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Three minutes of scientific heaven

Scientists flocking to Caribbean to study total solar eclipse

Eclipse
This 1995 solar eclipse was visible in parts of Asia   

(CNN) -- It's not exactly "The Day the Earth Stood Still," but in the real world of science, this is big news. The skies will turn dark in the Western Hemisphere on February 26 in a total eclipse of the sun -- one that will offer some unusually good seats for scientists and other observers.

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.

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.

Map

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.

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.

Eclipse Explainer

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

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

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.

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.

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 C-130 military 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, the World Wide Web provides an alternative for live viewing. Live@The Exploratorium is among the sites that will Webcast live pictures of the event.

 
CNN Interactive TravelGuide -- Related Destinations:
Galapagos Islands

Rising from the ocean more than 3 million years ago, these stark, sculpted islands lie 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador in South America. The archipelago is vast, covering more than 3,000 square miles, and breathtaking, with rocks jutting into a sky of blue and stretches of land punctuating water.

Grenada

The island of Grenada has the tranquil beauty and lush landscape typical of many Caribbean islands, but it's the abundant nutmeg growing here that makes this tropical spot unique. "The Spice Island," as it's commonly called, is the most southern of the Windward Islands.

Venezuela Ecotourism

The premise of ecotourism may seem contradictory: Eager, well-meaning tourists tromping through delicate habitats. But a nature preserve in the central plains of Venezuela is making it work -- on land that is home to, of all supposedly eco-taboo ventures, a working cattle ranch.

Venezuela

From the snow-capped Andes Mountains in the west and dense Amazonian jungles in the south to the stunningly beautiful Gran Sabana plateau in the east, and the white-sand beaches lining the Caribbean coast, Venezuela offers visitors great diversity.

 

Other eclipse tours:

Eclipse lore:

 
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