A total solar eclipse is one of the most beautiful events of the natural world. It is an extraordinary quirk of geometry that the apparent sizes of the Moon and Sun are nearly equal in our sky and when the Moon passes directly between Earth and the Sun the result is a spectacular piece of natural theatre for those lucky enough to be within the narrow band of the Earth’s surface beneath the shadow. During the minutes of totality the sky darkens and the earth is bathed in a dusky light. Stars and planets become visible and the wispy sun’s corona and solar prominences can also be seen. The final act of totality is the stunning ‘diamond ring’ which occurs as the first rays of sunshine can be seen emerging around the moons limb.

Eclipses can occur anywhere in the world so chasing these extraordinary events can take you to some very unusual locations. You can be sure that our eclipse tours will always include great travel experiences too.

The eclipse of November 3rd, 2013 is a “hybrid” eclipse. That means that along the central section of the path it will be a very short total eclipse while at the beginning of the path there will be an annular eclipse.

Path of Solar Eclipse 2013

Hence the unoffical term “hybrid” being associated with this very special type of eclipse. The reason is that the darkest shadow of the moon doesn’t quite reach the surface at that locations.

For the experienced eclipse chaser in these locations, such a narrow and abrupt eclipse will come with a prominent presentation of the colorful innermost atmospheric layer of the Sun (the chromospheres) and a spectacular view along the axis of the Moon’s shadow.

Start Partial Eclipse          16:06:11.4

Start of Total Eclipse       17:22:18.4

Sun Altitude        17.5°

End of Total Eclipse         17:22:29.5

End of Partial Eclipse       18:27:48.3

Duration of Totality: 22.3 seconds

Distance From Centre Line: 350 m (1,150 ft)

Path Width: 18.9 km (11.75 mi)

Whether you want a short dash to experience the eclipse or make use of your trip to travel more widely in East Africa we can help.