Solar Eclipses

Most people with an interest in the skies will probably see several solar eclipses during their lifetime, either directly or on television, as they are not as uncommon as is generally imagined. The links on this page describe my somewhat mixed experiences with eclipses over the last few years, featuring images taken by myself and my wife in Zambia and Libya during the 21st July 2001 and 29th March 2006 total eclipses.

I have carried out quite a lot of work on the theory of eclipses, recently considerably updated and extended (August 2009). The information is presented at a series of levels of difficulty so anyone should understand the basics, while I hope even an expert will learn something new! All my treatises on astronomical theory, including the eclipse work, have recently been brought together into a section of their own so if you want to delve more deeply into why eclipses happen, or find out how long an eclipse can last, or indeed get side-tracked into some other by-way, click here to go to the Theory Section.

For a fantastic resource giving loads of information about eclipses (and lots of incredible pictures), try Mr Eclipse himself!

If you want to have a go at eclipse photography yourself, click here for some tips.