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Scientists, Web watchers poised for eclipse '98

Eclipse animation
An animated look at a total solar eclipse   
February 25, 1998
Web posted at: 1:04 p.m. EST (1804 GMT)

(CNN) -- On Thursday, if the weather is clear, skywatchers will have a chance to see the last total solar eclipse visible from the Western Hemisphere this millennium.

While the total eclipse will be visible only in a narrow strip of the tropics, a partial eclipse will be visible across much of North and South America.

Total solar eclipses are not rare -- they occur about every 18 months -- but the path often falls on a remote area, making traveling to view them difficult and expensive.

Scientific interest is especially intense this time around because the path of totality is seldom so accessible. Dozens of researchers lugging tons of equipment are heading for the Caribbean to record and study the eclipse.

Chart
Observers in the United States, eastern Canada and much of South America will see a partial eclipse   

For roughly three minutes, the researchers will have the opportunity to observe movements of the moon and surface phenomena on the sun, to test Einstein's theory of relativity, and explore a host of other scientific matters. And it will be the last chance to see an eclipse in the Western Hemisphere until 2017.

The lure of a total eclipse can make a scientist misty-eyed, says researcher Jay Pasachoff. "It is an astonishingly beautiful thing," he told The Associated Press.

The primary path, or the moon's umbral shadow, will extend for about 90 miles beginning in the Pacific and will stretch through northern South America and the Caribbean Sea, ending at sunset off the Atlantic coast of Africa.

The best viewing of the total eclipse will be in the Caribbean. In the most prevalent band, the eclipse track falls mostly over water, so just a few land masses offer ideal vantage points. Those small islands will be packed with astronomers and equipment.

Fred Espenak is NASA's resident expert on eclipses

Espenak describes the path of the total eclipse
icon 185K/16 sec. AIFF or WAV sound

Espenak explains how to protect your eyes when viewing a total or partial eclipse
icon 145K/13 sec. AIFF or WAV sound

The island closest to the center line is Isla Pinta, an inactive volcanic peak about 750 meters (2475 ft) high. The only way to the island is by chartered boat and the terrain is rocky and wet.

Observers may also choose to set up on one of the smaller islands such as Isla Marchena or Isla Fernandina.

Only 0.3 percent of the Earth's surface will experience the total eclipse, but that doesn't mean amateur astronomers are out of luck.

For those determined to see the path of totality, the Galapagos Islands and the Caribbean Sea are the best bet. Expedition cruises are selling out and hotel and airlines are filling up as people flood into the region.

Eclipse Explainer

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon blocks the sun's light from an area of the Earth.

It is suggested that people travel in organized groups to the Galapagos and follow the proper procedures to gain access to viewing areas. For more travel information, see the site listing below. Be sure to ask for specific information about accessing the umbral zone before you travel.

The Earth and moon shine only by the reflected light of the sun, and both cast a shadow into space away from the sun. This shadow consists of a cone-shaped area of complete darkness, the umbra, and a larger area of partial darkness that surrounds the umbra, the penumbra.

A solar eclipse is total or partial depending on where the umbra or the penumbra of the moon's shadow is viewed from the Earth.

Source: Concise Columbia Encyclopedia

A partial eclipse, within the Moon's penumbral shadow, can be seen in a much wider band in the United States (best viewing in Miami), Canada (best viewing in Quebec), Mexico (best viewing in Mexico City) and Central America (best viewing in Managua). The closest totality in that region will occur over Panama City.

Teams of astronomers will set up camp along the center line of the eclipse track in Guadeloupe, Curacao, Aruba, and Venezuela. One of the groups will take to the air above Panama in a transport plane to better study the sun's corona.

A team from Williams College, stationed in Aruba, will study the temperature variations of the corona in coordination with the Solar and Heliosphere Observatory. The SOHO, as it is called, is a sun-science spacecraft orbiting between the sun and moon.

In Guadeloupe, a team from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics will study radio signals from Galileo orbiting Jupiter. The signals will pass through the corona during the eclipse.

Teams from Europe, India and Japan also are converging upon the path of totality.

For those who can't make it to the Caribbean, CNN.com will provide a live Webcast of the eclipse. Live@The Exploratorium and NASA's Eclipse Home Page will also show live pictures of the event.

 
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