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Total Solar Eclipses occur fairly regularly, though even with as many as 50 or 60 each century, the chances of a total eclipse occurring at a particular location is a fairly rare occurrence.

For a total Solar Eclipse to occur at the same place twice within six years 1 is very rare indeed. This will in fact happen on March 29 2006 when an area approximately 190Kms in diameter  in central Anatolia in Turkey will be directly on the path of totality for the second time within six years.

The time of day when the eclipse will occur at the intersection is also very close to the same time of day, and I hope to have these times in the near future.

The August 11 1999 Solar Eclipse line of totality tracked approximately Northwest to South East. The March 29 2006 Eclipse will track between Southwest and Northeast Turkey, at right angles to the previous event, forming a cross.

There may be nothing in it, but the Sun and Moon seem to have plotted together to spell out a message, and perhaps X really does mark the spot.

So where is this place?

The latest information I have, courtesy of one of our 1999 Eclipse Tour participants, puts the center of totality for the 1999 and 2006 Solar Eclipses at the following coordinates:

Latitude 40.1667 -  Longitude 36.533

If anyone has more accurate figures for the location 2 please let me know. These coordinates put the  area somewhere close to the Turkish village of Caltepe, which is in a region of high peaks reaching an elevation of 1674m (2675ft). Caltepe is between Amasya and Sivas, in Central Anatolia

The 1999 Eclipse 3 path of totality followed a line from the central Black Sea coast across the mountains through less populated areas of Turkey, where accommodation and facilities for tourists are sparse.

The 2006 Eclipse 4 follows a route across Turkey which passes through more touristic areas than those of the 1999 Eclipse. The path passes close to the famous Mediterranean resort of Antalya. Known as the 'Turkish Rivera', this region of Turkey has a mild climate during the winter and viewing conditions towards the end of March should be excellent.

So, there is a choice between the mystical, (cold in March), location of Caltepe or the warm climate of Antalya.

In October we will be visiting the area to locate the actual spot with a   GPS and to check the logistics for our proposed tour.

Register your interest in our 2006 Eclipse Tour NOW

Footnotes:

1. A very short time in Solar Eclipse terms. Most places on earth do not see a total eclipse for many thousands of years  return

2. If anyone can verify this location and the exact times of the 1999 and 2006 eclipses, with details of the source of the information, it would be appreciated return      Click here to see the location

3. The I999 Total Solar Eclipse occurred at coordinates Latitude 40.1667and Longitude 36.533 (Caltepe), at approximately   1130 UT on August 11 (currently under revision)  return      Click here to submit information

4. The 2006 Total Solar Eclipse will occur at coordinates Latitude 40.1667 and Longitude 36.533 (Caltepe), at approximately 1108 UT on March 29 (currently under revision)   return       Click here to submit information