{"id":68093,"date":"2018-11-28T13:29:13","date_gmt":"2018-11-28T18:29:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.tablethotels.com\/en\/?p=68093"},"modified":"2023-03-29T10:54:12","modified_gmt":"2023-03-29T14:54:12","slug":"hot-pursuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.tablethotels.com\/en\/2018\/11\/hot-pursuit\/","title":{"rendered":"Hot Pursuit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Year after year, eclipse chasers traverse the globe in pursuit of a high that only comes from witnessing one of the universe’s most mesmerizing events.<\/em><\/h4>\n

I\u2019ve seen a total solar eclipse and I can tell you, it was spooky. The temperature dropped. The sun cast odd crescent shadows. The cows huddled together and, as if by unanimous vote, all at once stopped mooing. And then, just as everyone said it would, day turned to night.<\/p>\n

No question, I\u2019m dying to see one again, but my feelings fall more on the wow<\/em> end of the spectrum, whereas for eclipse chasers \u2014 a globetrotting group of orbital obsessives \u2014 it leans toward the life changing<\/em>. \u201cDuring a total solar eclipse,” cartographer Michael Zeiler proselytized<\/a>, “you see the solar system moving in real time.” He continued, “You\u2019re lifted out of the Earth and sense that we\u2019re part of a bigger universe.\u201d For the uninitiated, it may seem as if all eclipses are essentially the same. But devotees like Zeiler are quick to clarify that each eclipse is a unique visual feast. And for the chasers, they are worth a lifetime of journeys to witness. <\/p>\n

 
\n

\"Eclipse\"
Just before and after totality, light glimmers through a valley on the moon creating what\u2019s known as \u201cthe diamond ring\u201d effect. The rest of the halo is formed by the sun\u2019s corona. (Image courtesy of Jongsun Lee\u00a0on\u00a0Unsplash)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It’s important to understand that we\u2019re talking about the total<\/em> solar eclipse, and we\u2019re talking about seeing it from the path of totality. A total solar eclipse turns day to night. Or at least a uniquely eerie version of night, revealing stars in the sky without going pitch black. A partial solar eclipse \u2014 well, doesn\u2019t. If you don’t get yourself to the exact right location for an eclipse, you’re stuck in the partial zone. And take the word<\/a> of Hakeem Oluseyi, astrophysicist: \u201cThe difference between being off the line of totality and on it is like the difference between seeing a lightning bug and lightning.\u201d <\/p>\n

The chasers do everything they can for totality. Some call the experience otherworldly, gripping, even psychedelic. It\u2019s enough to make me feel like I didn\u2019t relish my one eclipse enough. To remind you, my verdict was \u201cspooky.\u201d Then again, the chasers take the experience like a drug. They don\u2019t just love it; they\u2019re instantly and permanently hooked. And like any junkies, there\u2019s no satiating them. Some have seen five, ten, 15 total solar eclipses in their lifetimes. The record<\/a> is 27. By some accounts a thousand of these umbraphiles exist worldwide, organizing their lives \u2014 in particular, their vacation time \u2014 around getting to an eclipse. No matter the cost, no matter the location. <\/p>\n

One woman, in the midst of chasing her fifth eclipse with her mother, says<\/a> that in an eclipse \u201ctime stands still and it\u2019s like every emotion you\u2019ve ever had exists in that moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

 
\n

\"Eclipse\"
A natural phenomenon called the \u201cpinhole effect\u201d allows the shadows formed by patches between tree leaves to reflect the image of the sun. Before and after totality, the sun’s shadow is a crescent.
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As Michael Zeiler explained, each of these ancient and ineffable celestial events is different. It’s a new show every time, the corona flaring and contorting into shapes specific to the day. If you think those subtleties would evade you, there\u2019s also the many different ways to watch an eclipse \u2014 on a cruise, from a mountain summit, at a 30,000 strong festival<\/a> \u2014 or, perhaps less desirably, on the side of the road from your car.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s another factor that keeps the chasers chasing: your plans are subject to clouds. Weather is the enemy. Zeiler found himself huffing to Vienna when the forecast looked cloudy in Munich the night before, parking the car just in time to catch it. Another story tells of a woman who took nine tries to catch her first unobstructed view. There\u2019s a reason they\u2019re called \u201cchasers.\u201d And also why they bring champagne.<\/p>\n

From my perch at the Amangani hotel in Jackson Hole<\/a> in 2017, I caught one. The cows and I reveled in the bizarre cosmic coincidence and I glimpsed the feeling that some spend the rest of their lives chasing. But even as more of a social eclipse user than an addict, I still have to agree with a sentiment from famous astro-pusher<\/a> David Baron: \u201cYou owe it to yourself to experience a total solar eclipse.\u201d <\/p>\n

Whether or not you end up addicted depends on your disposition. And there’s only one way to find out.<\/p>\n

 
\nIf you do want to find out, solar eclipses go over parts of South America in 2019 and 2020 (including Puc\u00f3n, Chile<\/a>) before North America\u2019s next solar eclipse in 2024. Montreal<\/a> and Dallas<\/a> are the largest cities in the path of totality.<\/em> <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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