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From Times Online

May 19, 2008

Terry Pratchett joins the eclipse chasers

The eclipse off Japan and China in 2009 will be the longest this century - and you can join the writer to view it

Best-selling author Terry Pratchett announced a million dollar donation to help find a cure for Alzheimer's

Steve Keenan

Science fiction writer Terry Pratchett is joining the rush to view the total eclipse of the sun next year.

The eclipse will be the longest for a century, and Pratchett is heading to Taiwan along with the BBC Sky at Night team, which is the broadcasting the event live.

The trip aboard a cruise ship has been organised by a travel company, Eclipse of the Century, and will commence in Taipei on July 17, 2009 for nine days - including the Eclipse Day, July 22. Places are still available on the sailing.

At the point of greatest eclipse the totality will last for a massive 6.39 minutes – something that won’t happen again until June 13, 2132.

Another British company, Explore, is also running tours to watch the eclipse, but will be land-based, near Shanghai.

Pratchett's trip will take place aboard the Superstar Libra ship and will include lectures from experts from ‘The Sky at Night’ programme such as BBC presenter Dr Chris Lintott. Prices start from £1,395pp.

The ship will cruise to what is regarded as the optimum position at sea, approximately 12 nautical miles off the coast of the Japanese island of Yakushima. Nine days in total, including five nights at sea, the tour will include a port call to the Japanese island of Okinawa as well as Taipei.

Dr. Lintott comments, “During a total solar eclipse every single second counts. If you sit at your computer and do nothing for a minute it may seem like quite a long time, but with so much to see under totality’s spell, minutes seem like seconds.

"A total eclipse is an emotional event; falling under the Moon’s shadow is an experience unlike any other, and I’m looking forward to having time to wallow a little next July.”

Explore is arranging 15 eclipse tours to China and Japan, ranging from 6 to 27 days, some accompanied by an astronomist.

One of these is a family-friendly tour in China, which will also take in highlights such as the Forbidden City. Prices are still being finalised.

Is being on board a ship the best place to experience the eclipse? Having experienced a full solar eclipse at Lake Ballaton in Hungary several years ago, some of the best sights are the birds behaving stangely and returning to trees and 'Bailey's beads' . Neither of which will be easy to see at Sea.

Paul Feagan, London, England