# Eclipse chasing

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Pursuit of eclipses for study and enjoyment

Two [United States Air Force](/source/United_States_Air_Force) colonels inspecting the path of the [eclipse of February 25, 1952](/source/Solar_eclipse_of_February_25%2C_1952), in preparation for an expedition to Africa.

An airplane (center-left) chasing the [eclipse of August 21, 2017](/source/Solar_eclipse_of_August_21%2C_2017), in [Tennessee](/source/Tennessee), United States

**Eclipse chasing** is the pursuit of observing [solar eclipses](/source/Solar_eclipse) when they occur around the [Earth](/source/Earth).[1] Solar eclipses must occur at least twice and as often as five times a year across the Earth. Total eclipses may occur multiple times every few years.[2]

A person who chases eclipses is known as an **umbraphile**, meaning **shadow lover**.[3] Umbraphiles often travel for eclipses and use various tools to help view the Sun including [solar viewers](/source/Solar_viewer) also known as eclipse glasses, as well as telescopes.[4][5]

As of 2017[\[update\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eclipse_chasing&action=edit), three New Yorkers, Glenn Schneider, [Jay Pasachoff](/source/Jay_Pasachoff), and John Beattie have each seen 33 total solar eclipses, the current record.[6] [Donald Liebenberg](/source/Donald_Liebenberg), professor of astronomy at [Clemson University](/source/Clemson_University) in [South Carolina](/source/South_Carolina) has seen 26 traveling to [Turkey](/source/Turkey), [Zambia](/source/Zambia), [China](/source/China), the [Cook Islands](/source/Cook_Islands) and others.[7]

## History

Further information: [Airborne observatory § Early attempts](/source/Airborne_observatory#Early_attempts)

In the 19th century, [Mabel Loomis Todd](/source/Mabel_Loomis_Todd), an American editor and writer, and her husband [David Peck Todd](/source/David_Peck_Todd), a professor of astronomy at [Amherst College](/source/Amherst_College), traveled around the world to view solar eclipses.[8]

Eclipse chasers at Ahu Tahai, Hanga Roa, on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) observing the October 2024 Annular Eclipse

In 1923, US Navy tried to observe [the solar eclipse of September 10](/source/Solar_eclipse_of_September_10%2C_1923) from sixteen planes, including [Felixstowe F5L](/source/Felixstowe_F5L) biplane, "to determine the centerline of the eclipse from air." No photo recorded the eclipse. Officer and photographer [Albert William Stevens](/source/Albert_William_Stevens) was one of the pilots on this expedition; he is sometimes called "the father of airborne astronomy".[9] There was another attempt to observe a solar eclipse, this time from a dirigible. On 24 January 1925, U.S. Naval Observatory and U.S. Bureau of Standards gathered a group of astronomers to observe a [total solar eclipse](/source/Solar_eclipse_of_January_24%2C_1925) from the [USS *Los Angeles*](/source/USS_Los_Angeles_(ZR-3)) airship over the New York City, with Captain [Edwin Taylor Pollock](/source/Edwin_Taylor_Pollock) as a head of the group.[10][11] They used "two pairs of telescopic cameras", to capture inner and outer portions of Sun's corona, and a spectrograph. The expedition achieved good publicity, but it was not very successful in its observations - the dirigible was not very stable and the photos were blurred.[12] The next attempt was successful: an expedition of the [Naval Observatory](/source/Naval_Observatory) to observe the [solar eclipse of April 28, 1930](/source/Solar_eclipse_of_April_28%2C_1930), on [Honey Lake](/source/Honey_Lake), California, with [Vought 02U-1](/source/Vought_O2U_Corsair) plane equipped with a camera, recorded "the approach of the shadow".[9]

[Army Air Corps](/source/United_States_Army_Air_Corps) and the [National Geographic](/source/National_Geographic) Society organized another expedition in 1932, to observe [the eclipse of August 31](/source/Solar_eclipse_of_August_31%2C_1932). Accompanied by Lieutenant Charles D. McAllister of the [Army Air Corps](/source/United_States_Army_Air_Corps), Stevens took the first photograph of the Moon's shadow projected onto the Earth during a [solar eclipse](/source/Solar_eclipse).[13][9][14]

[Royal Canadian Air Force](/source/Royal_Canadian_Air_Force) observed the [solar eclipse of July 9, 1945](/source/Solar_eclipse_of_July_9%2C_1945), from four planes: "a Spitfire, a Mitchell, and two Ansons"; three planes used seven standard aerial photography cameras, "adjusted to automatically take exposures".[9] For the [solar eclipse of May 9, 1948](/source/Solar_eclipse_of_May_9%2C_1948), National Geographic society organized several ground stations and two backup planes for a case of bad weather. Two [B-29s](/source/B-29), stationed on the [Aleutian Islands](/source/Aleutian_Islands), successfully observed and photographed the eclipse.[9]

