On 1 September 2016 there will be a annular eclipse in Madagascar, and we won’t miss it. Viajes Tuareg will be there, just as we travelled to the last eclipse in Indonesia and others before it. We like to be in the best place to witness the effects of celestial bodies coming into perfect alignment.
From eclipse in Indonesia we vividly remember a spectacular photograph by our contributor J. C. Casado and spread across half the internet and beyond.
“The eclipsed Sun showing the large prominence of the solar eclipse of 9 March 2016 and part of the chromosphere. Smaller prominences, an active region in the inner corona (left) and the irregular edge of the lunar disc are also visible. From Palu (Central Sulawesi), Indonesia
On that occasion the Tuareg-OAG expedition to Indonesia first explored the famous Buddhist temple of Borobudur, climbed Mount Bromo, then continued to Bali. From there they flew to Sulawesi, where they enjoyed watching the total eclipse of the sun.
Now we get back on the road.
Annular eclipse in Madagascar
At the beginning of September we returned to Madagascar to observe the annular eclipse announced. We have discussed Madagascar several times in recent months, and now we have the perfect excuse to return to it. We explained the competition to select a travel blogger to join an expedition of journalists and travel agents. Today we return to Madagascar for an incomparable event.
We will observe the solar eclipse in the Ankaranfatsika National Park. Observing the annular eclipse and the southern sky completes this expedition: the Southern Cross, the Magellanic Clouds and the satellite galaxies of our Milky Way in all their splendour.
The trip to Madagascar
A Splendid journey of 20 days in a small group, with the astronomical spectacle viewed from an exceptional location as its crowning moment. Our friends at Observatori Astronòmic del Garraf. We will provide a special astronomy dossier with general information about the solar eclipse and the sky visible from Madagascar, including star charts for identifying southern constellations invisible from Europe. GPS and a weather station will allow us to make observations as part of our fieldwork.
Technical sessions during the trip depend on the weather, opportunities arising on excursions and the group’s interests. Topics include Madagascar’s geography and climate; navigating the southern sky; the southern Milky Way and galactic centre; the galaxy and its satellites, globular clusters and dwarf galaxies; landscape photography and geographical interest; and night-sky photography.