What time is the total solar eclipse? Here’s how and when to view it around Australia

A total solar eclipse will be visible on Thursday in some parts of the world. These include Exmouth and Barrow Island in Western Australia, eastern regions of Timor-Leste and West Papua in Indonesia.

But astronomy fans will still be able to see a partial eclipse in other parts of Australia and the world.

Here's a rundown of when and where to watch the event in Australia - and what actually happens when a solar eclipse occurs.

Solar eclipses occur when the moon passes between the sun and Earth.

"In order for a solar eclipse to happen, the moon has to be perfectly blocking the sun - it has to be at the right height and alignment," says Dr Brad Tucker, an astrophysicist at the Australian National University.

"The moon bobbles up and down by about five degrees so it's not always perfectly aligned. You also have the fact that the distance the moon is away from the Earth changes all the time - it varies by about 40,000 to 50,000km."

In a total eclipse, the sun is fully obscured by the moon. If the moon is a bit further away from Earth, it doesn't cover all of the sun, resulting in an annular eclipse, in which a fiery ring of sunlight is visible. In a partial eclipse, as the name suggests, the view of the sun is partially blocked.