Total Solar Eclipse: June 21 2001

The total solar eclipse of Thursday, 21 June, 2001 gets the new millenium off to a spectacular start. The eclipse will last for over 4 minutes, and will be visible across a path 200km wide.

The total eclipse will be visible over large areas of central Africa and Madagascar. The total solar eclipse starts and reaches its maximum in the Atlantic ocean. It first touches land in western Angola, at 12:40 UT; it then travels across the continent, passing into the Indian Ocean at around 13:20 UT; but then passes quickly over Madagascar close to 13:30 UT.

This page presents a brief summary of the eclipse; full information, including detailed maps, may be found at Fred Espenak's site.

Where Is It

The following map shows the areas where the total eclipse will be visible, along with the times (in UT) of maximum eclipse at various points:

The eclipse just misses St. Helena... bad luck! Africa obviously gets the best show:

Here are a few detailed timings of the eclipse, to give you an idea of the duration and time of the eclipse. These timings are all close to the centreline; bear in mind that total eclipse duration drops off sharply as you move away from the centreline. Note that all times are in UT:

• Ngunza, on the Angolan Atlantic coast, is almost directly on the centreline of totality. The partial eclipse will last there from 10:57 UT to 14:08 UT; the total eclipse will last 4 minutes and 35 seconds, with the maximum at 12:38 UT.
• Lusaka, Zambia is inside the zone of totality, just south of the centreline. The partial eclipse will last from 11:41 UT to 14:26 UT; the total eclipse will last for 3 minutes 14 seconds, with the maximum at 13:10 UT. On the actual centreline, the duration will be 3 minutes and 37 seconds, so it might be worth moving north.
• Micaune in Mozambique is close to the centreline on the coast. The partial eclipse will last from 12:01 UT to 14:31 UT; the total eclipse will last for 3 minutes exactly, with the maximum eclipse at 13:21 UT.
• Ambahikily, Madagascar is almost on the centreline where the shadow first touches land. It will see a partial eclipse from 12:12 UT to sunset; the total eclipse will last 2 minutes and 39 seconds, with the maximum at 13:27 UT.
• Vangaindrano is close to the centreline on the east coast of Madagascar, and will be about the last place on land to see the total eclipse; but the duration will be significantly shorter by this time. Nevertheless, it should still be a major spectacle. The partial eclipse will last from 12:17 UT to sunset; the total eclipse will last 2 minutes and 28 seconds, with the maximum at 13:29 UT.

Going There

Unfortunately, the biggest problem is going to be finding a "safe" place to watch from. A few excerpts from the Lonely Planet Guide make sad reading:

• Angola's outlook is bleak. After more than 20 years of war the countryside is littered with mines, the infrastructure is in ruins and the country's social fabric is tattered.

• Zambia's had a contorted history of bad breaks and brutal leaders. Recent moves toward democratisation have been reversed, then reversed again. All of which might make Zambia sound like the last place on earth you'd want to go, but the country is far more hospitable to travellers than it's been in a while, and its natural beauty and animal life are unsurpassed in Africa.

• With more than a passing resemblance to a National Geographic best-of issue, Zimbabwe is a beautiful and usually safe country to visit. Currently, however, Zimbabwe is a state of turmoil.

• Time and tide have not been kind to Mozambique. A long, horrific civil war has scarred the country, shattered its infrastructure and left a million land mines scattered about the countryside. Many Mozambicans, however, have already begun putting the past behind them and have begun rebuilding their country. It's now possible to travel in relative safety, though getting around does require keeping your wits about you.

• Madagascar's forests are a shimmering, seething mass of a trillion stems and dripping leaves and slithering, jumping, quirky beasts out of nature's bag of tricks. But any nation that turns to North Korea for aid has got to be a basket case. The countryside alternates between astounding untouched forests and breathtaking human induced destruction on a scale almost unmatched anywhere. Go and see it to believe it.

More Information

Full information on this eclipse, including weather info, detailed timings and local circumstances, and maps, may be found at Fred Espenak's site.

Copyright (C) 1995-2005 Ian Cameron Smith. visits since 18Aug05. Last modified: Sat Feb 18 19:05:56 GMT 2006 ($Revision: 1.6 $)