Astra’s Guide to the Total Solar Eclipse

Astra's review of the bulletin written by Fred Espenak and Jay Anderson

This publication is available in black-and-white for $19.99 or color for $34.99. It’s packed with maps and tables. Author Fred Espenak is an expert on solar and lunar eclipses and maintains NASA's official eclipse website (URL: eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov). He is known by the nickname "Mr. Eclipse". Jay Anderson is a meteorologist who has written on the climatology of sites along eclipse tracks since 1978. Together with NASA, these two authors have produced many eclipse bulletins. Their experience is evident in this book

Content covers eclipse predictions, the umbral path, local circumstances (Supported by 30 tables), 21 detailed maps of the umbral path, observing and photographic tips, and climatology along the umbral path. Don't forget to review the section on eye safety.

This publication gives a lot of information pertainent to total solar eclipses in general with explanation of eclipse phases, phenomena, and other eclipse terminoloogy. There is a lot of information on the astronomical maps themselves and complete with good explanations of various types of projections that are used to create them and what the advantages of the various projection methods. Tables describe the local circumstances for 1000 US cities, as well as circumstances for cities in Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America.

I especially enjoyed the section that contains a travelogue along the umbral path that was undertaken a few years previously by Jay Anderson and Stan Runge. Full references and even an eclipse marketplace round out the publication. If you are an eclipse lover as I am the color copy will make an excellent keepsake of the total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017.

- - Dawn Jenkins, April 2017