A total eclipse of the sun on Thursday, February 26, 1998 offers a good excuse to travel to the Caribbean, northern South America or the Galapagos Islands.

The eclipse will be total along a narrow path that begins in the Pacific Ocean, moves across the Galápagos Islands, to the Latin American Coast, where it will follow the border between Panama and Colombia. It then sweeps across northwestern Venezuela and across the Caribbean. Here, the path of totality passes directly between Aruba and Curaçao with both islands experiencing as much as 3 1/2 minutes of totality. The eclipse will also be total across the Leeward Islands of Montserrat, Antigua and Guadeloupe, which will have at least 3 minutes of totality. After leaving the Caribbean, the eclipse moves across the Atlantic, ending at sunset before reaching Africa.

A large part of the U.S. will see a partial eclipse.

Several cruise lines are planning eclipse-viewing trips in the Caribbean and Pacific. February is the height of the tourist season in the Caribbean, which means hotel prices should be at the highest and could be hard to find on islands where the eclipse will be total.

It's occurring during the normal dry season and this year's El Niño is expected to increase the odds of clear skies during the eclipse, except maybe in the Galapagos Islands.

Travel information for the eclipse

• 1998 Caribbean Eclipse Adventures
• Tropical Adventures: cruises, bus tour from Costa Rica to Panama
• NASA links to eclipse expeditions

Weather information for the eclipse

The NASA Goddard Web site has the following discussions of the climate in the area where the eclipse will be seen. Exact weather conditions can't be forecast more than two or three days in advance. Links below are to NASA discussions.

• General overview
• Table of climatological statistics for places along eclipse path
• Details on Galápagos Islands February climate
• Details on northern South America February climate
• Details on the Aruba and Curaçao February climate
• Details on the Guadeloupe, Antigua and Montserrat February climate
• Climate information for cruising along the eclipse path

More information on the eclipse itself

• Sky and Telescope magazine Web article on the eclipse
• U.S. Naval Observatory map of the eclipse path

The NASA Goddard Web site has extensive information on the eclipse, including detailed maps. Links below are to the NASA site:

• NASA Goddard Eclipse Home Page
• Description of the elipse's locations, times of totality
• Map showing eclipse path, where it will be total and partial
• Eye safety during solar eclipses
• Eclipse photography
• What the sky should look like at totality
• Maps of the eclipse path
• Table of contents to NASA Web pages