5 December 2029: a deep partial eclipse over Antarctica

At about 15:00 UTC on 5 December 2029, the Moon covers up to 87% of the Sun as seen from Antarctica. It is the deepest of the four partial eclipses of 2029, and the one with the fewest watchers, mostly the staff of a few dozen research stations. Outside Antarctica, only the southern tip of South America and a few sub-Antarctic islands see it.

An eclipse in the midnight sun

In early December the Sun never sets over most of Antarctica, so the eclipse is visible there at any hour. At Concordia, the French-Italian station on the high plateau, the peak comes close to local midnight, with the Sun about 8 degrees above the snow. McMurdo and Scott Base see the peak in the early hours of 6 December local time.

The centre of the Moon’s shadow misses the Earth by only about 400 km, just beyond the South Pole. A slightly different alignment would have produced a total eclipse over Antarctica, as happened on 4 December 2021.

Coverage at Antarctic stations

Who will see the December 2029 eclipse

• The East Antarctic plateau 81 to 84% at Concordia, Vostok and Casey, the deepest views on the continent.
• McMurdo, Scott Base and the South Pole About 81% on Ross Island and 69% at the Pole, with the Sun 12 to 22 degrees up.
• Union Glacier About half of the Sun covered at the private camp used by Antarctic tourist flights.
• Ushuaia and Punta Arenas Just 1 to 2%, barely enough to notice through eclipse glasses.

After 5 December: a lunar eclipse and Africa’s total eclipse

On the night of 20 December 2029 the Moon passes through the Earth’s shadow in a total lunar eclipse. Less than a year later, on 25 November 2030, a total solar eclipse crosses Namibia, Botswana and South Africa, then southern Australia.

Snow goggles cut the glare from the ice, but they let through far too much sunlight to look at the Sun. Anyone watching in Antarctica needs proper eclipse glasses.