Totality Talks - The Solar Eclipse Podcast

Show Notes: Basselian Elements — Eclipse Chasers & Citizen Scientists

Host Leticia Ferrer talks with Luca Quaglia and Alessandro Pezzi of BasilianElements.com, a team of eclipse chasers known for their detailed mountain-shadow and lunar-limb mapping ahead of major solar eclipses.

Topics covered:

• 1:04 — How the international team came together (university friends from Italy, joined by collaborators in England, Greece, and Romania after their first eclipse in 1999)
• 7:44 — Measuring the solar radius using total solar eclipses, and why the century-old reference value needed revisiting
• 13:07 — Why they camp out at the edge of the path of totality for maximum measurement sensitivity
• 19:04 — The 2024 Texas eclipse story — a fellow observer expecting a minute of totality got 12.8 seconds instead
• 51:49 — Annular eclipses and Baily's Beads — how they extract solar-radius data even without full totality
• 46:53 — Avoiding classic eclipse-chasing mistakes (like forgetting to remove the solar filter) through rigorous preparation
• 46:24 — Their free Eclipse Countdown app for precise contact times
• 58:46 — Plans for the 2027 Spain eclipse, chasing the edge near Zaragoza/Teruel

Besselian Elements:

https://www.besselianelements.com/

Leticia's video:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR6wVyBLhdE

Leticia Ferrer's site: 

https://texassolareclipses.com/

Host Chris Chotas Alexander's Site
https://www.chotachrome.com/
IG: @chotachrome

Totality Talks is created by Leticia Ferrer and Chris Chotas Alexander.  

Totality Talks is produced by Chris Chotas Alexander.  

Guest: Sævar Helgi Bragason  (Icelandic eclipse expert, organizer of Iceland's 2026 total solar eclipse preparations) 

Episode Summary

Chris and Leticia interview Sævar, Iceland's leading eclipse expert, ahead of the August 2026 total solar eclipse crossing Iceland. Sævar shares his personal eclipse history, the massive undertaking of preparing an entire country for the event, and what to expect on eclipse day.

Topics Discussed

• Sævar's name and background; his passion for "the cosmic ocean" over the sea
• His eclipse history: 4 total eclipses seen (soon to be 5), including 12 minutes 21 seconds of cumulative totality
• Iceland's last total eclipse was 1954 — stories from elderly witnesses who still light up describing it
• The pressure and emotional toll of organizing a national eclipse event (75,000–80,000 expected visitors)
• Eclipse economics: cruise ships (~40 in Icelandic waters), sold-out accommodations, eclipse-branded glasses (290,000+ distributed), skyr, beer, and champagne
• Northern lights and aurora chances during totality; current solar maximum activity
• Famous eclipse-chasing stories: Indonesia island mishap, flying with John Beatty, private jet trips, shadow bands on video
• Advice for future eclipse organizers: turning off automatic streetlights, encouraging people to stay put if weather is good
• Eclipse day logistics: totality begins ~5:48 PM in Reykjavik; traffic and travel tips
• The emotional experience of witnessing totality — Sævar's own tears, and reactions from first-timers
• Future eclipses: 2027 (Spain), 2028 (Australia), Saros series details, and long-term outlook
• Merchandise: branded eclipse glasses, T-shirts featuring Völuspá (Norse mythology poem about world's end)
• Shoutout to Jamie Carter for recommending the interview, and to American Paper Optics/Paolo for eclipse glasses production

Notable Quotes

• "It's just been the 12th of the most beautiful minutes of my lifetime, for sure."
• "If I can use the billion dollars to buy clear skies, then definitely the billion dollars."
• "You'll experience the shortest, most unique, probably most memorable nighttime of your life."

Key Dates Mentioned

• August 2026 – Iceland total solar eclipse
• 2027 – Spain eclipse
• 2028 – Australia eclipse
• 2044/2045 – Future US eclipses discussed

Leticia Ferrer's site: 

https://texassolareclipses.com/

Host Chris Chotas Alexander's Site
https://www.chotachrome.com/
IG: @chotachrome

Totality Talks is created by Leticia Ferrer and Chris Chotas Alexander.  

Totality Talks is produced by Chris Chotas Alexander.  

