Ep#27 - Sævar Helgi Bragason - Icelandic Eclipse

Guest: Sævar Helgi Bragason  (Icelandic eclipse expert, organizer of Iceland's 2026 total solar eclipse preparations) 

Episode Summary

Chris and Leticia interview Sævar, Iceland's leading eclipse expert, ahead of the August 2026 total solar eclipse crossing Iceland. Sævar shares his personal eclipse history, the massive undertaking of preparing an entire country for the event, and what to expect on eclipse day.

Topics Discussed

• Sævar's name and background; his passion for "the cosmic ocean" over the sea
• His eclipse history: 4 total eclipses seen (soon to be 5), including 12 minutes 21 seconds of cumulative totality
• Iceland's last total eclipse was 1954 — stories from elderly witnesses who still light up describing it
• The pressure and emotional toll of organizing a national eclipse event (75,000–80,000 expected visitors)
• Eclipse economics: cruise ships (~40 in Icelandic waters), sold-out accommodations, eclipse-branded glasses (290,000+ distributed), skyr, beer, and champagne
• Northern lights and aurora chances during totality; current solar maximum activity
• Famous eclipse-chasing stories: Indonesia island mishap, flying with John Beatty, private jet trips, shadow bands on video
• Advice for future eclipse organizers: turning off automatic streetlights, encouraging people to stay put if weather is good
• Eclipse day logistics: totality begins ~5:48 PM in Reykjavik; traffic and travel tips
• The emotional experience of witnessing totality — Sævar's own tears, and reactions from first-timers
• Future eclipses: 2027 (Spain), 2028 (Australia), Saros series details, and long-term outlook
• Merchandise: branded eclipse glasses, T-shirts featuring Völuspá (Norse mythology poem about world's end)
• Shoutout to Jamie Carter for recommending the interview, and to American Paper Optics/Paolo for eclipse glasses production

Notable Quotes

• "It's just been the 12th of the most beautiful minutes of my lifetime, for sure."
• "If I can use the billion dollars to buy clear skies, then definitely the billion dollars."
• "You'll experience the shortest, most unique, probably most memorable nighttime of your life."

Key Dates Mentioned

• August 2026 – Iceland total solar eclipse
• 2027 – Spain eclipse
• 2028 – Australia eclipse
• 2044/2045 – Future US eclipses discussed

Leticia Ferrer's site: 

https://texassolareclipses.com/

Host Chris Chotas Alexander's Site
https://www.chotachrome.com/
IG: @chotachrome

Totality Talks is created by Leticia Ferrer and Chris Chotas Alexander.  

Totality Talks is produced by Chris Chotas Alexander.  

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:42

Welcome back to Totality Talks. In this episode, we talk to Son of Alhelgi Braggerson, Iceland's premier eclipse expert. He joins us from Reykjavik, and we jump right in.

SPEAKER_00 1:05

Yeah, my my name, I know it's a hard name to pronounce. It's uh it's a very Icelandic name, and it literally means sailor or man of the sea.

SPEAKER_06 1:14

Okay. And now you're man of the global sea.

SPEAKER_00 1:17

I definitely I don't like the sea all that much. I like the cosmic ocean, I guess. Cosmic ocean. Okay. Yeah, but great talking talk talking to you because I I've I've been listening to your show since since it started, obviously. Oh wow. Yeah, it was very inspirational uh for the eclipse in 2024 in the US. So thank you so much. It's a pleasure meeting you. Pleasure to meet you.

SPEAKER_06 1:39

And I just want to say I appreciate all the work you're doing locally to promote the eclipse because that's what we did last year. That's what we did in 2024. We started Chris star Chris and I started this. Actually, it's mostly Chris and I started this, and then I was doing a lot of um local events and things, trying to get things going for the eclipse. And I think I was successful. I was a I did Kate and a couple other things, but so I was looking at your website. You are the go-to guy for Iceland on this eclipse.

SPEAKER_00 2:15

Yeah, well, I would think so. I think I'm the Icelander in history that has seen the most total solar eclipses. It's only four so far. And because of COVID, I missed out on what, two or three or something like that. But yeah, so this will be my fifth. And until now, I have uh spent 12 minutes and 21 seconds under the shadow of the moon, the umbral shadow of the moon, of course. And it's just been the 12th of the most beautiful minutes of my lifetime, for sure. And I keep telling people this wherever I go and give a talk, because the last time we had an eclipse or total solar eclipse here in Iceland was in 1954. So hardly anyone is still around that remembers that day, but the people who are around and still remember, they all mean they just light up whenever they mention it because they know how extraordinary it really was.

