Resources for exploring eclipses further
Beyond this site, a handful of tools and books have earned a lasting place in the eclipse-chasing community. Here are the ones we actually use and recommend, from interactive maps to the classic printed references that predate the internet entirely.
Digital tools
Interactive maps and apps for exploring the path of any eclipse in detail.
Xavier Jubier's Interactive Eclipse Map
The reference tool used throughout this site. Zoom into any point along the path of totality to see exact local circumstances, timing, duration and Sun altitude. Maintained by Xavier Jubier, a member of the International Astronomical Union's Working Group on Solar Eclipses.
Eclipse Chaser Log
A well-regarded community resource for planning and logging eclipse trips, run by an eclipse-chasing friend of ours.
solar-eclipse.info
A companion site to Eclipse Chaser Log, run by the same friend, and easily confused with our own name, note the hyphen. Well worth a visit in its own right.
NASA Eclipse Website
NASA's own eclipse portal, drawing on decades of predictions originally compiled by Fred Espenak.
timeanddate.com
A large, well-established general reference for eclipse timing anywhere in the world, alongside its wider astronomy and time-zone tools.
Printed references
Digital tools are convenient, but a few printed habits have never been bettered.
NASA/Espenak eclipse bulletins and almanacs
Fred Espenak's official NASA eclipse bulletins predate the internet as the standard reference and remain in active use among experienced eclipse chasers today, often alongside their digital equivalents rather than instead of them.
Choose a road map, not a tourist map
When buying a paper map for an eclipse trip, a road map showing topography, trails and access will serve you far better than a tourist-oriented map, since most points of tourist interest already appear on a road map anyway. Buy both if you like, but the road map is the one that actually matters for finding a clear sightline.
Mark the centre line by hand
A large fold-out paper map with the centre line marked by hand, using an accurate source such as Xavier Jubier's map above, shows the whole path at a glance in a way that scrolling on a phone screen simply can't match.
Recommended reading
A spread of books covering the science, the history, and the culture of eclipses, for anyone who wants to go further than a single website can take them.
Totality: The Great North American Eclipse of 2024
Mark Littmann & Fred Espenak, Oxford University Press. The standard modern reference, covering the science, history, folklore and photography of eclipses, from the astronomer who calculated NASA's eclipse predictions for decades.
The Under-standing of Eclipses
Guy Ottewell. A long-running, highly detailed technical guide, well regarded among serious eclipse chasers.
Sun Moon Earth
Tyler Nordgren, Basic Books. The history of solar eclipses from ancient omens through to Einstein and exoplanets.
In the Shadow of the Moon
Anthony Aveni, Yale University Press. The science, magic and mystery of solar eclipses across cultures and history.
Mask of the Sun
John Dvorak, Pegasus Books. The science, history and largely forgotten lore of eclipses.
American Eclipse
David Baron. The story of Thomas Edison, James Craig Watson and Maria Mitchell racing to observe the 1878 eclipse across the American West.
Eclipse and Revelation
Henrike Lange & Tom McLeish, Oxford University Press. A more academic work, rich on the cultural, literary and artistic side of eclipses through history.
Total Addiction: The Life of an Eclipse Chaser
Kate Russo. A psychologist and eclipse chaser's own account of "eclipse addiction," the pull that keeps experienced chasers returning again and again.