In just a little over a week, people across much of Taiwan can expect a rare astronomical treat. But nowhere is the excitement higher than in Yunlin County, perhaps the best spot for viewing it.
It’s not every day that you get to see a total solar eclipse. Fans of astronomical phenomena in Taiwan have been lucky lately—Taiwan’s outlying Kinmen Islands got one back in 2012, and in just over a week from now, people in nine different cities and counties will get their very own annular total solar eclipse.
Here’s where the luck ends for now, though. Miss this one, and you’ll have to wait 195 years for Taiwan’s next total solar eclipse.
Perhaps no one is more excited for the eclipse than the people of Yunlin County in central Taiwan. The county’s Shuilin and Kouhu Townships will be the first spots to see the eclipse, which will take place on the afternoon of June 21.
Local officials are planning events at an elementary school and a temple. They say that the eclipse is expected to hit its peak in the area at exactly 55 seconds past 4:13pm.
Of course, it should go without saying, but those hoping for a glimpse of the eclipse should use proper equipment and should not look directly at the sun.