Eclipse Guides | Eclipse Planner Tool

Guides to solar eclipse safety, travel, photography, totality, and the science behind the Moon’s shadow.

Getting started

Guide To Eclipses

Beginner guide to solar eclipses: how the Moon's shadow crosses Earth, what totality looks and feels like, why the path on the map matters, and how to plan your first trip safely.

Safety

Safe Viewing

How to watch a solar eclipse safely: ISO 12312-2 glasses, telescope filters, and what never to use.

Eye Protection

Professional guide to solar eclipse eye safety: retinal hazard, certified eyewear, filter damage, counterfeit risks, and optical-device filters — guidance only; you remain responsible for your own protection.

A Beautiful Trap

Why partial solar eclipses are the most dangerous phase for eye injury: illusion of safety, solar retinopathy, ISO 12312-2 glasses, supervision, and optical devices — guidance only; observe at your own risk.

Planning & travel

Don't Miss Totality

Complete eclipse-chaser plan: path of totality, contact times, duration, solar altitude and azimuth, horizon checks, eclipse-day timeline, and common planning mistakes to avoid.

Eclipse Chasing

A practical guide to eclipse chasing: essential equipment, accommodation, travel planning, safety and weather backup strategies.

It Isn't Cheap

An honest look at the real costs of eclipse chasing: accommodation surges, transport, weather gambles, equipment, and ways to plan without overspending.

Battling Clouds

The psychology and practical frustrations of eclipse weather: conflicting forecasts, traffic jams chasing gaps, totality under grey skies, and why disappointment is part of the chase.

Remote Travel

A practical guide to travel logistics, personal safety and health planning for remote solar eclipse viewing locations.

Personal Security

Practical travel security: hotel room safes, taxi verification, pickpockets, RFID protection, VPN use on public Wi-Fi, CCTV awareness, and supervising children abroad.

Destinations

2026 Iceland & Spain

Planning guide for the 12 August 2026 total solar eclipse: Iceland vs Spain and Mallorca, low-altitude totality, travel, accommodation, weather strategy, and safety.

2027 Luxor

Planning guide for the 2 August 2027 total solar eclipse at Luxor: Karnak and the Valley of the Kings, heat, crowds, security, regional context, and why Egypt offers exceptional sky odds.

2030 Malta

Planning guide for the 30 March 2030 total solar eclipse in Malta: early-morning totality, St Paul's Bay path edge, Gozo at ~83% partial in Victoria, booking, weather, and safe viewing.

Mallorca Eclipses

Guide to solar eclipses on Mallorca: 2026 total eclipse viewing, 2028 ring of fire, where to base yourself, booking early, weather, and safe viewing on the Balearics.

Australian Eclipses

Planning guide for the 2028 and 2030 Australian total solar eclipses: Kimberley-to-Sydney and SA-to-Queensland paths, inland overlap corridor, Sun altitude, remote travel, visas, ETA, biosecurity, and safe viewing.

Photography

Eclipse Photography

A beginner-friendly guide to photographing a solar eclipse safely, including equipment, camera setup, exposure planning and totality tips.

Compact Telescopes

Guide to using compact smart telescopes (ZWO Seestar S30/S50, DWARFLAB Dwarf 3) for solar eclipse photography: filters, totality filter removal, comparison, preparation and exposure tips.

Photo Expedition Kit

Professional guide to eclipse photography gear: camera and lens choices, ISO 12312-2 filters, airline rules, security risks, insurance, and expedition redundancy.

Witnessing totality

Awe Of Totality

What it feels like to stand in the path of totality: partial phases, the 360-degree sunset, the corona, diamond ring, and why eclipse chasers keep coming back.

As Day Turns To Night

What happens when day becomes night during totality: the million-fold drop in light, the 360-degree eclipse horizon, stars and planets at midday, spotting Mercury, and the emotional impact of a sky transformed.

The Solar Corona

What the solar corona is, why it hides in plain sight, how it changes with the solar cycle, prominences, coronal heating, and why totality is the only naked-eye view.

Baily's Beads & Diamond Ring

Baily’s beads and the diamond ring effect explained: lunar topography, timing, photography, parallax, and the emotional climax of partial phases.

Science & history

The Saros Cycle

An introduction to the Saros cycle: synodic, draconic, and anomalistic months, Saros series, the Exeligmos triple cycle, and why eclipses fall in predictable families.

Eclipse Prediction

How solar eclipse prediction evolved from ancient cycle-finding to Kepler, Halley, Bessel, and today’s computational maps of the Moon’s shadow on Earth.

The 1654 Eclipse Map

The 1654 total solar eclipse: mid-seventeenth-century astronomy, Hevelius, the first systematic path maps, and the shift toward predictive eclipse science.

Dance Of Shadows

How the Sun, Earth, and Moon dance to create total eclipses: apparent size, eclipse seasons, the path of totality, annular vs total, and why our epoch is special.

Our Parent Star

What the Sun is: age, size, composition, nuclear fusion, the photosphere and corona, solar activity, Earth’s tiny gravitational wobble — and why only ISO 12312-2 certified viewers are safe for direct observation.

Earth's Companion

What the Moon is: distance, size, synchronous rotation, giant-impact formation, age, geology, interior structure, tides, and its slow retreat from Earth.

Life & culture

Want To Be An Astronomer?

A light-hearted guide to the frustrations and joys of amateur astronomy — telescopes, clouds, software, social isolation, mosquitoes, and the moments that make it all worthwhile.

Herding Cats

A light-hearted guide for parents taking young children to a total solar eclipse: preparation, distractions, crowds, supervision, meltdowns, and the memories that stick.