SPEAKER_06 3:03

Good. Good, that's excellent. So who do you do you have like a couple of names of people that do that? Their ages?

SPEAKER_00 3:11

Well, yeah, they are they they are so most of them were kids back in those days. Uh maybe between eight and sixteen who remembered it. And they went down to the southernmost point of Iceland called Dir Hulay, which is a beautiful touristic spot nowadays, and they witnessed, under beautiful clear skies, uh totality around noon on that June June 30th of 1954. And they all, like I said, kind of light up their faces whenever they describe how cold it got and how they could hear the birds go silent, and then saw this awe-inspiring sight in the sky. And I say, Well, I know, I've seen four, and I cry every time, every time I see it. Just get goosebumps and lump in the throat and tears flowing down my face, and and yeah, it's kind of strange being the only person in the country who has seen that many. I know of my best friend has seen two, actually, with me, and then I know of one person who has seen three so far. But it's kind of weird being almost the only person in the country who knows what the fuss is all about and knows what needs to be taken care of and planned for everything to go well, hopefully according to plan. But it's taking its toll, to be perfectly honest. I have this almost like a stone in my stomach, and I'm really stressed out and nervous nowadays, especially with the weather. I mean, Iceland is known for being a fairly cloudy place, but still we have some beautiful skies in between. And I just dream of uh at least seeing the sun on that particular late afternoon. It would be wonderful. Could die a happy, happy man.

SPEAKER_06 4:42

Yeah, my mantra, my mantra's clear sky. My mantra's clear skies.

SPEAKER_00 4:47

Yes. Yeah, but that's a good mantra.

SPEAKER_02 4:51

Yeah, I'm happy to allow our uh the weight of the local total solar eclipse to be shifted from us in Texas over to you. Oh, I know. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 5:03

Much appreciated. It's like uh is it Sisyphos who is pushing the rock up the mountain there in Greek mythology? Yeah, it I can it kind of feels like I'm doing that nowadays with the whole country pushed up. And to be perfectly honest, we wouldn't be doing all that much if it wasn't for for my work. For the past two years or so, I've been knocking on pretty much everyone's doors uh for the past two or three years to tell them of the necessity to prepare. Uh if if it's a municipality, uh the government itself, and just tour companies, travel companies, everyone that has uh vested interest in the event. I have been very annoying for the past year or two. And fortunately it's working.

SPEAKER_06 5:44

Good. Good how many visitors are you expecting?

SPEAKER_00 5:48

Um so we have the the the official number from the travel board is about 75 to 80,000 people. Uh the westernmost part of the country is pretty much all sold out. And there are locals here who get dollar signs in their eyes when the eclipse is mentioned. And I always think it's so weird because people are sometimes thinking of just renting their homes and leaving the path of totality, which the it's is the stupidest thing you can do. Uh no amount of money, in my view, would suffice to actually uh yeah, leave the path. And I was asked by a kid at the school one day, uh so he raised his hand and said, Would you rather want like a billion dollars or clear skies on that day? And I said, Well, if I can use the billion dollars to buy clear skies, then definitely the billion dollars, otherwise, clear skies.

SPEAKER_02 6:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:35

All the time, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:37

Not a question. Yeah. Well, you could use the billion dollars to travel the world for every eclipse. That's true. That's true. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:44

I've already got it planned.

SPEAKER_06 6:45

And you could and you can just take your ampercept. Uh definitely, right?

SPEAKER_00 6:52

The amprecept, yeah. So that's all also kind of a little bit weird about this eclipse uh community. People are so um giving in many ways, and they are so incredibly helpful in many ways. And it's just a kind of small community in uh in many ways, but you get to know all these big names, I guess you could call them. And last year I met with John Beattie, who is uh he's he's an umbrophile, and he prefers to witness the eclipse from above the clouds. And he was here actually 40 years ago in 1986, and he chased an eclipse uh between Iceland and Greenland for this beautiful beaded totality for only a second or two or so on a plane. And he's returning now uh in 2026 and organizing another flight into the path and extend the duration of totality up to two minutes and forty seconds. And I was offered a couple of seats, but I want to enjoy the event with my family, so I'm staying on ground and uh selling the seats to uh some other lucky people for now.

