What is a Total Solar Eclipse?
An eclipse of the Sun occurs when the orbit of the moon passes in front of the Sun as seen from the Earth. The shadow of the moon follows...
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Astro Trails Eclipse Articles
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Astro Trails
- Aug 1, 2021
- 1 min
Phases of a Total Solar Eclipse
There are five stages in a total solar eclipse: Partial eclipse begins (1st contact): The Moon becomes visible over the Sun's disk. It...
3,110 views
Astro Trails
- Jul 31, 2021
- 1 min
What is an Annular Solar Eclipse?
When the Moon is at a more distant point of its orbit the Sun is not completely covered and a very small, bright circle or annulus...
155 views
Astro Trails
- Jul 30, 2021
- 2 min
Planning to see an Eclipse
Success in observing an eclipse requires a mix of detailed research and, as far as the weather goes, an element of luck! You need to know...
210 views
Astro Trails
- Jul 29, 2021
- 2 min
The Eclipse event
The Eclipse observation site On the day of the eclipse you will want to get to your observation site in good time before “first contact”....
194 views
Astro Trails
- Jul 27, 2021
- 1 min
When is the next Total Solar Eclipse?
Astro Trails current eclipse projects can be viewed here Exmouth, Australia - Hybrid Solar Eclipse April 2023 Torreon, Mexico and Texas,...
1,021 views
Astro Trails
- Dec 1, 2020
- 6 min
Chasing Shadows: Total Solar Eclipse December 2020, Patagonia, Argentina
The total solar eclipse of 2020 December 14 started at sunrise in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, fortuitously reached its maximum...
29 views
Astro Trails
- Jul 1, 2019
- 3 min
Chasing Shadows: Total Solar Eclipse, July 2019, Bella Vista, Argentina
The centre of the umbra of the 2019 July 2 Total Solar Eclipse first touched the Earth’s surface at 18:02 UTC in the Pacific, north east...
23 views
Astro Trails
- Jun 1, 2014
- 1 min
Chasing Shadows: Total Solar Eclipse, June 1991, Hawaii and Mexico
With a long duration eclipse in prospect and a choice of two attractive locations, what could possibly go wrong? This was our biggest...
27 views
Astro Trails
- Jan 1, 2014
- 1 min
Chasing Shadows: Total Solar Eclipse, July 1990, Finland
This was always going to be a weather dependent eclipse with rapidly changing sunny gaps in large cumulous clouds. We flew in on a...
33 views
Astro Trails
- Mar 1, 2013
- 1 min
Chasing Shadows: Total Solar Eclipse, March 1988, Sumatra and Philippines
There were several destination options for this eclipse and based on weather data we selected a site on Banka Island, off the Indonesian...
11 views
Astro Trails
- Jun 1, 2012
- 1 min
Chasing Shadows: Total Solar Eclipse, June 1983, Java
Anticipating the likely weather conditions was quite an artform in those days, long before any sort of satellite aid. I spent some time...
2 views
Astro Trails
- Jul 1, 2011
- 1 min
Chasing Shadows: Total Solar Eclipse, July 1981, Kazakhstan
Every eclipse has different logistic obstacles and the 1981 event had plenty. As the track ran through the Soviet Union even getting...
6 views
Astro Trails
- Feb 1, 2010
- 1 min
Chasing Shadows: Total Solar Eclipse, February 1980, Kenya
I had driven over the road from Mombasa to Malindi some twenty years earlier when Kenya was still a colony and the road had aged no...
11 views
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