Eclipse Maps

Michael Paukner: Total Solar Eclipse Paths

There are an awful lot of maps showing the path of solar eclipses. These maps are vital to eclipse chasers, who spend vast sums travelling to places where they can see one, and those slightly less insane who nevertheless are interested in when the next one comes around. (I was lucky — I saw one from my front porch when I was a kid.)

Let’s begin with this neat poster (above) by Michael Paukner, which shows eclipse paths from 2001 to 2025 (omitting a couple in Antarctica — which, believe you me, some people will try to be there for). Via Gizmodo.

Paukner’s map was based on one by Fred Espenak of NASA’s Planetary Systems Laboratory, Goddard Space Flight Center. NASA’s eclipse website contains Fred’s eclipse calculations, and a number of maps of each eclipse path — including the World Atlas of Solar Eclipse Paths, covering 5,000 years of eclipses, past and future. A Google Earth layer of Espenak’s maps for the 21st century is also available.

Finally, Jay Anderson’s website has maps of upcoming solar eclipses; Jay’s been tracking eclipses for a long time.

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