Total Solar Eclipse, 1 Aug 2008 Friday

A total solar eclipse will darken some of Earth's skies on Friday,in the northeastern edge of Canada, the tip of Greenland, parts of Russia, China and Mongolia, including the famed Gobi desert.

"It's so rare and unusual, it's unfortunate to pass up any chance," said NASA astrophysicist Fred Espenak, who has been chasing eclipses since 1970. Espenak will be in northern China to watch it with a tour group.

Next year's total solar eclipse _ July 22, 2009 _ will be more southern and last the longest of the 21st Century: 6 minutes, 39 seconds. But it will be during monsoon season and can be seen, only if the weather cooperates, in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, China and the Pacific Ocean.

For those who cannot see the real total solar eclipse this Friday, it will be screened live on internet. It reaches its peak at 7:09 a.m. EDT and will last 2 mins and 27 secs.

NASA's 2008 solar eclipse web site: http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEmono/TSE2008/TSE2008.html