Ep#26 - Nick James - AstroTrails UK

Guest: Nick James, veteran eclipse chaser and longtime AstroTrails guide/traveler

0:58 – Welcome & intro: Nick's history traveling with AstroTrails
1:58 – The 2020 Argentina eclipse: pulling off a COVID-era trip via a special educational license, quarantine bubble, and the horse-paddock viewing site
8:36 – History of AstroTrails: from the 1973 Monte Umbi ship expedition to Brian McGee and Julie's growth of the company
16:14 – How AstroTrails plans itineraries, splits groups across sites, and navigates local logistics/contracts
21:59 – Nick's upcoming family trip to Spain for the eclipse, combined with his sister's 60th birthday
24:57 – Video vs. still photography for eclipses: camera gear, high dynamic range, and a new polarization camera setup
31:10 – Plans for the Perseid meteor shower the night after totality
38:34 – Scouting eclipse sites: using tools to check horizon/mountain obstructions
50:16 – Scouting the 2028 Australia eclipse: Sydney vs. the Kimberleys
53:27 – Nick's eclipse success rate: 18 umbra experiences and only a few clouded out
56:44 – Recapping the 2024 Mexico/Texas eclipse and last-minute cloud clearing in Torreón
59:22 – Closing thoughts and looking ahead to Egypt

https://www.astro-trails.com/

Nick's incredible eclipse videos!!:

2020:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAlzqdfHTT8

2023:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUniI-DCQKI

And many more:

https://www.youtube.com/@nickdjames

Leticia Ferrer's site: 

https://texassolareclipses.com/

Host Chris Chotas Alexander's Site
https://www.chotachrome.com/
IG: @chotachrome

Totality Talks is created by Leticia Ferrer and Chris Chotas Alexander.  

Totality Talks is produced by Chris Chotas Alexander.  

Leticia Ferrer and Chris welcome back returning guest Jay Anderson, a meteorologist known for producing cloud-cover forecasts for solar eclipse chasers, ahead of the upcoming eclipse in Spain, Iceland, and Greenland. Visit Jay’s website for all things eclipse weather:

http://www.eclipsophile.com

Topics covered:

• 1:16 — Introduction: Jay Anderson, "the Eclipsophile"
• 2:37 — Jay's eclipse-chasing history (25 total + 10 annular eclipses since 1979)
• 6:19 — Forest fire smoke risks in Spain for the upcoming eclipse
• 12:11 — Saharan dust storms and their effect on eclipse viewing
• 19:55 — Jay's forecasting toolkit: why he relies on Windy and multiple weather models
• 33:02 — The "chinook effect" and how it could clear clouds over Greenland's fjords
• 41:31 — Successfully chasing the 2021 Antarctica eclipse from a National Geographic ship
• 51:08 — Jay's other passion: teaching storm chasing at the University of Manitoba
• 55:29 — Plans for the 2028 Australia eclipse with a four-wheel drive camper
• 62:12 — Closing story: the "hand of God" moment during the 2009 China eclipse

Leticia Ferrer's site: 

https://texassolareclipses.com/

Host Chris Chotas Alexander's Site
https://www.chotachrome.com/
IG: @chotachrome

Totality Talks is created by Leticia Ferrer and Chris Chotas Alexander.  

Totality Talks is produced by Chris Chotas Alexander.  

Show Notes — Ep24: Chasing Totality with Jared Koh

Jared Koh joins Totality Talks to discuss Chasing Totality: The Complete Handbook for the 2026 Total Solar Eclipse, co-written with his father Joe Koh, and their family's eclipse-chasing journey since 2008.

Topics covered:

• 0:33 — Introduction and Jared's eclipse count (4 total, 1 annular)
• 0:54 — First eclipse in 2012 aboard a cruise ship in the Pacific
• 3:56 — The Saros cycle and why "science deepens wonder"
• 4:22 — Common eclipse-chasing mistakes from the book's "Ghost in the Machine" chapter (solar filters, bumped focus, dead batteries, autofocus)
• 7:49 — Camera fails across four eclipses (2012 phone footage, 2017 360 camera, 2024 drone freeze)
• 17:45 — Family background: parents' astronomy/travel passions and the "Beyond Totality" mini-site
• 17:50 — The 2023 "triple diamond ring" eclipse proposal story
• 22:41 — Drone photography, GPS interference, and country-specific drone regulations
• 28:07 — Gear planning with Dad's PADCO framework (Path, Accessibility, Duration, Cloud cover, Outreach)
• 36:24 — Community and outreach at eclipse gatherings
• 41:34 — Jared's favorite part of the book: a photo with his parents at his first eclipse
• 43:38 — The "eclipse pitch deck" and convincing friends/family to join the trip
• 45:40 — Describing totality as a sudden sunset/sunrise
• 52:50 — How technology changes (and might diminish) the eclipse-chasing experience
• 54:47 — Gear rigs and camera automation setups (SetnC solar clip timer)

Mentioned resources:

• Book: Chasing Totality: The Complete Handbook for the 2020 Total Solar Eclipse by Jared and Joe Koh
• Mini-site: chasingtotality.org/beyond ("Beyond Totality")
• Book: Total Addiction and Being in the Shadow by Kate Russo
• 2026 total solar eclipse cruise details (Southampton → Ibiza → La Coruña, Spain
• Jared's Eclipse Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccNnrhExC58b

Leticia Ferrer's site: 

https://texassolareclipses.com/

Host Chris Chotas Alexander's Site
https://www.chotachrome.com/
IG: @chotachrome

Totality Talks is created by Leticia Ferrer and Chris Chotas Alexander.  

