The longest total solar eclipse anyone now alive will experience happens July 22. Depending on the weather, millions of people may see the Moon cover the Sun in the daytime. But not in North America.
As the lead astronomer for a trip organized by Astronomical Tours, I, along with my wife, Holley, embark Friday on a journey to China to see the eclipse. We’ll return July 30. Our group will fly to Shanghai where we’ll spend 2 days before heading to Jiaxing.
There, we’ll view the eclipse — including 5 minutes and 51 seconds of totality — from the Nine Dragons Yacht Club Marina, a 500-acre private resort on the shore of the Yangtze River delta. This location offers the best prospect for clear, smog-free viewing. At mid-eclipse the Sun will stand 56° above the eastern horizon. We’ll be looking toward the ocean where a Buddhist monastery sits on a nearby island. In the afternoon, we’ll fly back to Shanghai where we’ll celebrate with dinner at the amazing Shanghai Acrobatic Show.
The next day, we’re off to Xi’an. There, we’ll explore the famous tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, with its thousands of life-size terra cotta warriors who stand guard over the tomb.
We’ll spend our next few days in Beijing. Among the many sites we’ll visit are Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace.
Finally, on our last day in China, we’ll be at the Great Wall, one of the Seven Wonders of the world. Our full-day tour includes a visit to the Badaling section of the Great Wall and a visit to the Ming Tombs, a total of 13 imperial tombs from the Ming Dynasty.
Stay tuned for lots of coverage on Astronomy.com of one of the biggest observational events of the decade. We’ll post regular updates and images from our trips. And if technology cooperates, I’ll also “tweet” live during this trip. Follow us on Twitter (@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.
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