![[Total Solar Eclipse, by Astrobrian]](/darren106/122502122_87213fa734_t.jpg)
I just found out today that there will be a total solar eclipse in China one week before the 2008 Olympics begin!
This event will occur on 1 August 2008, giving us 2 minutes and 27 seconds of maximum totality. The line of totality will pass through Siberia, skirt along the western Chinese-Mongolian border, and pass through central China southwest of Beijing. (It will only be visible as a partial eclipse at sunset in Beijing itself.)
This is great news for people thinking about coming to Beijing for the Olympics. Just come a week early, catch the eclipse, and then tour around China until the Olympics start. I can’t wait. 🙂 Spread the news.
8 replies on “A Solar Eclipse for the 2008 Olympics”
yeah, and maybe they could hang aroung to watch some events. even the opening ceremonies. the eclipse and the olympics – a double exciting event. i’ll bet your looking forward to both, as i will definitely watch the olympics.
Really? Wow! I’m looking forward
Is it true? I haven’t heard any such news in China yet. It would be a fantastic coincidence then!
For folks who are interested this is a link to NASA scientist Fred Espenak’s website about eclipses:
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/solar.html
This is the link to the page specifically about the 2008 eclipse:
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEmono/TSE2008/TSE2008.html
This is the global path:
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEmono/TSE2008/TSE2008iau/TSE2008-fig02.GIF
and this is the path in China:
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEmono/TSE2008/TSE2008iau/TSE2008-fig06.GIF
Note that the path ends in China, which means that the sun will be closer to the horizon than in other places and the period of totality will be shorter. Note also that the band of totality is a long way from Peking, and that weather prospects aren’t as good as they are elsewhere.
China would not be the first choice of location for someone who primarily wants to see the eclipse. Some groups are already taking reservations for trips to Siberia. But if you’re already there for other reasons–like the Olympics–getting to the eclipse zone in China should be manageable and would be well worthwhile.
Have a look at what eclipse freeks are up to by visiting these pages:
http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_20080801_pg01.html
This interactive map is marvelous: it displays the eclipse local circumstances on any point of the map. Woaw!
http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2008_GoogleMapFull.html
And even in Antarctica!
http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/Solar_Eclipses.html
Well a can’t believe you guys took so long to find out about this amazing coincidence. I have been watcing eclipses since 1999 and this baby has been in my plans for a couple of years now. Just got back home from watching totality in Side in Turkey and recomend to anyone who happens across this note to make sure you catch one in this lifetime. Things will never be the same again. Happy chasing. Jonny
Thanks for that news, Il have somethign more to look forward to. I remember the last partical eclipse I saw thanks to you when sleepless in Dali. Ill definitively will try to be there. Thanks.
This is the first I’m hearing of it, too. But, with so many people already planning to be in China, it only makes sense to add this to the itinerary if you can. We’ll have to do Siberia another time, I’m afraid. 😉
Mike Smith