SPEAKER_06 7:55

Well, uh I have to say that eclipses from the air, especially when the the flights are I've I've flown with John before for the 2015.

SPEAKER_00 8:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 8:02

The 2015 was going over the Faroe Islands, Faroes, the Faroes, yes, the Faroes. And we went, I was with him on that trip, which is success.

SPEAKER_00 8:13

Yeah, and and and how was it? How's the feeling of seeing it from from above?

SPEAKER_06 8:18

It's nice, it's nice. I got we got a pretty good video. For some reason, we didn't get as good a video as I expected, but we got a really nice video of the eclipse in the air, just off the iPhone, just off the iPhone.

SPEAKER_00 8:29

Yeah, we did But I could I I can also imagine that the shadow itself is a bit more obvious or pronounced. Prominent, it's very prominent.

SPEAKER_06 8:37

It's very prominent. Although the best shadow I ever saw was in the on the 2003 Antarctica flight, where you can actually see the shadow on the ice and the edge of the shadow. You see the edge of the shadow and the and the light beyond and the sun and the eclipse of the sky. I have one picture like that. Oh, it's beautiful. Flight eclipses are very, very nice, especially for those that are very hard to get to.

SPEAKER_00 9:03

Yeah. There will be one in um, I don't remember, yeah, exactly, 2033 in the middle of the Pacific, right? Like a remote. And and and like a really narrow path.

SPEAKER_06 9:17

Well, that isn't that the one isn't that the one over Russia? Isn't that Russia?

SPEAKER_00 9:21

That's Russia. Yeah. I think I I I I can picture the globe by by Michael Michael's globe. Uh, and there's this teeny tiny, very narrow path of totality in the Pacific. I don't remember exactly when it was.

SPEAKER_06 9:33

Uh I want to say 2033 is what I'm remembering. There's one. Yeah, I did a whole spreadsheet using AI, which I will publish to everybody. Um of all the ones that are hard to get. Oh, he's got the globe there. He's got oh, he's got the big globe. He's got the big globe.

SPEAKER_00 9:49

That's the globe I'm referring to. My favorite globe. Oh, it's the best.

SPEAKER_02 9:52

It's funny when we interview people and they've got one of these in the back of their back of their best.

SPEAKER_00 9:57

Of course, yeah. I bring with me all my educational events uh to just explain how tiny the shadow of the moon is. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:03

Yeah, March 30. Uh 23. So only two minutes and thirty seconds, but it's it's Russia. Russia uh and Alaska.

SPEAKER_00 10:14

Yeah. And but in the southern Pacific, isn't there another one? Like it's really what is it in the Indian Ocean? Um I don't know.

SPEAKER_06 10:21

There's another one that's there's another one that's like nowhere. It's middle of the Pacific.

SPEAKER_02 10:26

Yeah. 2055. Oh, it's an annular. Let's see. Oh, it's an annular. Okay.

SPEAKER_06 10:32

Oh, it's a hybrid annular. No, it's a hybrid annular.

SPEAKER_02 10:34

Oh, it is in 2020. Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 10:37

Is that 2030?

SPEAKER_02 10:39

It's across Africa. It starts in Africa, all the way across the Indian Ocean and ends in Australia.

SPEAKER_06 10:47

No, that's not that one.

SPEAKER_02 10:48

Okay. No, that's not that one.

SPEAKER_06 10:50

There's one that's only it's a hybrid. It is only in Okay, now I'm gonna have to go look. You guys have to keep talking while I go look it up. Anyway, yes, there's one that's like in the middle, but that's you know, but that's part of the fun of chasing is to go look at all these eclipses in the path of where can I go and how can I get there and everything else. And you kind of get yourself all excited for something you're even just thinking about doing.

SPEAKER_00 11:14

Yes, yeah. So maybe we should convince John of organizing a flight to that one as well.

SPEAKER_06 11:19

That one's gonna be a flat. That one needs to be a flight or cruise. I may do a cruise for that one. Yeah, if because I think we can probably I think you can get to it from like Tahiti. So 2005, I did one that was I actually I was on a boat from the Galapagos and there was another ship from Tahiti, and we got within a few miles of each other. We didn't see each other, but we saw a 30-second eclipse. And I think the one you're talking about is a whole minute. Yes, yeah, that's right. Twice as long.