Totality Talks is produced by Chris Chotas Alexander.  

In this episode, we chat with Joe Rao — veteran meteorologist, Hayden Planetarium lecturer, and eclipse chaser with 14 total solar eclipses under his belt.

Episode Highlights

• 1:07 — Joe's eclipse journey began at 16, witnessing his first total solar eclipse in Gaspé, Quebec (1972)
• 1:47 — The five airborne eclipses Joe has chased, including flights arranged with the late Dr. Glenn Schneider
• 2:44 — How Joe convinced American Trans Air to delay a 1990 flight by 41 minutes to intercept a total eclipse over the Pacific
• 15:46 — Remembering "Mr. Eclipse" Fred Espenak and the legacy of eclipse calculation pioneer Jean Meeus
• 20:00 — Chasing the 2024 Great North American Eclipse from Plattsburgh, NY — and the brutal traffic home
• 31:37 — Understanding the Saros cycle and the "exeligmos" — why Joe's upcoming August 2026 eclipse completes a 54-year cycle
• 41:32 — Joe's upcoming eclipse cruises: Balearic Sea (2026), Gibraltar (2027), and Australia's Kimberley region (2028)
• 45:06 — The unforgettable 1999 "Ship of Fools" cruise off Nova Scotia that delivered a perfectly clear sunrise eclipse
• 57:01 — The story of convincing American Hawaii Cruises to run an eclipse-themed cruise — and having breakfast with Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins
• 51:24 — Joe's advice for first-time eclipse viewers: put the phone down and just watch

Key Takeaway

Don't photograph your first total eclipse — just absorb it. As Joe puts it, the corona, diamond ring, and shifting sky colors are experiences you can't get through a phone screen.

Leticia Ferrer's site: 

https://texassolareclipses.com/

Host Chris Chotas Alexander's Site
https://www.chotachrome.com/
IG: @chotachrome

Totality Talks is created by Leticia Ferrer and Chris Chotas Alexander.  

Totality Talks is produced by Chris Chotas Alexander.  

Welcome back to TT!

In this episode we have Anne Buckle and Graham Jones from Timeanddate.com They are the hosts of the eclipse livestreams on Time&Date.com and they join us from Norway.  Hope you enjoy are chat with Anna and Graham!

Leticia and Chris interview Anne Buckle and Graham Jones of timeanddate.com about their eclipse resources, astronomy writing, and 10 years of eclipse live streaming. Graham describes a project revisiting the often-quoted “one total solar eclipse per location every 375 years” result by expanding Jean Meeus’s 1982 analysis from 600 to 15,000 years, using latitude bands and major computing power; they found 373 ± 7 years versus Meeus’s 375 ± 16, then extended work to partial eclipses and other patterns. They discuss building a stronger science team, past streams (2017 and 2023 Exmouth with Perth Observatory and government support), and plans for 2026 with teams near León and Mallorca plus partner feeds from Iceland, Greenwich, and Kassel. They cover cloud risks, eclipse “myths” (eclipses aren’t that rare), Earth-rotation delta‑T uncertainty shifting totality paths, solar cycle 25 trending down from max, and Perseids near the August eclipse under new moon.

00:00 Welcome and Introductions
02:33 Timeanddate Tools Shoutout
03:03 Anna and Graham Backgrounds
03:56 Recalculating Eclipse Frequency
09:16 Building the Eclipse Team
10:51 First Livestream Memories
12:30 Plans for 2026 Spain
14:53 Partners for Europe Coverage
17:38 Anna First Totality Story
19:59 2024 Eclipse Split Teams
23:04 2023 Exmouth Livestream
27:15 Favorite Eclipse Moments
29:14 Moon Deadline Mindset
30:47 Math Meets Wonder
32:33 Saros Series Visualized
34:17 Eclipse Patterns Over Millennia
40:34 Sharing Sky Guides
42:44 Midnight Sun and Auroras
44:53 Solar Cycle 25 Update
46:25 Perseids After Totality
49:02 Eclipse Myths Debunked
50:09 Delta T Shifts Totality
56:29 Wrap Up and Thanks

https://www.timeanddate.com/

https://www.timeanddate.com/company/by/anne-buckle

https://www.timeanddate.com/company/by/graham-jones

Saros 126 Animated Gif:

https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsarosanimate/126.gif

Saros 126 (72 eclipses 1179CE - 2459CE):

https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsaros/SEsaros126.html

Leticia Ferrer's site: 

https://texassolareclipses.com/

Host Chris Chotas Alexander's Site
https://www.chotachrome.com/
IG: @chotachrome

Totality Talks is created by Leticia Ferrer and Chris Chotas Alexander.  

