Sky watchers are in for a treat this week, as the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, resulting in a Total Solar Eclipse.
This will be the first Total Solar Eclipse since August 2017, when millions of people in the United States were able to witness the spectacular phenomenon first hand.
However, this Total Solar Eclipse will not be visible anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere.
Unless you happen to be on a boat in the middle of the South Pacific, the best places to see it will be Chile and Argentina.
For this reason, it has been dubbed the 2019 South American Total Solar Eclipse.
Here's what you need to know.
What is a Total Solar Eclipse?
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between Earth and the sun, obscuring the sun from view.
When the disk of the moon appears to completely cover the disk of the sun in the sky, it is known as a total solar eclipse. If part of the sun is still visible, it is known as a partial solar eclipse.
Solar eclipses occur because the moon orbits the Earth at an average of 239,000 miles - which is just the right distance for it to appear the same size in the sky as the much larger sun, which is 93 million miles away.
This amazing coincidence means that, when the moon passes in front of the sun, it is appears to cover it perfectly.
What does it look like?
Casual observers and professional astronomers agree that a Total Solar Eclipse is one of the most profound and spectacular sights in the world.
"Only at totality can prominences be seen leaping like geysers of pink nuclear flame from the solar limb with naked eyes," said robotic telescope service Slooh.
"Only then do the brighter stars and planets emerge from the inky black sky, while the Sun's ultra-hot corona splays far across the sky, its tendrils of plasma channelled along the Sun's vast magnetic field lines.
"The very shape of the solar corona appears different and distinctive for each eclipse, and largely depends on the stage of its sunspot cycle."
When is the 2019 South American Total Solar Eclipse?
The rare celestial event will take place on Tuesday, July 2, shortly after 16:30 local time (20:30 BST).
The moon will first appear to make contact with the sun above the Pacific Ocean at 12:55 EDT (17:55 BST). This will be the beginning of the partial phase of the eclipse.
Totality will first be seen over Oeno Island, a British territory in the South Pacific Ocean, at 10:24 local time (17:24 BST).
The first place in South America to see totality will be near La Serena in Chile, where the total eclipse will be visible at 16:39 local time (20:39 BST).
Where can I watch the solar eclipse?
The total solar eclipse will be visible from small parts of Chile and Argentina just before sunset.
Some regions in the Pacific and in South America, including locations in Ecuador, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay will also see a partial solar eclipse, if the weather permits.
"The 2019 South American solar eclipse is not an easy event to capture," said Paul Cox, Chief Astronomical Officer at the Slooh observatory.
"Unlike the 2017 eclipse, the path of totality (the 90-mile wide path of the Moon's umbral shadow) only makes landfall across a narrow stretch of Chile and Argentina.
"Having raced across the Pacific Ocean at over 6,000mph, by the time the Moon's shadow reaches the west coast of Chile, the Sun will be low to the horizon, with the partial eclipse phases occurring just as the Sun is setting."
If you're not lucky enough to be in the path of totality, you will be able to watch a live stream of the event from a number of observatory locations in Chile and Argentina.
When is the next Solar Eclipse in the UK?
The next really good eclipse visible from the UK will be on 12 August 2026, when there will be a very large partial eclipse across Britain, ranging from around 96% in Cornwall to 91% in Aberdeen.
The next total eclipse visible in the UK is not until 23 September 2090.
