Solar eclipses provide excellent and spectacular opportunities to travel. China in 2009, Australia in 2012 and Spitzbergen in 2015 are some of the places solar eclipses will take you over the next few years. A total solar eclipse is one of the most spectacular natural phenomena known to man and, to my mind, impressive enough to make as much effort as possible to see.

Total solar eclipses are not just for astronomers. Of course, professional and amateur astronomers will be there with all their kit to study the eclipse but for those interested in travel there are many oppurtunities too.

As every eclipse is different both in length and location you will not have the same experience for two consecutive eclipses. For example, for our trip to Ceduna on the coast of South Australia in 2002 totality was just over 30 seconds. At Jaghboub in Libya, totality was 4 minutes. At Ceduna, we witnessed landfall of the eclipse - ie we watched the eclipse approach Australia from the ocean.

Upcoming eclipses

The next total solar eclipse is on 22 July 2009 which we will be watching in Hangzhou, south of Shaghai in China.

I've also started making investigations with a view to seeing the 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019 eclipses. But these latter three are very much in the preliminary stages and really are only being investigated at the moment.

Eclipse memories

As a child, I remember seeing a solar eclipse. At the time, I was interested in astronomy and utterly fascinated by the spectacle. As time progressed, however, my interest in astronomy waxed and waned until 2002 when I experienced "The Eclipse in the Outback" in Ceduna, South Australia with two friends and the Astronomical Association of Queensland. I was hooked again and vowed to see another, which I did in 2006 in Libya. And many more thereafter.

Related posts

• 1 August 2008
• 22 July 2009
• 11 July 2010
• 13 November 2012
• 20 March 2015
• 9 March 2016
• 21 August 2017
• 2 July 2019
• 19 December 2020

See also

• Eclipse calendar
• Occurences and types of eclipse
• Eclipse websites

Eclipse safety

Permanent eye damage can result from incorrect viewing of an eclipse. You must take precautions. Practice safe sun.

• Eclipse safety by MrEclipse.com
  Practical useful information on how view eclipses safely
• Eye Safety during eclipses
  information from NASA