“If you have the opportunity to see a total solar eclipse in person, do whatever you can to see it. Not everyone will be amazed by it; but I was — and your next opportunity is in southern Chile and southern Argentina on Monday, December 14, 2020.”
Total Solar Eclipse in Argentina and Chile: December 14, 2020
The paragraph you just read was what I wrote in this article which includes a poor video of the last total solar eclipse, which occurred across Chile and Argentina on Tuesday, July 2, 2019 — and if you missed that event, consider heading on down to Chile or Argentina next year…
…and, of course, keep your eye out for airfare deals, hotel deals and rental car deals, as searching for them can never be too early.
Interactive Maps
If you want to specifically know where to go to best view a total eclipse of the sun, the official total solar eclipse Internet web site of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States — which is more popularly known as NASA — has an interactive map.
Using Google Maps as the engine and created by Xavier M. Jubier, this interactive map of the total solar eclipse is an excellent way for you to pinpoint the precise location of where to maximize your viewing of the total eclipse of the sun — as well as gather other information about the eclipse in any location with one single click.
There is even a spot on the map — which is shown in the above illustration in the form of a black dot in the center of the path of totality over Argentina south of Neuquen — that shows the precise location of where you can view the longest duration of the total solar eclipse…
TSE 2020 General Circumstances
- Type: Total
- Date: 2020 December 14
- Time: 16:13:30.2 UT
- Magnitude: 1.02538
- Gamma: -0.29394
- Saros: 142
- Max. Duration: 02m10s
- ΔT: 69.1s — σ = ±3s [±0.0°]
Bonus: How to Photograph a Solar Eclipse
When you have pinned down the location as to where you want to photograph the solar eclipse, how do you take pictures of it?
“We asked two veteran photographers to share their top tips for documenting the biggest astronomical event America has seen in years”, according to this article written by
If you are unsure as to the best ways of photographing the solar eclipse, information in the aforementioned article includes researching the best locations; bringing the right equipment; getting creative with your photography — and even using your smartphone or other portable electronic device if you do not have the proper equipment.
Summary
The path of totality of this eclipse will be greater than seven hours south of Santiago in Chile; and even further from Buenos Aires and other cities in Argentina — but they may likely be the best locations to be based from which to start out on your quest to view a total solar eclipse. Be prepared to do a lot of driving. Start planning your travel as soon as possible if you are interested in seeing a total solar eclipse in either Chile or Argentina on Monday, December 14, 2020, as lodging will be more difficult to reserve.
If you would rather not travel to Chile or Argentina, the next total solar eclipse of the sun over the United States is expected to occur on on Monday, April 8, 2024.
Regardless of which total solar eclipse you plan on viewing, ensure that you are equipped with the proper glasses or filters for viewing it — and check the weather, as this total solar eclipse will occur during the second to last week of spring in the southern hemisphere.
Please refer to the following articles pertaining to the total solar eclipses which I experienced on Monday, August 21, 2017 and on Tuesday, July 2, 2019:
- Nothing I Can Do, A Total Eclipse of the Sun
- Total Solar Eclipse: Two Useful Tools to Know Where to Go
- Everything You Do Not Want to Know About Trying to View a Total Solar Eclipse
- Photographs of the Total Eclipse of the Sun
- Chasing Another Total Solar Eclipse 2019
- The Total Eclipse of the Sun Chile July 2019: A Poor Video of a Great Celestial Event
All photographs ©2017 and ©2019 by Brian Cohen.
