It may be under two weeks until America’s own “ring of fire” solar eclipse, but eclipse-chasers are already preparing for the next one.
Exactly 365 days from today another annular solar eclipse will be visible, this time from Rapa Nui. Better know as Easter Island, it’s just 63 square miles (163 square kilometers) and 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) across empty ocean from the Chilean coast.
That a solar eclipse can occur in such a remote location is unlikely. Remarkably, it’s for the second time in 14 years. On July 11, 2010 a total solar eclipse swept across the island.
On October 2, 2024 a “ring of fire” solar eclipse will hang above the mysterious Moai—the stone statues of the Rapa Nui culture—on Easter Island.
The event will be much like the one about to grace the skies above above nine U.S. states and from parts of Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia and Brazil.
Eclipse-chasers are already preparing for a remote “ring of fire” among the Moai.
Remote Places
“Easter Island has been on my list for so many years,” said Patrick Poitevin, a British eclipse who’s seen over 50 solar eclipses. “I tried to observe the total solar eclipse of 2010, but all accommodation was taken by the main eclipse tours.” He ended up on the small southern Cook Island, Mangaia, missing the chance to return in 2020 and 2021 when, despite their being solar eclipses in the vicinity, the island was closed due to Covid-19.
Poitevin is no stranger to remote places. He watched the last total solar eclipse, on April 20, in Kosrae in Micronesia, a tiny island with a population of just 6,000. He took a mesmerizing image of the the sun’s chromosphere—its colorful second layer above its surface—while standing just outside the path of totality.
Intrepid Chasers
Another intrepid eclipse chaser headed for Easter Island is Larry Stephens from Des Moines, Iowa, whose solar eclipse photography speaks for itself. “This will be my first annular overseas, all others have been here in the U.S.,” said Stephens in an email. He swerved the 2010 event after hearing stories about price gouging and canceled flights.
Stephens is a veteran of 19 total solar eclipses, three annulars and seven partials. “My very first trip to a total was 1972 because I was able to drive to it—I was 17 at the time,” he said, though he photographed one a few years before. “I took photos by projecting onto a clipboard that my mom held for me as I projected with a 2.4 inch telescope,” he said.
Three organized eclipse-viewing tours were available at the time of writing for the Easter Island “ring of fire”—Sky & Telescope, TravelQuest and AstroTrails, all experienced eclipse tour operators.
As well as Easter Island, next October’s “ring of fire” will be visible from southern Patagonia in Chile and Argentina.
I’m an expert on eclipses—the editor of WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com and author of The Complete Guide To The Great North American Eclipse of April 8, 2024. For the very latest on the “ring of fire” solar eclipse—including travel and lodging options—check my main feed for new articles each day.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
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