Solar Eclipse Travel Cartoons

Best place for an eclipse At a recent solar eclipse conference the question was asked to the experts if anywhere else in the solar system experienced a near perfect fit like the Moon and Sun as viewed from the Earth. The concept was further explored and the result was yes, other moons do produce eclipses on places like Saturn, Jupiter, and in between the moons of those bodies themselves. Thing is, none are better than the one seen on Earth. The angular size is the largest and the atmospheric scatter of light makes for a magnificent display.

Packing: Usually it goes the other way. The wife wants to pack lots of stuff and the guy just a few things. Eclipse chasers require cameras and tripods and that all takes up packing space. Given the costs of luggage one must be very creative or just plan to wear the same thing every day.

Do not set up in a game path: Those were the words of advice our guide gave us in Africa. So we did not do it. But other groups did and as the eclipse darkened they were unpleasantly surprised by hippos moving between the water hole and grazing area.

Security: Carrying optical equipment means carry on. And carry on is always subject to search so be ready to explain every little detail. Some how solar paparazzi sounded bad.

Local support: Educating the kids about the eclipse in the local villages may not always be enough and who knows how well it really translates - or - if the kids are playing a trick on the elders.

Shady sales: Eclipse travel sales are all about the shadow of the Moon, that makes them shady.

Maximum duration: Sometimes the maps do not tell the whole story and it is possible to end up in a war zone or near one. Travelers are advised to do a little reading about recent history before going into unknown areas.

Extreme Travel: The adventure is just getting started on the way to some eclipse locations although one must wonder about the sanity of the travel coordinator at times.