Dr. Kate Russo, experienced Eclipse Chaser, from Being in the Shadow, shared her knowledge of eclipse chasing on Experiences You Should Have Podcast. Kate is a recognized authority in the total solar eclipse experience and brings her story to life in this episode. She has experienced 12 total solar eclipses over a period of 20 years from six continents and she isn’t stopping. Eclipses have become her life obsession and she uses her academic and experience as a clinical psychologist to delve into the stories of people’s eclipse experiences. Listen to my conversation with Kate on the podcast episode above or read on to learn more.

A total solar eclipse is when there is a perfect alignment of the sun, moon, earth, and you in the shadow. During a total solar eclipse, the moon will hide the solar surface of the sun, leaving a bright corona that can be viewed that is absolutely astounding. It is about a 3-hour process to see the moon take a bite of the sun, reach totality, then move across the sky.

It is an extremely special moment as you see the moon slowly taking a bite of the sun (while viewing with your solar filter glasses). When it gets to 80-90% you start to feel the effects of the eclipse as the colors become muted, birds start their sunset patterns, you can start to hear the quintessential night sounds, and that’s when the goosebumps start to rise. When you are in the path of totality, you get to see the moon cover up the sun completely, and that’s when you can take your glasses off and stand in complete awe as you can see the corona shining around the moon and it is a life-changing moment.

If you view the eclipse and see only partial totality, you miss that awe-inspiring moment of totality and you leave your glasses on the whole time.

If given the choice between witnessing an annular or total solar eclipse, then you should experience a total solar eclipse. An annular solar eclipse has a similar positioning in the sky as a total solar eclipse, but the moon is further away so it doesn’t completely cover the sun, so you must wear your solar filters the whole time. It’s still a special event and worth seeing, but if you want the full experience, then make sure you have added a total solar eclipse to your bucket list.

While there is an eclipse in December of 2021, this is not an accessible eclipse as it is in the Antarctic region. The next accessible total solar eclipse will be April 20, 2023. The path of totality is the western tip of Australia into parts of Indonesia; there are limited resources in these areas. Logistically it will be difficult, so plans need to be made in advance. There will be cruise ships that will be in that path, yet it’s hard to plan logistics currently due to COVID. More research can be done as borders open and change.

The next total solar eclipse in North America will be April 8, 2024. The path of totality will go over parts of Mexico, the United States, and Mexico. The path is wider and many communities will be in the path of totality. Many people will be able to go outside and lookup. As long as you can see the horizon, and the weather cooperates, you will be able to see it. If the weather gets in the way, you won’t be able to see the total eclipse; look at the weather averages to determine where you’ll want to be.

For the eclipse across North America, the more east you are, the higher chances of rain. If planning to travel for it, plan to go to a drier region like Mexico or parts of Texas, but do your homework as the date gets closer and book your accommodations in advance!

On average it lasts 2-3 minutes but can last up to 7 minutes. Kate’s shortest eclipse lasted 28 seconds. The time totality lasts depends on the distance between the moon and Sun;  which impacts upon the path width;  which impacts upon the time during totality. 

Every 375 years in any given place on earth there will be one eclipse. There is a total solar eclipse somewhere around the world every 18 months. The travel that comes when being an eclipse chaser takes you into remote locations, where you get to experience new cultures and new people, which is a part of the whole totality experience. If this is something you want to do, check out Kate’s Facebook page as she sets up tours and also follow Jay Anderson’s site as he is an expert in the field.

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Dr. Kate Russo is an expert in helping communities plan for a total solar eclipse based upon her evidence-based research and white papers on the topic. Contact Kate for help with your total solar eclipse community planning.