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Like countless other people nowadays, we enjoy travelling. The usual reasons apply of course: cultures to experience, interesting sights to see, languages to understand, food and drink to try. In the past twenty years or so we have amassed many images of the world. Some of these can be seen in various galleries ( for example: Scenery,
People) on the Travel Page.
When we leave London it is usually for many months, sometimes over a year. However, the
timing of many of the trips is often controlled by one consideration:
Total Eclipses of the Sun.
Anybody who has experienced nature's most awesome and unusual phenomenon never forgets it. We have met people who have seen total eclipses by accident and their reaction is always one of amazement.
Although the entire eclipse can last for a couple of hours, the spectacular total phase lasts only for a few minutes. The maximum duration of totality is just over seven and a half minutes. For any one location, total eclipses of the sun occur rarely; on average, once every 350 years or so. In our home city, London, the last two total eclipses of the Sun occurred in the years 878 and 1715; the next is not due until 2151! In a larger area, they are more common. For England, the last was in 1999 and the next in 2090.
For the Earth as a whole, total solar eclipses occur roughly seven or eight times every ten years. If we are to see one we must do some travelling. Kryss has now experienced seven; Talaat five. One was clouded out but still spectacular.
Total Eclipses of the Sun occur when the Moon passes in front of the Sun blocking out its light for a few minutes. The sky darkens, the air cools, birds and animals react, and unusual colours bathe the landscape. Because they occur so infrequently, the event is a new and unknown experience for the local people. The reactions of a community awaiting an eclipse are part of the interest for us.
Professional astronomers arrive at a site, prepare their equipment, observe the eclipse and leave. Unlike them, we like to be there at least a week before to feel the mounting excitement. Kryss always enjoys buying eclipse t-shirts and now has quite a collection.
The path of totality is a long narrow strip, usually less than 200km wide. It snakes a third of the way around the globe. Usually less than 1% of the Earth's surface is bathed by the shadow which most often passes over sea or uninhabited land. Only observers within this narrow band will experience totality.
Outside the band of totality, a partial eclipse is visible. Partial eclipses are less interesting, with little to see. Even if an eclipse is 99%, the spectacular phenomena of Totality will not be seen.
Fred Espenak (in association with NASA) supplies
information and
maps of these paths of totality. We use these as our travel brochures!
There are three types of solar eclipses.
When the Moon's shadow hits the Earth and the Moon is close to the Earth, then a
Total eclipse is visible along the narrow path of Totality. (A Partial eclipse occurs on either side of the path of Totality). For a Total eclipse, the Moon can appear to be as much as 6.5% larger than the Sun. The maximum duration of Totality is 7m 31s. Eclipses over seven minutes long are rare; only three occurred during the 20th Century and none are expected in the 21st Century. Longer eclipses tend to occur nearer the tropics.
When the Moon's shadow hits the Earth but the Moon is far from the Earth, it will not be large enough to cover the Sun completely. A ring of Sun remains around the Moon. This ring-shaped partial eclipse is called an Annular Eclipse (from
annulus the Latin for ring). At its most extreme, the Moon can be 10.9% too small to cover the Sun. The maximum duration of Annularity is 12m 30s.
A Hybrid Eclipse is where the Moon is at such a distance that the eclipse is Annular in some areas and Total in other areas. The duration is usually very short for these types of eclipses.
In any calendar year there must be TWO solar eclipses and there can be as many as FIVE. Less than half will be Total. The table below shows all Solar Eclipses occurring between 1990 and 2010. The next ten Total eclipses are described in detail below.
When the Moon's shadow misses the Earth but passes very close to it, only a
Partial eclipse is visible. These types of eclipse tend to be visible away from the tropics.