SPEAKER_00 11:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 11:47

Although we did talk to just to call back to a previous, we did talk to the Baselian elements guys, and they like getting on the edge. So they were actually trying to see if they could just get on the edge and see that beaded annularity or that beaded totality. And I was looking at it as like beaded for like one second.

SPEAKER_00 12:10

Yeah, Luca and Alessandro are crazy. Yes, they are. Yeah, you shouldn't follow them. Go deeper within the shadow.

SPEAKER_06 12:17

I may do it one year. Just I mean, I've seen 20. This'll be my 22nd. So I should go ahead and use one for the edge. I think just to get the full experience.

SPEAKER_00 12:26

So it should be worth it. I mean, you kind of have a bigger bucket list once you've seen a few. You know, I have to see one very short, one hybrid, one above the clouds. Yeah. That would be beautiful. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 12:37

Try to get to the where the hybrid turns, where the annular turns to total. Oh, during the hybrid. That's what that we were talking about.

SPEAKER_00 12:46

It's it's becoming more and more niche, this hobby.

SPEAKER_02 12:49

Yeah, yeah. Yes. It's like a new uh goal that we're gonna try to unlock. But yeah. The thing is you put students on there, you stack them along the line, let them go, you know, have experiments every uh 200 yards on the edge.

SPEAKER_00 13:07

Yeah, you go to the center. Especially young students who have their whole lives ahead of them and see they can see more after that. Yeah.

unknown 13:13

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 13:14

Yes. Especially young. Well, we are getting a new, we did get a couple of new crops in with the 2017 crops. Like we're yeah, we're doing crops. Um we did get, you know, we have a lot more chasers now since 2017, at least through the United States, because that pulled in a lot of people. And then 2024 was another one. Um there's so and Chris and I went to all a couple of the AAS events for the solar eclipse, and there were just some really interesting young people that were very excited about yeah, this is not gonna be my my last.

SPEAKER_00 13:50

Yes. I'm actually inviting one of them uh here to Iceland, and he's arriving on Friday. His name is Dan Snyderman, and he was instrumental in organizing everything in Rochester in upstate New York. And unfortunately, he was clouded out. And uh so yeah, why not come to Iceland to hopefully see see another one? Uh well, let's see. So nowadays we're just uh I'm not really looking at the weather forecast because this summer here has been absolutely the worst for Reiki Week. We had a record rainfall in July, while at the same time in Europe it's been unusually dry and warm, of course. But we didn't see the sun for a whole month in June and July. And I was just, I mean, it it wasn't good for my um spirits, I guess. Like you're gonna be able to do it. I yeah, I decided to flee, flee the country to get some sun in in mainland Europe. But fortunately, the weather outlook for next week, at least according to the longer-term forecast, is looking pretty decent, to be honest. And I just dream about clear skies, at least in some areas. As long as I see the sun and can see myself, I'm happy. Yeah, because it has to be I'm doing clear skies too.

SPEAKER_06 15:02

I'm doing clear skies. I checked out the spots that in Spain that I'm looked at, and I, you know, the time and checking, making sure I had my little camera at the time and everything else, and there was clear skies, there was clouds on the horizon, but the sun just started to drop behind it after twin totality could have been.

SPEAKER_00 15:19

Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:20

So well, thinkers crossed for you as well, of course.

SPEAKER_00 15:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:24

Yeah. Are you are you stuck to one place? Um, like do you have an observation or do you have a mobile plan? Because Jay Anderson, yeah, so it's no great place in Iceland to watch this event. You need to be uh on top of the weather, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:38

