A total eclipse of the Sun is an inspiring event. Everyone should ensure that they experience at least one in their lifetime. The last total solar eclipse of the 2^nd millennium was observed from Turkey (August 11, 1999) and the first total eclipse of the Sun in the 3^rd Millennium took place in Southern Africa in 2001. However, this is the first total eclipse of the Sun in the 3^rd Millennium takes place in Turkey, which bridges two continents and has been the cradle of so many past civilizations. Wouldn't you like to witness this magnificent event one more time in the mystic ambiance of central Anatolia, which offers its guests Turkish hospitality and a lot of historical examples of paganism, Christianity and Islam. Among the countries from which the eclipse will be visible, Turkey seems to be one of the most suitable countries in terms of its climate and observational facilities. Kandilli Observatory and E.R.I. (the member of the IAU Eclipse group) will arrange field work on the eclipse path to determine the suitable points for the observations.

On these pages we intend to cover in some detail the total solar eclipse of 2006 March 29. On this site you will find maps showing the path of totality of the 2006 Total Solar Eclipse, which should give you some idea of where you should be if you want to have the experience in Turkey. Total solar eclipse occurs on Wednesday, 29 March 2006, in Brazil, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. This will be a spectacular eclipse, lasting over 4 minutes at maximum and visible by millions of people over a path up to 190 km wide. After Africa, the eclipse path crosses the Mediterranean Sea and enters the Asian continent through Turkey, where it hits land about 13:54 L.T. The path width is 171 km, and the duration on the centreline is 3 minutes 48 seconds. After this it will leave Turkey from the north east coast at 14:13 L.T., then it crosses the Black Sea, cuts a corner of Georgia, and then enters Russia, running across the north end of the Caspian Sea.

Observational sites in Turkey are given in the following table.