| Year | ||||
| 1990 | ||||
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| 1999 | ||||
| 2000 | ||||
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| 2008 | ||||
| 2009 | ||||
| 2010 |
| Date of Eclipse Click the date to read report and see photos |
Location | Duration | Length of Trip |
Countries Visited Eclipse country in blue |
| 11 June 1983 | A children's playground on the beach at the village of Tuban on the Indonesian island of Java. "The trip had consisted of three minibuses, two buses, a colt, a horse and cart, a bemo, a lorry, a becak and a motorbike. I had made it to the centre line....." |
months |
Sri Lanka Singapore Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Burma Nepal India Pakistan | |
| 18 March 1988 | The city hall roof of General Santos City on the Philippine island of Mindanao. "In the West, I could see it getting darker as the Moon's shadow approached at nearly a kilometre per second. The horizon was turning red as the sky turned a deep blue...." |
months |
Philippines Japan South Korea Taiwan Hong Kong China Macao Thailand India | |
| 11 July 1991 | A ridge near the village of Santiago in the south of the Mexican peninsula of Baja California. "It reminded us of the story of the Passover. As we watched, the clouds over the distant hills turned grey, then black. The hills themselves then turned dark. Moments later, the valley was plunged into darkness...." |
months |
USA Mexico Belize Guatemala | |
| 3 November 1994 | A hilltop on the Zapahuira plains in Chile's Lauca National Park. "All was still, cool and quiet. There was not a sound from the people below. However much they had read or had been told about the eclipse, nothing had prepared them for the strange reality. Even the insects had stopped chirping...." |
months |
Chile Bolivia Peru Ecuador Colombia Panama Costa Rica Nicaragua Honduras El Salvador Guatemala Belize Mexico | |
| 24 October 1995 | A ridge near the tiny village of Khanua in the Indian state of Rajastan. "The sun rose over a timeless rural scene of India. The young men of the village began arriving. They sat on the ridge and watched. They had not come to see the eclipse but to watch us...." |
weeks |
India | |
| 26 February 1998 | The beach at El Pico on the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguana. "The soldier told us we could not pass without a permit. We had travelled thousands of kilometres. Our eclipse site, a quiet deserted beach, was a few hundred meters further on. Behind us was a beach overflowing with noise, crowds, cars and vendors...." |
months |
Venezuela Brazil Argentina Paraguay Uruguay | |
| 11 August 1999 | A cliff overlooking the ruins of Wheal Coates tin mine near St Agnes in Cornwall, England. "The 1999 eclipse was to be the only one visible in my own country during my life time. Eastern Turkey or Iran were expected to have the best weather but I had dreamt about seeing the eclipse in Cornwall since I was 12 years old..." |
Cloud |
week |
England |
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Astronomy Page
A series of thought provoking essays on astronomy including a monthly sky page for the UK.
Travel Page
More travel stories and photos from around the world can be found here.
Eclipses Seen Page
A list of all eclipses (lunar and solar; partial and total) seen by Kryss.
1999 Eclipse Archive
This is an reference archive of tables and maps about the August 1999 eclipse.
The following are the next 10 Total Solar Eclipses visible around the world. The general locations where the eclipse is total are given along with the maximum duration. More details, maps and tables of the path of totality can be obtained from Fred Espenak before the eclipse is due.
21 June 2001
South Atlantic, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Madagascar at sunset
(Maximum duration 4m 56s). Plan your trip with this map of the eclipse path (© Fred Espenak).
4 December 2002
Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, southern Indian Ocean, Australia at sunset (2m 04s).
23 November 2003
Southern Indian Ocean, Antarctica (1m 52s).
8 April 2005
A Hybrid eclipse only total in the Pacific Ocean (0m 42s).
29 March 2006
Atlantic Ocean, Ghana, Togo, Benin, north west Nigeria, Niger, north west Chad, Libya, north west Egypt, eastern Mediterranean Sea, Turkey, eastern Black Sea, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Siberian Russia (4m 07s).
1 August 2008
Northern Canada, Northern Greenland, Arctic Ocean, Siberia, Mongolia, China (2m 27s).
22 July 2009
India at sunrise, China, Pacific Ocean (6m 39s).
11 July 2010
Southern Pacific Ocean, southern Chile and Argentina at sunset
(5m 20s).
13 November 2012
Northern Australia at sunrise, southern Pacific Ocean (4m 02s).
3 November 2013
Hybrid. Total in Gabon, Congo, Zaire, Uganda (2m 27s).
Fred Espenak (NASA)
High Moon
Black Sun
Live@Exploratorium
Salopian Web
Past and future eclipses - reports, maps and information from NASA's Fred
Espenak. This is the best place to obtain eclipse information and maps.
Oliver Staiger's excellent site about eclipses, occultations, and other astronomical phenomena.
Eric's Black Sun Eclipse site contains accounts of eclipses seen and information about forthcomng eclipses as well as details about getting to the 2001 eclipse.
A fascinating eclipse and astronomy site with excellent historical accounts of eclipses and contributions from eclipse chasers.
A site full of astronomical information including star maps, and an eclipses page - plus computers and radio.
| Click on the ISBN Number to go straight to the book. | COM |
Co UK |
| Eclipse!: The What, Where, When, Why, and How Guide to Watching Solar and Lunar Eclipses has lots of interesting information about eclipses. |
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| The Cambridge Eclipse Photography Guide is full of information about taking eclipse photographs. The book covers Lunar as well as Solar eclipses. |
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 Links2Go Key Resource Eclipses Topic |
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This site is owned by Kryss Katsiavriades |
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