There is a listing of the next ten total eclipses of the Sun with a map of the path of totality (From Fred Espenak).
The Moon's dark and ominous shadow, the umbra, was speeding towards us across the water at 700 metres per second. Soon it would envelop us completely and blot out the Sun, turning day into night..
Two planets and a beautiful eclipsed Sun with a very bright and colourful corona. Three years of planning and a drive of 1673km had been worth it..
The eclipsed Sun was hanging over a misty Pacific Ocean with Venus gleaming beneath it. The corona was a pale ghostly white hue with streamers marking the Sun's magnetic field..
The Moon's shadow swept up the valley at twice the speed of sound turning day into night. It was now time to turn around and look at the eclipsed Sun..
The Corona appeared to gasps from the people on the pier who had huddled together with the approaching darkness. It was a delicate white colour tinged with electric blue and a large slice of red on the left..
Two minutes later, totality ended - and so did the cloud cover. The distinct golden light of a very large partial eclipse appeared like a diamond ring as a patch of clear sky uncovered the Sun at the same time as the Moon was doing the same.
As the air cooled with the advancing eclipse, the large cloud shrivelled away and out came the Sun, bathing the landscape with the distinctive golden hues of a pre-totality eclipsed Sun. It was now obvious that we were going to have an unobstructed view of totality.
The Moon's shadow enveloped the clouds over the sea and turned the sky a deep blue. The presence of a rogue cloud below the eclipsed Sun diverted the light of the corona upwards and made it into a cone.
"We had a group of twenty, we had the sea, we had clear horizons. The only thing missing was the Sun..."
"The view of the eclipsed Sun with the two planets over the water was outstanding and a complete justification for the choice of viewing location..."
"The darkening was now more rapid, more dramatic. The sky was so blue it was almost purple. Behind the temple there was a reddening of the sky as the Moon's shadow approached at over 800 metres per second..."
"So much happening - so little time. A mere 1 minute and 13 seconds to see, marvel at, and absorb the wonders of the corona, the prominances, the three planets, the dark sky, the red sunset glow all around. And all the time changing as the Moon's shadow rushes past at half a kilometer per second..."
"Suddenly the light from the dimmed Sun became a point as the Moon covered the final sliver. The point lingered for an instant before flickering out like a candle. Darkness descended like a shroud as the Sun's Corona flashed into view dotted with pink flame-like Prominances. Totality had begun. Jupiter could be seen close to the Sun..."
"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..."
"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...."
"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...."
"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...."
"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...."
"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...."
"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.....".
Fred Espenak (NASA)
Past and future eclipses - reports, maps and information from NASA's Fred
Espenak. This is the best place to obtain eclipse information and maps.
Live@Exploratorium
A fascinating eclipse and astronomy site with excellent historical accounts of eclipses and contributions from eclipse chasers.
