Where will the next total solar eclipse be? Map helps eclipse chasers with 15 years of paths. Photo / Fred Espenak, Nasa GSFC
Where will the next total solar eclipse be? Map helps eclipse chasers with 15 years of paths. Photo / Fred Espenak, Nasa GSFC
Across Central and North America eclipse mania has swept travellers.
As for Kiwis, there won’t be one in our backyard for another four years.
If you were hoping to get a last-minute break to see the lunar eclipse - you’ve missed the boat. Many towns under the path of the lunar eclipse have seen hotel rooms booked out years in advance by lunar eclipse chasers.
Last week Airbnb reported that 90 per cent of listings under the ‘path of totality’ were fully booked and occupancy rates up almost 1000 per cent on the previous year.
It’s clear that people go a bit loony for a solar eclipse.
The fact that the air bnb bookings paint the path of the solar eclipse is the only thing that scares me about this entire situation. 😆 🤣 pic.twitter.com/bPc7AVf5yz
There won’t be a total eclipse in Aotearoa for another four years. The next eclipse in New Zealand is due to grace the bottom of the South Island in July 2028.
For travellers who can’t wait that long there is an entire industry of eclipse-based travel, to cook up extreme eclipse itineraries as the stars align.
If the eclipse will not come to New Zealand, then New Zealanders will have to chase the eclipse.
Kiwis and Aussies will have to wait until 2028 for the next total solar eclipse. Photo / Fred Espenak, Nasa GSFC
Where will the next eclipse be?
While a local total eclipse occurs roughly once every 375 years - the phenomenon is not as rare as this makes them sound.
Through quicks of solar orbit there is at least one every other year. According to Nasa, the next solar eclipse will occur through north Spain, Iceland and the Arctic Circle in August 2026.
There are already bookings for trips to Spain’s Balearic Islands for eclipse chasers. Tour company TravelQuest has already begun advertising for an itinerary to Iceland for the next total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026.
That’s plenty of time to start planning!
Nasa keeps track of the coming eclipses in their 5-millennium catalogue - 2000 BC to 3000 AD. The US space agency keeps a log of the miraculous moon cycle for thousands of years to come. Don’t say you weren’t given enough warning.
While the space scientists have eclipses locked down for the next millennium, weather is a lot less predictable.
Although the United States eclipse was seen as a big driver in hotel bookings, some travellers prefer to wait until the last minute to chase the best forecast for clear skies and uninterrupted views.
Skiers and hikers watch the total eclipse of the sun from the Appalachian Trail at the summit of Saddleback Mountain, today near Rangeley, Maine. Photo / AP
Could cruise ships be the best eclipse experience?
Cruise ships were quick to jump onboard the eclipse craze. They offered something that satisfied travel planners wanting to book ahead, while also being able to move with the local forecast.
Holland America’s ship the Zaandam was out in the north Atlantic yesterday, chasing the path of the moon.
Captain Ane Smit told USA Today that while the eclipse was a given, it would take a lot of forecasting and planning to move into the perfect spot.
“If it’s not good enough, we really need to start finding another spot because we are not the quickest vehicle, of course, to be driving around, but we have the luxury of being able to go in any direction without any restriction,” he said. Moving at a leisurely 20 knots, they had to get a move on.
Karen Haun, of Lantana, Texas, uses solar glasses to watch beginning of the solar eclipse, as seen from Fort Worth, Texas. Photo / AP
Eclipse-chasing cruises are nothing new. In December 2021 luxury liner Le Commandant Charcot took about 200 passengers to see the eclipse in the Antarctic circle at more than $10,000 a pop.
Unfortunately on the day it was a little overcast.
Some might see these as loony prices, for a phenomenon that is never a given.
Although with an average width of 185km for the path of today’s eclipse, viewers had lots of options for where to go.
“It’s a pretty wide highway that we have,” said said.
