proper solar filter on the front. Glasses behind the eyepiece do not protect you; the optics burn through them.
- A pinhole projector works anywhere: a small hole in card throws an image of the Sun onto paper behind it. A colander or the gaps between leaves do the same.
- During totality only, once the Sun is completely covered, you can take the glasses off and look at the corona. Put them back on the moment the first bright point of sunlight returns.
- Damage to the eye from the Sun does not hurt while it happens, which is why the rules are strict.
See it in 3D
The Moon’s shadow crossing the Earth on the day, drawn by our 3D viewer from the real positions of the Sun, the Moon and the Earth, with the umbra and penumbra at their true size. Press play to load it here, then play, pause and scrub through the eclipse, or open it in the full viewer.
Open this eclipse in the 3D viewer →
Get a reminder
We email you a day or two before, with the time. Leave your email once and we send a code to confirm it; nothing else arrives unless you ask for it.
Questions
What time is the total solar eclipse on 22 July 2028?
Greatest eclipse is at 02:55 UTC, in the Kimberley, Western Australia. Sydney at about 04:01 UTC (14:01 GMT+10). The exact times depend on where you stand, and this page shows them in your own time zone at the top.
Where can I see totality?
Along a path about 230 km wide across Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales, Sydney, the Tasman Sea and the South Island of New Zealand. Southeast Asia and Indonesia see a partial eclipse.
How long does totality last?
Up to 5 min 10 s, in the Kimberley, Western Australia. Bourke, New South Wales: 4 min 5 s; Dubbo, New South Wales: 3 min 51 s; Sydney: 3 min 49 s.
Is it safe to look at?
Only during totality itself. Before and after, while any of the Sun shows, use ISO 12312-2 eclipse glasses or a pinhole projector, and never look through binoculars, a telescope or a camera without a solar filter on the front.
More in the sky
4 October 2026Saturn at opposition1.26 billion km · magnitude 0.3
21 October 2026Orionids 2026Up to 20 an hour · 78% Moon
17 November 2026Leonids 2026Up to 15 an hour · 55% Moon
25 November 2026Uranus at opposition2.76 billion km · magnitude 5.7
14 December 2026Geminids 2026Up to 150 an hour · 25% Moon
4 January 2027Quadrantids 2027Up to 80 an hour · 12% Moon
Every eclipse, meteor shower and planet at opposition, or the whole calendar. Tonight's planets are on what is visible tonight.
Sources
- NASA Eclipse Web Site: the total solar eclipse of 22 July 2028
- NASA: interactive map of the path
- NASA: path table, with times and durations along the centre line
- Wikipedia: local circumstances for towns on the path
- NASA: eclipse safety
- American Astronomical Society: solar eclipse eye safety
- The times and positions on this page come from our own sky calendar, built on the sources above, the same one the 3D viewer runs on.