“This is the best $500 a minute I have ever spent in my life!”   said one member of a solar eclipse expedition a scant 30 seconds after third contact -- the end of totality -- of the solar eclipse seen at El Pico Beach in western Venezuela, February 26, 1998.

That said, the hobby of “eclipse chasing” is not an inexpensive one. However, the rewards awaiting those adventurous enough to join an eclipse tour are both memorable and singularly timeless. Having chased some 14 total eclipses around the world since 1973, I can categorically say that after all these years, the experience is still an electrifying, emotionally riveting -- albeit familiar -- one. The vision of the inky black disk of our moon superimposed over the normally blinding-bright orb of our sun is the closest thing to standing on another planet that anyone alive today will experience.

The next total solar eclipse will take place this June 21^st in southern Africa. The narrow eclipse track of the moon’s umbra, or inner shadow, will cross the nations of Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Madagascar. While the longest portion of the eclipse occurs in the waters of the Southern Atlantic ocean, the total phase of the eclipse will last a respectable 2½ to 4½ minutes over the African Continent and the island of Madagascar (eclipses average about 2 minutes of totality).

In addition, the weather prospects for seeing this eclipse in cloud-free conditions are excellent. Meteorological experts place the odds of seeing some, or all, of the entire event at upwards of 60-80 percent. 

Unfortunately, three of the five countries the eclipse path crosses are not considered very safe for the average recreational traveler. Both Angola and Mozambique still suffer from the effects of their struggles for independence dating from the 1960s. Zimbabwe has also recently shown a penchant for scattered violence aimed at landowners from the time that the nation was known as Rhodesia. Only Zambia and Madagascar are considered to be secure venues from which foreign tourists can view the eclipse with peace of mind. But, in Madagascar, the eclipse will occur late in the afternoon with the sun low on the western horizon. 

Thus, the country of first choice from which to observe the eclipse is the seldom-visited nation of Zambia. In addition to the earnest desire of the Zambians to show off their young nation to first-time visitors coming for the eclipse, the world-class tourist attraction of Victoria Falls lies to the west, on the southern border that Zambia shares with Botswana. Also, the famous game reserves of eastern and southern South Africa lie only a few hours away by plane.

Odds are that those coming to the eclipse won’t see the enigmatic black monolith from Stanley Kubrick’s seminal film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, at their viewing sites. But, they just might think they hear the haunting strains of Richard Strauss’ fanfare, Thus Sprach Zarathustra, as the last rays of the sun are snuffed out by the advancing edge of our moon, plunging their world into sudden darkness. 

Joel Harris is an advanced amateur astronomer who has led, organized, marketed, and participated in solar eclipse expeditions since 1973.