Eclipse chasers cross continents for total solar eclipse
Dedicated enthusiasts like Mark Griffiths and Samantha Phillips-Brown travel thousands of miles to witness Europe's first total solar eclipse in over 25 years.
Conversation activity · last 37 hours peak 2/hr
Summary, timeline and people extracted by Claude from 5 items across 3 sources · 21h ago. Quotes are verbatim.
A total solar eclipse is crossing Europe on Wednesday, with the path of totality running from Siberia through the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, and northern Spain. While most people experience such events once in a lifetime, a dedicated subculture of eclipse hunters travels across continents to witness and photograph them, describing the pursuit as an addiction comparable to major sporting events.
- A total solar eclipse crosses Europe on Wednesday, with the path of totality spanning from Siberia through the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, northern Spain, and the Mediterranean.
- Dedicated eclipse chasers travel thousands of miles and spend considerable resources to witness these events, which last only a few minutes despite the extensive preparation.
- Eclipse enthusiasts describe the pursuit as an addiction comparable to major sporting events, with communities forming around eclipse tracking and photography.
How it unfolded
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Event Total solar eclipse crosses Europe
A total solar eclipse passes over Europe on Wednesday, with the path of totality beginning at Siberia's tip, curving through the Arctic Ocean, crossing Greenland and Iceland, traversing the northern Atlantic, and reaching northern Spain before finishing in the Mediterranean.
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Report BBC profiles eclipse chasers
BBC News publishes coverage of eclipse enthusiasts traveling across continents, describing the phenomenon as a deep passion and addiction for dedicated followers.
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Event Phillips-Browns arrive in Iceland
Samantha and Gregory Phillips-Brown fly to Iceland and hire a camper van to drive to a remote area in the Westfjords peninsula to witness the eclipse, having booked more than a year in advance.
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Event Griffiths begins marathon drive to eclipse
Mark Griffiths, equipped with two high-spec cameras, a specialist telescope, and a drone, drives from Cheshire to Galicia, Spain, pausing to photograph the night sky and rest in Bordeaux.
- 188 weeks quiet
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Event Phillips-Browns witness first solar eclipse
Samantha and Gregory Phillips-Brown experience their first total solar eclipse near their home in upstate New York, which inspires them to pursue eclipse chasing as a hobby.
- 157 weeks quiet
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Event Mark Griffiths begins sky-watching hobby
Griffiths travels to Shetland to see the northern lights but encounters poor weather and sees nothing, yet the experience doesn't deter him from pursuing sky phenomena.
What people are saying verbatim
“I kept wanting more, and Europe's first total solar eclipse for more than 25 years is like what the World Cup is to football for enthusiasts like him.”
Mark Griffiths, Eclipse chaser and photographer · BBC News · Aug 8
“I'll be honest, it's like an addiction now.”
Mark Griffiths, Eclipse chaser and photographer · BBC News · Aug 8
“It was such a phenomenal experience to see the Sun start going dark and hear, suddenly, the birds stop chirping. It's just a very strange experience.”
Samantha Phillips-Brown, Eclipse chaser · BBC News · Aug 8
“They really didn't know what was happening, didn't know how long it was going to last... it must have been quite terrifying for them, in a way.”
Gregory Phillips-Brown, Eclipse chaser · BBC News · Aug 8