For the [solar eclipse of June 30, 1954](/source/Solar_eclipse_of_June_30%2C_1954), observations were made "from the open door of a special Lincoln aircraft". Photographs helped "to derive coronal brightness and polarization, along with sky brightness and polarization". Several missions were made in 1960s. Three [NC-135](/source/NC-135) planes of the [Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory](/source/Los_Alamos_Scientific_Laboratory) (LASL) were used for eclipses observations from 1965 to 1980. The planes were operated by the [Atomic Energy Commission](/source/United_States_Atomic_Energy_Commission).[9]

Ten Minute [Time Lapse](/source/Time-lapse_photography) Video of the [Total Solar Eclipse on April 8, 2024](/source/Solar_eclipse_of_April_8%2C_2024), in [Mazatlán](/source/Mazatl%C3%A1n), [Mexico](/source/Mexico)

In [1973, the French Concorde prototype, c/n 001](/source/1973_Eclipse_Flight_of_Concorde_001), was modified with roof-top portholes for a [solar eclipse](/source/Solar_eclipse) observation mission of [30 June 1973](/source/Solar_eclipse_of_June_30%2C_1973), at the end of the French testing programme. Observational instruments were installed on board, and the aircraft flew across Africa for 74 minutes of totality. One of the scientists was [Donald Liebenberg](/source/Donald_Liebenberg), who had previously flown on LASL's NC-135.[15][9] The airplane is now at the [Le Bourget Air and Space Museum](/source/Le_Bourget_Air_and_Space_Museum) on permanent display in eclipse livery, with the portholes displayed.[16]

In 2024, it was estimated by US tourism officials that at least 4 to 5 million people traveled from various parts of the country to witness [the eclipse](/source/Solar_eclipse_of_April_8%2C_2024) along the path of totality. This made it the largest travel day of the year in the country, bringing an estimated economic boost of $1.5 billion.[17]

## See also

- [Solar eclipse](/source/Solar_eclipse)

- [Weather spotting](/source/Weather_spotting)

- [Storm chasing](/source/Storm_chasing)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Rapture Chasers - Every Little Thing by Gimlet Media"](https://web.archive.org/web/20171012201749/https://gimletmedia.com/episode/rapture-chasers/). *gimletmedia.com*. Archived from [the original](https://gimletmedia.com/episode/rapture-chasers/) on 2017-10-12. Retrieved 2017-10-12.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Russo2012_2-0)** Kate Russo (1 August 2012). [*Total Addiction: The Life of an Eclipse Chaser*](https://books.google.com/books?id=AoVP-NdzkFsC). Springer Science & Business Media. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-3-642-30481-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-642-30481-1).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-sola_Umbr_3-0)** Kelly, Pat (2017-07-06). ["Umbraphile, Umbraphilia, Umbraphiles, and Umbraphiliacs - Solar Eclipse with the Sol Alliance"](https://web.archive.org/web/20200726045055/http://solareclipselive.org/umbraphile-umbrapilia-umbraphiles-umbraphiliacs/). *Solar Eclipse with the Sol Alliance*. Archived from the original on 2020-07-26. Retrieved 2017-08-24.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ecli_Safe_4-0)** ["How to View the 2017 Solar Eclipse Safely"](https://web.archive.org/web/20170824010442/https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety). *eclipse2017.nasa.gov*. Archived from [the original](https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety) on 2017-08-24. Retrieved 2017-08-24.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-atla_Chas_5-0)** Wright, Andy (2017-08-16). ["Chasing Totality: A Look Into the World of Umbraphiles"](http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/total-eclipse-of-the-heart). *Atlas Obscura*. Retrieved 2017-08-24.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-newy_TheN_6-0)** Kersten, Jason (2017-08-28). ["The New Yorkers Tied for the Total-Solar-Eclipse Record"](http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/08/28/the-new-yorkers-tied-for-the-total-solar-eclipse-record). *The New Yorker*. Retrieved 2017-08-24.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-npr._GoSe_7-0)** Greenfieldboyce, Nell (8 August 2017). ["Go See It, Eclipse Chasers Urge. 'Your First Time Is Always Special'"](https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/08/08/539553696/go-see-it-eclipse-chasers-urge-your-first-time-is-always-special). *NPR.org*. Retrieved 2017-08-24.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Mansky, Jacqueline (2017-08-03). ["A Brief History of Eclipse Chasers"](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/brief-history-eclipse-chasers-180964063/). *Smithsonian Magazine*. Retrieved 2018-10-31.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Milestones_9-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Milestones_9-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Milestones_9-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Milestones_9-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Milestones_9-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Milestones_9-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-Milestones_9-6) Dolci, Wendy Whiting (1997). ["Milestones in Airborne Astronomy: From the 1920's to the Present"](https://irsa.ipac.caltech.edu/data/SOFIA/docs/sites/default/files/97-Whiting_AeroHistory.pdf) (PDF). *SAE Transactions*. **106**: 1760–1770. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0096-736X](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0096-736X).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** LaFollette, Marcel Chotkowski (24 January 2017). ["Science Service, Up Close: Up in the Air for a Solar Eclipse"](https://siarchives.si.edu/blog/science-service-close-air-solar-eclipse). *Smithsonian Institution Archives*. Retrieved 9 January 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Maloney, Wendi A. (21 August 2017). ["Looking to the Sky: Solar Eclipse 2017 | Timeless"](https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2017/08/looking-to-the-sky-solar-eclipse-2017/). *The Library of Congress*. Retrieved 9 January 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Aceto, Guy (26 January 2022). ["To Catch a Shadow: The Great 1925 Solar Eclipse Aerial Expedition"](https://www.historynet.com/to-catch-a-shadow-the-great-1925-solar-eclipse-aerial-expedition/). *HistoryNet*. Retrieved 9 January 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["Stevens Photographs Eclipse 5 Miles In Air. Army Expert Says That Corona Sprang Into Sight as if Switch Was Snapped"](https://www.nytimes.com/1932/09/01/archives/stevens-photographs-eclipse-5-miles-in-air-army-expert-says-that.html). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. September 1, 1932. p. 10. Retrieved 30 December 2009. Flying at an altitude of five miles near the centre line of the eclipse zone, the aerial unit of the National Geographic Society's eclipse expedition, conducted by Captain Albert W. Stevens and Lieutenant Charles D. McAllister of the Army Air Corps, had an unobstructed view of the eclipse throughout totality. ...

