This post contains a few of the summary slides from my presentation at the Luxury Travel Club meeting in Greensboro, NC on July 15, 2026.
Stargazing tips:
- Try to avoid periods around the full moon.
- High latitudes (far north and far south) will not get dark skies during the local summertime. (You won’t see stars in northern Norway in July.)
- The Southern Cross is briefly visible from Hawaii or Key West southward. The farther south you go, the longer it stays in the sky. It is above the horizon all night south of latitude 35°S (Adelaide, Santiago, Buenos Aires, Cape Town). Best evening viewing of the Southern Cross is from March through August.
- The Milky Way galactic core is best seen from south of the equator. It is high in the southern evening sky from June to September.
Eclipse chasing tips:
- For solar eclipses, you must travel to be inside the path of totality. Check a detailed map and try to get as close to the centerline as possible.
- Dedicated eclipse chasers plan years in advance. Be sure to book flights and hotels much earlier than you normally would.
- Don’t try to take a perfect picture. Leave that to thepros. ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE!
- Lunar eclipses are visible anywhere on Earth that the Moon is above the horizon during the eclipse.
| Date | Eclipse Type | Locations |
| August 12, 2026 | Total | Siberia, Greenland, Iceland, Spain |
| February 6, 2027 | Annular | Pacific Ocean, Chile, Argentina, Atlantic Ocean |
| August 2, 2027 | Total | Morocco, Gibraltar, Spain, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Indian Ocean |
| January 26, 2028 | Annular | Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, French Guiana, Atlantic, Portugal, Morocco, Spain |
| July 22, 2028 | Total | Indian Ocean, Australia, New Zealand |
| November 25, 2030 | Total | Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Indian Ocean, Australia |
Tips for Chasing the Northern Lights:
- Get as far as possible into the “auroral oval” – northern Norway, Iceland, Alaska, Yukon
- Travel between mid-September and mid-March (autumn and winter)
- Get away from cities
- Pray for good weather!