Will South Africa get a view of September’s solar eclipse?

On 21 September 2025, the year’s final solar eclipse will sweep across the Southern Hemisphere sky just a day before the equinox.

The moon will cover up to 86 percent of the sun at its peak, creating a deep partial eclipse rather than a total one.

Here’s who will witness it…

Another September spectacle

This solar eclipse follows the total lunar eclipse that South Africans watched on 7 September.

Skywatchers in South Africa won’t see this weekend’s eclipse directly, but they can still follow it through livestreams and global coverage.

Southern New Zealand, Antarctica, and scattered South Pacific islands will enjoy the best views, with the timing making the event even more significant.

The eclipse takes place just before the September equinox, when the sun crosses the celestial equator, ushering in spring in the south and autumn in the north.

Whether in person or through a livestream, never view the sun directly without proper protection. Certified eclipse glasses or indirect viewing methods are the only safe ways to experience these events.

Upcoming solar eclipses in South Africa

If you’re disappointed about missing out this time, mark your calendar, because South Africa has some exciting eclipses ahead:

• 16 September 2026 – Partial Solar Eclipse
  Visible across much of southern Africa, with the moon covering a large bite of the sun near sunset.
• 26 January 2028 – Annular Solar Eclipse
  A rare “ring of fire” eclipse will cross South Africa. Durban and parts of KwaZulu-Natal will be in the path of annularity, with much of the country seeing a significant partial eclipse.
• 25 November 2030 – Total Solar Eclipse
  The big one. A total eclipse will sweep across South Africa, with cities like Johannesburg, Durban, and Maputo in Mozambique experiencing several minutes of totality. This will be one of the most dramatic astronomical events in living memory for the region.