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** ["Albert W. Stevens Photo From 23,000 Feet - Raymond H. Fogler Library - University of Maine"](https://library.umaine.edu/2022/04/14/albert-w-stevens-photo-from-23000-feet/). *Raymond H. Fogler Library*. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** Mulkin, Barb. ["In Flight: The Story of Los Alamos Eclipse Missions"](https://permalink.lanl.gov/object/tr?what=info:lanl-repo/lareport/LA-UR-82-5105). *Los Alamos Science*. Retrieved October 21, 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Vice-Motherboard-2016-03-09_16-0)** Chris Hatherill (9 March 2016). ["When Astronomers Chased a Total Eclipse in a Concorde"](https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-concorde-and-the-longest-solar-eclipse/). *Motherboard*. Vice.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** Luscombe, Richard (2024-04-08). ["'A mystical experience': millions watch total solar eclipse sweep across North America"](https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/apr/08/total-solar-eclipse-path-map). *The Guardian*. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0261-3077](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0261-3077). Retrieved 2024-04-09.

## External links

- Media related to [Eclipse chasing](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Eclipse_chasing) at Wikimedia Commons

v t e Solar eclipses Features Baily's beads (diamond ring) Shadow bands Solar prominence Solar corona helmet streamer Lists of eclipses By era Antiquity Eclipse of Thales Middle Ages Modern era 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th 21st 22nd Future Saros series (list) 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 Visibility Australia British Isles China Israel Philippines Russia Turkey Ukraine United States Total eclipses → next total 1312 BC 763 BC 1133 1185 1560 1598 1652 1654 1706 1715 1724 1766 1778 1780 1802 1806 1816 1824 1842 1851 1853 1857 1858 1860 1865 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1874 1875 1878 1882 1883 1885 1886 1887 Jan. 1889 Dec. 1889 1893 1896 1898 1900 1901 1903 1904 1905 1907 Jan. 1908 1910 1911 Oct. 1912 1914 1916 1918 1919 1921 1922 1923 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 Oct. 1930 1932 1934 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1943 Jan. 1944 1945 1947 1948 1950 1952 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1961 1962 1963 1965 1966 1967 1968 1970 1972 1973 1974 1976 1977 1979 1980 1981 1983 1984 1985 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1997 1998 1999 2001 2002 2003 2006 2008 2009 2010 2012 2015 2016 2017 2019 2020 2021 2024 → 2026 2027 2028 2030 2033 2034 2035 2037 2038 2039 2041 2042 2043 2044 2045 2046 2048 2052 2053 2055 Jan. 2057 Dec. 2057 2059 2060 2061 2063 2064 2066 2068 2070 2071 2072 2073 2075 2076 2077 2078 2079 2081 2082 2084 2086 2088 2089 2090 2091 2093 2094 2095 2096 2097 2099 2100 2186 Hybrid eclipses → next hybrid 1699 Dec. 1908 1909 Apr. 1912 Apr. 1930 1986 1987 2005 2013 2023 → 2031 2049 2050 2067 Annular eclipses → next annular 2137 BC 632 1802 1803 1820 1854 1865 1879 1889 1900 1901 1903 1904 1905 1907 1908 1911 1914 Feb. 1915 Aug. 