Total Solar Eclipse of 2010: On July 11 the people will witness the first one of the World Cup 2010 final between Netherlands and Spain which will air live from South Africa at 2.30 p.m ET and at the Total Solar Eclipse which is going to happen today starting 2.15 p.m ET.
It will start at North of New Zealand, near Cook Island, will pass Easter Island and will end in Chile at the southern most tip of South America.
The Total Solar Eclipse will be over at 4.52 p.m ET. This will be the longest solar eclipse, lasting for more than 5 minutes (5 min and 20 seconds) over the open Pacific waters at 3.33 p.m ET. The eclipse is visible in America only on a 155-mile-wide band that will cross the Pacific Ocean.
Why is this Solar Eclipse so special? The moon’s shadow will sweep across Earth making this solar event one of the most remote total solar eclipse of the century. And because much of the pathway is over the Pacific Ocean, this solar eclipse will be one of the least observed eclipses ever, not to mention the fact that millions of people are going to watch the first finale of the World Cup in that time.
But there are people very passionate about solar events that they would do anything to get to see such a magnificent event taking place. These are the “Eclipse chasers”, people who travel around the world to see how the moon passes between Earth and the sun, casting a shadow over Earth. These “Eclipse chasers” are thrilled they get to see the moon completely covering the sun’s round shape for a few minutes. This year the Eclipse fans have gathered in Polynesian locales to see the rare Total Solar Eclipse.
Total Solar Eclipses could happen up to 5 times in a year, but it is not a sure thing due to the variations in the position of Earth.
