Chasing Totality: The Complete Handbook for the 2026 Total Solar Eclipse

The softcover edition: Standard paper, accessibly priced.You've booked the flights. You've booked the hotel (or the cruise). You've taken the time off work. You are about to spend a significant amount of money to stand in a very specific place at a very specific time and stare at the sky for less than two and a half minutes.Now what?On 12 August 2026, a total solar eclipse will cross Iceland and northern Spain. It is the first total eclipse visible from Western Europe since 1999. The path of totality is narrow. The window is brief. And the difference between a prepared observer and an unprepared one is the difference between a life-changing experience and a beautiful blur you can't quite remember.Chasing Totality is the handbook for making sure your eclipse is not a blur.Early praise:"The first time I've read a book which contains the technical information as well as the human/emotional information." — Peter, Astronomy Educator"One of the best guides in astronomy, not just on eclipses: it's very educational and practical." — Gavin, Avid Amateur Astronomer"As someone who's never seen an eclipse before, I feel like I was experiencing the awe of witnessing an eclipse for the first time, even though I did not directly see it firsthand." — Allister, advance reader"A starter kit of sorts. Not exhaustive information but enough clues to allow readers to complete their own jigsaw puzzle." — Tony, advance readerWritten by eclipse chaser Jared Koh, with expert commentary and photography contributed by Koh Joo Beng, a longtime eclipse chaser whose photography spans more than two decades. This book combines deep but accessible science, multi-destination travel decision support, and a built-in workbook. Designed to go with you on eclipse day.What's inside:The science, made vivid. How eclipses work, why totality is nothing like 99% coverage, and a phenomenon-by-phenomenon guide to everything you'll see: the corona, the diamond ring, Baily's beads, the 360-degree sunset, shadow bands, and more.Iceland vs. Spain vs. Cruise. A complete destination comparison: city-by-city contact times, how to read the cloud-cover odds, how to choose your viewing site, and practical planning considerations for each region.Gear, safety, and the non-negotiables. ISO-certified filter guidance, a photography cheat sheet, and the critical eye-safety protocols every observer must follow.An eclipse day timeline. A real-time, phase-by-phase guide so you know exactly what to do from first contact to fourth.The Totality Passport. A built-in workbook with six structured sections including observation logs, a corona sketch area, a 13-item phenomena checklist, citizen-science prompts, and post-eclipse reflection exercises. Printable PDF version included. Bring a pen.Emotional preparation. The two minutes of totality deliver more sensory information than your brain can process in two hours. Knowing what to expect is the difference between awe and overwhelm.About the author: Jared Koh has witnessed four total solar eclipses: two from land, two from the deck of a cruise ship. He writes from the perspective of a traveller who knows both the logistics and the emotional weight of standing in the Moon's shadow.Contributing author: Koh Joo Beng holds a Master of Science in Astronomy and has travelled to fourteen solar eclipses across four continents, successfully observing the corona eight times. His eclipse photographs span nearly two decades and appear throughout the book. His voice appears in "Veteran's Notes" dedicated sidebars contributing the accumulated wisdom of a lifetime in the Moon's shadow.Two generations. Fourteen eclipses. One handbook.Don't just chase totality. Make it yours. Read more