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1921 1922 1923 1925 1926 1927 1929 1932 Feb. 1933 Aug. 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1939 1940 1941 1943 Jul. 1944 1945 1947 1948 1950 Mar. 1951 Sep. 1951 1952 Jan. 1954 Dec. 1954 1955 1957 1958 1959 1961 1962 1963 1965 1966 Mar. 1969 Sep. 1969 1970 1972 Jan. 1973 Dec. 1973 1976 1977 1979 1980 1981 1983 1984 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1998 1999 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2008 2009 2010 2012 2013 2014 2016 2017 2019 2020 2021 2023 2024 2026 → 2027 2028 2030 2031 2032 2034 2035 2036 Jan. 2038 Jul. 2038 2039 2041 2042 2043 2044 2045 2046 2048 2049 2052 2053 Jan. 2056 Jul. 2056 2057 2059 2060 2061 2063 2064 2066 2067 2070 2071 Jan. 2074 Jul. 2074 2075 2077 2078 2079 2081 2082 2084 Jun. 2085 Dec. 2085 2088 2089 Feb. 2092 Aug. 2092 2093 2095 2096 2097 2099 2100 Partial eclipses → next partial Apr. 1801 Sep. 1801 Oct. 1801 Apr. 1902 May 1902 Oct. 1902 Feb. 1906 Jul. 1906 Aug. 1906 Dec. 1909 Nov. 1910 Apr. 1913 Aug. 1913 Sep. 1913 Dec. 1916 Jan. 1917 Jun. 1917 Jul. 1917 May 1920 Nov. 1920 Mar. 1924 Jul. 1924 Aug. 1924 Dec. 1927 Jun. 1928 Nov. 1928 Apr. 1931 Sep. 1931 Oct. 1931 Jan. 1935 Feb. 1935 Jun. 1935 Jul. 1935 Nov. 1938 Mar. 1942 Aug. 1942 Sep. 1942 Jan. 1946 May 1946 Jun. 1946 Nov. 1946 Apr. 1949 Oct. 1949 Feb. 1953 Jul. 1953 Aug. 1953 Dec. 1956 Mar. 1960 Sep. 1960 Jan. 1964 Jun. 1964 Jul. 1964 Dec. 1964 May 1967 Mar. 1968 Feb. 1971 Jul. 1971 Aug. 1971 Dec. 1974 May 1975 Nov. 1975 Apr. 1978 Oct. 1978 Jan. 1982 Jun. 1982 Jul. 1982 Dec. 1982 May 1985 Apr. 1986 Mar. 1989 Aug. 1989 Dec. 1992 May 1993 Nov. 1993 Apr. 1996 Oct. 1996 Sep. 1997 Feb. 2000 1 Jul. 2000 31 Jul. 2000 Dec. 2000 Apr. 2004 Oct. 2004 Mar. 2007 Sep. 2007 Jan. 2011 Jun. 2011 Jul. 2011 Nov. 2011 Oct. 2014 Sep. 2015 Feb. 2018 Jul. 2018 Aug. 2018 Jan. 2019 Apr. 2022 Oct. 2022 Mar. 2025 Sep. 2025 → Jan. 2029 Jun. 2029 Jul. 2029 Dec. 2029 2032 2033 Feb. 2036 Jul. 2036 Aug. 2036 2037 May 2040 Nov. 2040 Jan. 2047 Jun. 2047 Jul. 2047 Dec. 2047 2050 Apr. 2051 Oct. 2051 Mar. 2054 Aug. 2054 Sep. 2054 2055 May 2058 Jun. 2058 Nov. 2058 Mar. 2062 Sep. 2062 Feb. 2065 Jul. 2065 Aug. 2065 Dec. 2065 2068 Apr. 2069 May 2069 Oct. 2069 2072 2073 Jun. 2076 Jul. 2076 Nov. 2076 Feb. 2083 Jul. 2083 Aug. 2083 2084 2086 May 2087 Jun. 2087 Oct. 2087 2090 2091 Jun. 2094 Jul. 2094 Dec. 2094 Apr. 2098 Sep. 2098 Oct. 2098 Other bodies The Moon Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto Related Allais effect Eclipse chasing Solar viewer Eclipse photography Eclipse cycle Eclipse season Eclipses in mythology and culture List of films featuring eclipses Lunar eclipse Magnitude of eclipse Planetary transit Solar eclipses in fiction Astronomy portal Solar System portal Category

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Eclipse chasing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_chasing) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_chasing?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.