Welcome to the TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE '94 Server

Umbraphiles of the world unite... and be welcome.

[Click on any image to obtain a higher resolution, larger scale version]

The next total solar eclipse will occur on 3 November, 1994 and will be visible, from land, across central South America.

The path of totality begins at sunrise, at 12:01:36 U.T., in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Peru. Landfall for the umbral shadow occurs on the South American coast, with centerline near Mollendo, Peru. Owing to the width of the path, totality will be visible along the coast southward to about 30km south of Arica, Chile. As the path tracks south-eastward it crosses the coastal mountain range and enters the Altiplano - the high dessert plain - at the Chilean/ Bolivian border. Moving eastward the path traverses the 13,000 ft. elevation of the Bolivian Altiplano, where the prospects for clear skies are the best anywhere along the path of totality.

An orbital photograph of this region shows the high plateau and the twin peaks near Huachacalla - an ideal location to observe the eclipse.

A topographic chart shows the centerline of the path of totality as it crosses the Bolivian altiplano, in the same region as the accompanying orbital photograph.

From this site, at mid-eclipse, the sun will be 33 degrees above the eastern horizon.

In the sky, the planets Mercury, Venus and Jupiter will be seen near the Sun, and Mars will be visible in the northwest. A mid-eclipse planetary ephemeris for this site give the heliocentric latitude and longitude, RA and DEC, equitorial radii, distances and percentage illumination of the major solar system bodies.

The path then crosses the inland ridge of mountains near Potosi. Moving over the eastern slopes of the inland mountains the path makes it's way to the Paraguain border. The moon's shadow then moves into south central Paraguay, between Asuncion and San Pedro - and a bit to the east where the eastern arm of Argentina near Bernardo de Irigoyan protrudes between Paraguay and Brazil.

Click here for a tabular listing of local circumstances along the centerline (in 1 minute increments) of the path of Totality as the umbral shadow moves from sunrise across South America.

A consolidated graphic representation of these data is shown here.

The path then crosses the southern corner of Brazil before moving into the Atlantic Ocean. Greatest Eclipse occurs in the southern Atlantic at 13:39:03.5 U.T.

The path of totality then traverses the southern Atlantic Ocean, passing south of South Africa. The moon's umbral shadow leaves the Earth, at sunset, south of Madagascar at 15:16:25 U.T.

Click here for a tabular listing of local circumstances along the centerline (in 1 Degree increments in Longitude), and limits of the path of totality.

Additional information on this, and other, solar eclipses may be obtained in the NASA Eclipse Bulletins.

An on-line hypertext version of NASA Reference Publication RP 1318/ containing additional information on this eclipse along the entire path is now available.