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vember 2012 new moon will move directly in front of the sun, to stage nature's most wondrous spectacle, a total solar eclipse. The eclipse will take place at or shortly after sunrise on Wednesday, November 14 local time in Australia. Almost everywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, the new moon will pass south of the sun, so no eclipse of the sun will be visible from our northerly latitudes.
• People often ask us where the moon is at or near the time of new moon. Generally, the moon is invisible for a few to several days around the new moon because most of the moon's dark side faces Earth, while the moon more or less rises with the sun and crosses the sky with the sun during the day, hidden in the solar glare. In order for an eclipse to occur, the new moon has to swing partially or directly in front of the solar disk. On a worldwide scale that happens at least twice a year, for a grand total of 224 times in the twenty-first century. This November 13, 2012 eclipse will be the second and final solar eclipse of this year.
• Solar eclipses can be seen only within a narrow path across Earth's surface. People often travel long distances to stand within that path, to stand in line with the moon and sun. Outside the path of the total eclipse - which is called the path of totality - a partial solar eclipse will take place almost everywhere over the South Pacific Ocean. On land, the partial eclipse of the sun will be visible from all of New Guinea, most of Australia, New Zealand and numerous South Pacific Islands. It'll also be visible from part of Antarctica and southwestern South America.
• In the course of a little more than three hours, the moon's dark shadow travels about 14,500 kilometers over the Earth's surface. The width of the total eclipse path (Continued on page 18)
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