Yeah, well, that's the thing. Um, since I'm kind of the eclipse expert in the country, uh, I'm being bombarded by the media to be uh around in Reykjavik on that big day. And I've told everyone, okay, I'm gonna stay at home and the sky will be beautiful. We will have a flotilla of telescopes to record the event from beginning to end, and then throw a good party afterwards, and I'm gonna get a little bit drunk for sure afterwards. Absolutely. I think it's worth it. But yeah, I'm staying at home for sure, uh, because I have a beautiful view towards the west where the sun is during the eclipse. Nothing that blocks my view. Um, so that's my plan of being there. And it's also just to help out uh the local media to explain everything that's going on. They will have a live uh feed to live um yeah, to do the event live all throughout the country. And I'm kind of the expert they are talking to, so I guess I have to be around anyway and explain all these things. Um if the weather is good, I'm I'm kinda worried about one thing. I'm pretty emotional about all this stuff, and whenever someone mentioned oh, the the outlook for the weather is pretty good for for Wednesday next week, and it's continuing to be good, and I just break down, I just get a lump in my throat and start crying because this has been so much work for the past two years, and so yeah, so much difficult work for the past two years, and I so desperately want to see it that I kind of just break down, so I'm probably gonna be crying quite a lot on the big day on on TV. But that's fine. I mean, I think if you want to communicate something so beautiful, just show your emotions, just give you give yourself soul self in. And you, yeah, people get interested at the same time because of that. Put your heart out. Yeah, so I'm gonna be at home.

SPEAKER_02 17:21

Yeah, that's a roller coaster of emotions, though. It is, and especially with the weather thing, and then you'd have to get to that get to that um level of how you know how much am I going to break down if this doesn't work out and you can run control it, and then it but it never never can. So it's it's that's the fun of it. It's an emotional roller coaster ride.

SPEAKER_00 17:45

Yeah, yes, absolutely. Because I mean I live in a place where we have a pretty astounding nature, to be per to be perfectly honest. You can we can witness a volcanic eruption taking place under a glacier, and it's absolutely spectacular. Or just a beautiful fissure type of volcanic eruption ongoing somewhere. And then, of course, the beautiful northern lights dancing in the sky above us. And there are so many beautiful things to see around here, but nothing gets to me as a total solar eclipse, of course. I've only once uh or twice had the experiment or experience of getting a lump in my throat by the northern lights, and it happened in 2003, and also again in 2024. And then you just look up and you're just awe-inspired by what you're witnessing because the whole sky in October of 2024 was completely red. Uh just like half the sky, a corona, uh like our Aurora corona in the sky for two hours constantly. Wowstantly changing, and it was just absolutely beautiful, and then you could kind of just get this is a little bit too much.

SPEAKER_06 18:46

And before that, when was it again?

SPEAKER_00 18:48

Uh so it was in October, November of 2003.

SPEAKER_06 18:51

Uh 2003 and then 2024 also. Yes. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 18:55

Yeah. Because in 2003 there was this big, beautiful Halloween storm. It's kind of famous because many people saw it back then in very southerly latitudes. Southern, yeah. And then of course in May 2024, and then again in October 2024. And well, nowadays the sun is pretty active. I've been looking at it through my solar telescopes and beautiful prominences every day. And I just hope we'll have one coronal mass ejection maybe escaping the sun. But who knows? We'll see. Who knows? We'll see.

SPEAKER_02 19:26

It's pretty active right now. We've been talking about the whole it's oh solar max is over. Well, is it?

SPEAKER_06 19:31

Yeah. Well, it's still very active. Still very still very active. It's still very active. Because we were supposed to hit solar max. They thought we'd hit it in July of 25. But we're still seeing so much activity, maybe.

SPEAKER_00 19:45

Absolutely. I mean, and and for places like like us, I mean, uh the sun has these uh phenomena called solar coroner sorry, coronal holes, and they are actually more common and more stable shortly after solar maximum. So you have the combined effect of pretty regular CMEs and also the coronal holes, meaning recurring aurora. So this is kind of the best time for seeing the aurora for us uh under the aurora ovas. Yeah.

unknown 20:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 20:11

I wonder if you're gonna wait.

unknown 20:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 20:14

Go ahead. Go ahead. No, I saw on your website that you there you have a couple of NASA scientists trying to cat trying to see if they can get the aurora during the totality. Is that gonna be from the plane or is they gonna try to get it from the lamps?

