Observers converge to glimpse solar eclipse

"A total eclipse of the sun will be visible Wednesday in parts of Asia and Africa. The best viewing location is expected to be in Libya, which has issued special tourist visas for the event. But thousands of eclipse-watchers have converged on a tiny corner of northwest Egypt to catch the solar spectacle as well."
Voice of America

US warplanes bomb Iraqi eclipse site (Don't freak out, it's OK, that was August 10, 1999 when US warplanes bombed the hell out of eclipse watchers gathered for the last big eclipse of the century. Bush wouldn't bomb astronomers in Libya or Egypt ... would he?)

AT Sinclair has some animations of this and other eclipses. More info at NASA.

Lid dip to Dave Muller's South News for the flashback. Dave's article Iran, oil and the March solar eclipse is also thought provoking.

Tagged: astronomy, eclipse, iraq, libya