Pink Floyd celebrate 50th anniversary of The Dark Side of the Moon with Exmouth solar eclipse documentary

Iconic British rock band Pink Floyd have released a documentary showcasing the Gascoyne town of Exmouth during the total solar eclipse phenomenon in April. The 50th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s album The Dark Side of the Moon has been celebrated with a new box set and the release of a 30-minute documentary showcasing the rare total solar eclipse best viewed in Ningaloo in the Shire of Exmouth on April 20. The band’s YouTube exclusive documentary, Eclipse, was released on Friday, October 13 and follows eight Pink Floyd fans as they travel to Ningaloo and witness the once-in-a-lifetime event. Known as the Astronome Domine Eight, the fans gather around a mysterious black pyramid on a secluded beach near Exmouth to listen to the album, timed so that the final lines of the album “but the sun is eclipsed by the moon” would play just as the moon perfectly covered the sun. The documentary features songs from the album while capturing the special event and its impact on the community. Local leaders, traditional owners and business owners were also featured in the documentary. Baiyungu woman Hazel Walgar said the Ningaloo total solar eclipse was a Dreamtime story being passed down where a man (the moon) and a woman (the sun) meet and it was a special time for traditional owners when it happened on country. Shire of Exmouth CEO Ben Lewis said the total solar eclipse showcased the town on a worldwide level and “the advantage we’ve got is we end up with unprecedented amount of publicity about our region and about our town”. Local businessman Mark Lucas said “we’re just a little town in the middle of nowhere” and it was fantastic to see so many people visit from faraway places. The Shire of Exmouth worked closely with Sony Music to create and intertwine the history with the total solar eclipse in 2023, showcasing Exmouth and WA to music lovers worldwide. To watch the documentary, visit youtube.com/watch?v=z0iDcl8hqPE