SPEAKER_00 20:25

So they're trying to get it from from the ground, uh, and they'll be pointing their cameras toward the northern part of the sky and the eastern part of the sky, where you might pick up some Aurora. It's very, very unlikely, of course, because the sky doesn't really get that all that dark, and you would need to have uh uh Aurora substorm taking place at the same time. The substorm is is when they become really bright for a brief moment, like 5, 10, 15 minutes or so. It actually happened last year. If the eclipse had taken place in the afternoon last year, we would have seen Aurora at the same time because we saw it in the data, in the magnetic data, the sky was just yeah, it was lit up by Aurora in the afternoon then. Uh however, it's it's already sufficiently dark to see the Aurora nowadays, and we have all sky cameras in the country, and we picked up some last night. So they were it's it's already sufficiently dark. So people who are coming here, the few of you eclipse chasers who are coming to Iceland, uh you are. 25,000. Well, yeah, a lot of them, definitely. Uh but they would they have a pretty good chance of actually seeing Aurora in the evening of the eclipse. So it's sufficiently dark. And the meteor shower, yeah, yeah. Yeah, it would be it would be great. Absolutely great.

SPEAKER_06 21:41

I don't know. It's gonna be I don't I've tried to I've tried I'm doing I'm organized a small family tour. And one of the things is then looking at, okay, are we gonna stay up to see the meteor shower after we've had the solar eclipse? Are we just gonna eat and drink and go back to bed?

SPEAKER_00 21:57

Why not do do all the things? Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 21:58

And do all of it just. Sleep in sleep in so we're all most of us are leaving the next day. We're not a lot of us didn't oh we're leaving on the 13th. I think we should have stayed another day.

SPEAKER_00 22:08

Wow. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah, that's tough. Yeah, it kind of reminds me though of my first total eclipse in Indonesia. And I traveled with Sabia Jubier, who you probably know. Yes. Yes. And we went to this teeny tiny desert island in the middle of the ocean, far away from anyone. And it was supposed to be one of the best sites for clouds, of course, or no clouds, preferably. And after traveling for 24 hours, we fell asleep on we had to fall asleep on the shore because some other tourists had arrived earlier and they stole our tents and our food and beverages. So we had nothing on the island. Yeah, that's right. So we had to sleep under the stars. But it was beautiful because we've when we fell asleep, the sky was completely clear, and I could just couldn't wait to wake up in the morning after and watch my first total solar eclipse. But then we woke up to this horrible, horrible nightmare of completely overcast skies and heavy rain in the vicinity. Oh no, after 12, we're traveling for 24 hours. We're gonna miss out on this. But as you know, everything changes during totality, or shortly before totality, even. So the sky opened up briefly enough. We had enough gaps to see and witness everything through the gaps, and it was just absolutely stunning. And then I learned the lesson that's been very important to me for the past two years in educating my local people. We don't need perfect weathers. It's fine if we have some clouds in the sky. And actually, I kind of prefer a little bit of clouds because I think it's a bit more dramatic and a bit more interesting when you have some clouds in the sky. It gets a little bit more exciting at the same time. So this cloud better not be directly in front of the sun when it happens. So yeah, I know. A little bit more exciting.

SPEAKER_06 23:51

Our 2016 had the same. We had we had we were in Palo, and they said they said the weather was gonna be kind of steamy and cloudy up closer to shore, so you should go inland. Well, inland had the rain, and the people that stay at the hotel had clear skies. But we still got we still got to see it through the clouds and everything else. It actually made it a really nice little dramatic video of that.

unknown 24:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 24:15

And we got to see most of it.

SPEAKER_00 24:17

Yeah, it's it's beautiful no matter what. And yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:21

So I think the more we talk about clouds, the better we help and push it everywhere. But um Antarctica when it was completely socked in, we had an opportunity before it looked like we were gonna be okay, and then 10 minutes later, or 10 minutes before totality, boom, the C Far kicked up. But it got dark, darker than it had been on the whole trip. And it was disappointing. It was still we were still in the umbra, and you knew it. You knew something was wrong. You need hard. Yeah, that's it.

SPEAKER_06 24:56

It got hand in front of your face, you couldn't see it dark.

SPEAKER_00 25:00

Yeah. It that's also kind of interesting. Uh that's also the thing I've been uh kind of vocal about because people are always asking me, oh, what if it's cloudy? Do we miss everything? Then and I say, Well, no, you you'll still experience it, definitely. You'll feel it and you'll hear it, and you'll definitely witness it because everything will be it'll be pitch black all around you. So you'll experience the shortest, um, most unique, probably most memorable nighttime of your life. So it'll be amazing no matter what. And it's been kind of key to get people excited excited here no matter what, because they know how the weather is here anyway. So yeah.

