Orana Observatory livestream of August 2026 eclipse will be free to schools

Australia's Orana Observatory will livestream the August 12, 2026 partial solar eclipse with multi-language commentary, with free institutional access for K–12 schools worldwide.

The event

Orana Observatory in Dubbo, New South Wales, has announced it will livestream the August 12, 2026 partial solar eclipse from its 1.4-meter Cassegrain reflector. From Dubbo, the eclipse will reach a maximum obscuration of 38.2% at 14:51 AEST. The livestream begins one hour before first contact and runs continuously through fourth contact.

Access

The public livestream will be available without registration on the observatory's website, capped at 500,000 concurrent viewers. K–12 schools may register before August 1, 2026 for a separate uncapped institutional feed and a downloadable activity packet aligned to the Australian Curriculum (years 5–10). Universities and informal-learning organizations are not eligible for the institutional feed.

Commentary languages

Live commentary will be provided in English, Mandarin, Spanish, Wiradjuri, and Indonesian on five separate audio channels selectable in the player. Wiradjuri commentary, sourced through the Wiradjuri Elders Council, will include traditional sky narratives associated with eclipses; this is the first time Wiradjuri-language commentary has been included in an Orana livestream.

Funding and credits

Production is funded by a A$420,000 outreach grant from the New South Wales Department of Education, with technical infrastructure donated in-kind by the Sydney Astronomical Society. Lead astronomer Dr. Kay Tinambun-Reardon noted that Orana's previous large livestream — the 2023 annular eclipse — drew 1.1 million unique viewers, of whom an estimated 230,000 were students.

Key facts

Orana Observatory will livestream the August 12, 2026 partial solar eclipse.
The livestream will be free to K–12 schools through an uncapped institutional feed.
Maximum obscuration from Dubbo is 38.2% at 14:51 AEST.
The public livestream is capped at 500,000 concurrent viewers.
School registration for the institutional feed closes August 1, 2026.
Live commentary will be available in English, Mandarin, Spanish, Wiradjuri, and Indonesian.
It is the first Orana livestream to include Wiradjuri-language commentary.
The NSW Department of Education funded production with a A$420,000 outreach grant.
The 2023 annular eclipse livestream drew 1.1 million unique viewers.

Details