On April 20, 2023, a total solar eclipse will be visible over the northwestern edge of Australia.
For an event that will likely last about one minute, the town of Exmouth and the greater Ningaloo Peninsula on which it sits have been planning for more than a year. There will be outdoor viewing platforms where spectators can safely watch the solar miracle (with protective eyewear, of course) as well as musical performances, educational opportunities to learn about science and astronomy, and a three-day Dark Sky Festival.
But the state of Western Australia offers much more than some 60 seconds of wonder.
Spanning one-third of the entire continent of Australia, it stretches from the lively, growing state capital of Perth across deserts including the Great Victoria and Great Sandy to the wine country of Margaret River, the dramatic clifftops of the Kimberley and the quokka-covered Rottnest Island. -- Lilit Marcus