A RARE total solar eclipse will cast a brief darkness and an orange glow across select areas of Australia - and that includes Bathurst.
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In four years, the phenomenon will traverse northern parts of Western Australia and move through NSW, covering Dubbo, Orange, Bathurst and Sydney.
Orange amateur astronomer Gary Sanders says it is a "phenomenal" and "rare" event.
"The moon, sun and earth will align with each other, blocking the face of the sun," he said.
"On average, it only happens in an area about once every 375 years."
The total solar eclipse will last for approximately two minutes and 13 seconds in this area and the temperature will drop about 10 degrees during this time.
Mr Sanders started exploring astronomy in his teenage years and he's been fascinated by it ever since.
A room in his house is dedicated to his telescopes and space-related books and his phone has every space app imaginable.
"We're a small, little grain of sand floating around this big universe. It's just amazing what's out there ... galaxies, nebulas and planets. It's just incredible," he said.
Mr Sanders said he can see galaxies on clear nights from his property in west Orange.
"You can see the Milky Way out here and you can't do that in Sydney," he said.
"On a clear night, you can actually see the Orion Nebula, which is 1400 light years away."
The partial solar eclipse will occur in this area on July 22, 2028 in the early afternoon.
The total solar eclipse will last for approximately two minutes and 13 seconds.
Orange and Bathurst are situated off-centre of the solar eclipse corridor, so will not receive the maximum total eclipse.
Other Central West towns, including Dubbo, Mudgee and Lithgow, are closer to the centre, so will experience a slightly longer total eclipse.