Get ready for the century’s longest solar eclipse. This is the big one. After this, we’ll never again see an eclipse of this duration in our lives.
In partnership with Melita Thorpe of MWT Associates, I have the privilege of accompanying nearly 200 Astronomy readers and Senior Editor Rich Talcott and his wife Evelyn on a journey to China to see the eclipse. We leave Monday morning, July 13, and return two weeks later. The group will fly to Beijing to visit Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, and the Great Wall.
In Xi'an we’ll explore the famous tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, with its thousands of terra cotta warriors. In Chongqing we’ll board the Victoria Prince for a 7-day Yangtze River cruise. We’ll head downriver to the $25 billion Three Gorges Dam, the enormous engineering project that has transformed China.
On July 22, near Wuhan, we’ll see about 5-1/2 minutes of totality — a long eclipse by any standard. Following the eclipse, we’ll tour a variety of museums, explore the richly beautiful Yellow Mountains, check out the walled city of Nanjing, and end our visit in Shanghai, from which we’ll depart homeward bound.
In addition to our trip, Senior Editor Michael Bakich and his wife Holley will travel on another expedition and will keep you informed about their experience.
Stay tuned for lots of coverage on Astronomy.com of one of the biggest observational events of the decade. We’ll be posting regular updates and images from our trips. And if technology cooperates, I'll even be "tweeting" live during this historic event! Follow us on Twitter at Twitter.com/AstronomyMag.
Visit our Solar eclipse 2009: Totality crosses eastern Asia page for complete coverage, including eclipse information, observing tips, and a path-of-totality animation.
