Dr Shyam Balaji, astrophysics expert from King's College London. said: “On 21 September (UTC) there will be a partial solar eclipse, visible from parts of New Zealand, a narrow region of eastern Australia, several Pacific Islands, and parts of Antarctica. Because of time zones, people in New Zealand will see the eclipse at sunrise on 22 September local time. In southern New Zealand and nearby regions, the eclipse will be especially deep, with over 85% of the Sun obscured. In contrast, places like Sydney and Brisbane will see only a very slight eclipse, while many Pacific Islands such as Samoa and Tonga will experience more modest coverage, typically below 30%.
“This event comes less than two weeks after the total lunar eclipse of 7–8 September, because eclipses usually arrive in pairs during what astronomers call an eclipse season. These seasons last about 34–35 days and occur twice a year, whenever the Sun lies close to one of the points where the Moon’s tilted orbit crosses Earth’s orbital plane. The September solar eclipse will be the final solar eclipse of 2025. As always, it is vital never to look directly at the Sun without certified solar-viewing protection. For those outside the visibility regions, livestreams hosted by organisations such as NASA will provide safe viewing opportunities.
“The September equinox occurs on 22 September at 18:19 UTC. It marks the beginning of Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and Spring in the Southern Hemisphere. On this day, Earth’s tilt of about 23.5 degrees aligns so that both hemispheres receive nearly equal hours of daylight and darkness. After the equinox, the Northern Hemisphere will move into longer nights than days, while the Southern Hemisphere transitions into longer days than nights.