Totality Talks is produced by Chris Chotas Alexander.  

Welcome back to TT!    ***(episode updated July 6)***

In this episode we have Anne Buckle and Graham Jones from Timeanddate.com They are the hosts of the eclipse livestreams on Time&Date.com and they join us from Norway.  Hope you enjoy are chat with Anna and Graham!

Leticia and Chris interview Anne Buckle and Graham Jones of timeanddate.com about their eclipse resources, astronomy writing, and 10 years of eclipse live streaming. Graham describes a project revisiting the often-quoted “one total solar eclipse per location every 375 years” result by expanding Jean Meeus’s 1982 analysis from 600 to 15,000 years, using latitude bands and major computing power; they found 373 ± 7 years versus Meeus’s 375 ± 16, then extended work to partial eclipses and other patterns. They discuss building a stronger science team, past streams (2017 and 2023 Exmouth with Perth Observatory and government support), and plans for 2026 with teams near León and Mallorca plus partner feeds from Iceland, Greenwich, and Kassel. They cover cloud risks, eclipse “myths” (eclipses aren’t that rare), Earth-rotation delta‑T uncertainty shifting totality paths, solar cycle 25 trending down from max, and Perseids near the August eclipse under new moon.

00:00 Welcome and Introductions
02:33 Timeanddate Tools Shoutout
03:03 Anna and Graham Backgrounds
03:56 Recalculating Eclipse Frequency
09:16 Building the Eclipse Team
10:51 First Livestream Memories
12:30 Plans for 2026 Spain
14:53 Partners for Europe Coverage
17:38 Anna First Totality Story
19:59 2024 Eclipse Split Teams
23:04 2023 Exmouth Livestream
27:15 Favorite Eclipse Moments
29:14 Moon Deadline Mindset
30:47 Math Meets Wonder
32:33 Saros Series Visualized
34:17 Eclipse Patterns Over Millennia
40:34 Sharing Sky Guides
42:44 Midnight Sun and Auroras
44:53 Solar Cycle 25 Update
46:25 Perseids After Totality
49:02 Eclipse Myths Debunked
50:09 Delta T Shifts Totality
56:29 Wrap Up and Thanks

https://www.timeanddate.com/

https://www.timeanddate.com/company/by/anne-buckle

https://www.timeanddate.com/company/by/graham-jones

Saros 126 Animated Gif:

https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsarosanimate/126.gif

Saros 126 (72 eclipses 1179CE - 2459CE):

https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsaros/SEsaros126.html

Leticia Ferrer's site: 

https://texassolareclipses.com/

Host Chris Chotas Alexander's Site
https://www.chotachrome.com/
IG: @chotachrome

Totality Talks is created by Leticia Ferrer and Chris Chotas Alexander.  

Totality Talks is produced by Chris Chotas Alexander.  

In this episode, we are speaking with Nacho Perez, The Director of Galáctica (the Center for the Observation and Dissemination of Astronomy in Teruel, Spain).  He is an astronomer and science communicator, coming into Astronomy through Art.  Galaticia is nominated as the European Museum of the year, and hosts many public outreach astronomy events which I was fortunate to attend last year.  

He shares what the Galáctica center is doing for the August 12 2026, Total Solar Eclipse, how he got into his role as the Director and other items about Spain and this year's Total Solar Eclipse. 

Links: https://galactica.org.es/en/eclipse-experience/

Instagram: @nachopereztorrejon 

Leticia Ferrer's site: 

https://texassolareclipses.com/

Host Chris Chotas Alexander's Site
https://www.chotachrome.com/
IG: @chotachrome

Totality Talks is created by Leticia Ferrer and Chris Chotas Alexander.  

Totality Talks is produced by Chris Chotas Alexander.  

In this episode we have part 1 of a  2 parter focusing on Spain 2026.   Part one is our interview with Tania Uhlig from Comboi Spain travel. She joins from Spain to chat all things eclipse España!  Time is getting short before the next event... book your travel before things start getting strange!

Part 2 is with Nacho Pérez of Galactica (Spain) with Tania as translator... publishing very soon!

https://www.instagram.com/comboispain/

Leticia Ferrer's site: 

https://texassolareclipses.com/

Host Chris Chotas Alexander's Site
https://www.chotachrome.com/
IG: @chotachrome

Totality Talks is created by Leticia Ferrer and Chris Chotas Alexander.  

Totality Talks is produced by Chris Chotas Alexander.