A total eclipse of the sun is one of the most spectacular natural events that we can witness. In ancient times it was one of the few things that could stop armies in the midst of a battle. Today we have the great advantage of knowing precisely where and when they will occur, well in advance. That does not mean that they are easy to get to … they usually are not. Some work (and expense) is usually required to get to the narrow path of totality on the earth. If you do manage to get to this path, and the clouds cooperate, you will be rewarded with a two-hour spectacle that you will never forget, with the sun being increasingly covered by the moon for an hour, then uncovered for an hour. For a few minutes in the middle of this process the sun will be totally covered by the moon, which provides a few minutes of spectacular “night” during the day. The darkness will come on rapidly at the end of the hour, accompanied by a local cooling, and by strange sky colors that are not normally seen. The sky brightness will fade very rapidly over the last five minutes, then return even more rapidly, as the last fraction of the sun’s disk is covered and then uncovered. The birds will become silent and Venus and Mercury will pop out rather quickly as the sky becomes dark. You will see a “sunset” line of red all around the horizon, as you are standing in the middle of a cone of darkness. You may see some bright stars and some moving shadow bands, and you may detect the moving shadow cone approaching and departing like some massive storm cloud. Then, in a matter of just a few minutes, it will all be over, so don’t blink! Everyone should have the opportunity to observe this spectacle at least once during their lifetime…..and millions of Americans will finally get a chance to experience one on August 21, 2017! Click on the “USA TOTAL ECLIPSE” Button below for detailed information.
PHOTO SLIDESHOWS FROM MANY TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSES ARE INSTALLED; THERE ARE ALSO PHOTOS FROM THE ONLY TWO TRANSITS OF THE PLANET VENUS ACROSS THE FACE OF THE SUN IN THE LAST 125 YEARS (2004 and 2012). AS FOR UPCOMING ECLIPSES IN 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020 AND 2024, MUCH DETAILED INFORMATION IS PROVIDED BELOW TO HELP IN THE PLANNING OF YOUR OBSERVATIONS.