SPEAKER_06 25:36

They said you talked to government officials. You made everybody make sure they're gonna turn off the automatic lights.

SPEAKER_00 25:41

Yeah, that we were trying to do that. And I know that they are doing it in in uh the Reykinus Peninsula, where you have some municipalities because everyone is in on it, and here in Reykjavik, I'm trying my absolute best. Otherwise, I just have to cut the cable myself to make sure it won't happen. Yeah. And face on prison time, who cares? Yeah, it'll be worth it.

SPEAKER_06 26:02

You just don't want to miss the next eclipse, and it's coming up soon, so you don't want to do that.

SPEAKER_00 26:06

That's true. Yeah, well, they'll probably just get me a fine or something like that. Yeah, yeah, just unplug it.

SPEAKER_06 26:11

It'll cut the wires, just unplug it.

SPEAKER_00 26:13

Yeah, no, but but in all seriousness, we are trying our best to make sure streetlights won't light up. And I've already had meetings with the people who run the streetlights, uh, have the switch, basically, of making sure they don't switch on automatically. So let's hope for the best.

SPEAKER_06 26:29

That's it. So for those of you future organizers out there listening to this podcast, that's one of the things you want to do is make sure that nobody, the lights don't automatic lights don't come out.

SPEAKER_00 26:38

Yeah. Well, didn't it didn't happen in in Dallas in 2024?

SPEAKER_06 26:43

I wasn't in oh I wasn't in in Dallas, but uh yeah, but the light automatic lights came on.

SPEAKER_00 26:47

Yeah. I think I heard some booing or something like that when it happened. Yeah, they're just like children. Yeah, they need to take it seriously for sure. Unfortunately, the country is small, so everyone knows everyone. And I mean, I'm having meetings with uh government officials and uh safety officials and everyone who has who run things here, so it's easy to get access to them.

SPEAKER_06 27:12

Not only run things, but the guy that actually can pull the switch.

SPEAKER_00 27:15

Yeah, that's right. I have to look him up now. Where do you live?

unknown 27:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 27:21

That's good.

SPEAKER_02 27:23

Yes. Well, that's gonna be a really long day. Uh yeah. With the yeah, what at what time does it go over Iceland? Uh what day?

SPEAKER_00 27:34

Yeah, so it starts in the afternoon. It starts when the sun is about 25 degrees uh in the sky. Uh and it's around five, uh so 4.45 in the afternoon when partial eclipse starts. And then, of course, totality an hour later here in Reykjavik's it's at uh 5.48. And then, of course, an hour later the show is over, and then I have to wait 170 years to see it again from where I live.

SPEAKER_02 27:59

Uh doubt it. Oh, where you live, yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 28:01

Yeah, well where you live. So uh sorry, I I meant 219 years to see it from the place where I live. But next opportunity for Icelanders, I may move in between, so I may move into the future path of totality to make sure I'm there in 2196.

SPEAKER_06 28:18

I'm just yeah, I'll keep I'm I'm I'm getting close to the retirement age. I'm just going, hmm. I wonder if I could just go buy a house in the path. Yes. Every time.

SPEAKER_00 28:28

Oh yeah, oh yeah, that would be great.

SPEAKER_06 28:30

And then sell it. You buy it before, sell it after.

SPEAKER_00 28:35

Yeah, and exactly. And that's one of the things, uh, one of the key messages uh for us now, because it's passing over the most populated part of the country. And I know the uh government officials are worried about traffic and huge traffic jams, and for a good reason. So they are people being c encouraged to be at home, and I say, well, yeah, that's a good way to encourage them of just staying at home as long as they live within the path of totality and as long as the weather is good, because if the weather isn't good in some location, I absolutely cannot, I don't have the heart in me to encourage people to stay at home if the weather isn't good. People should definitely start driving and go somewhere else. Um in 2017, we had to stay in Denver and Colorado and drive into Wyoming for into the path, which normally takes you about what, four or five hours or so from Denver. But it took us about six hours to drive into the path and then 11 hours to get back. It was a long drive, but it was definitely worth it.

SPEAKER_06 29:33

That's that's and good that you mentioned that because traffic, it is what I found is traffic going into the path, like you said, it's a little bit heavier, but it's not crazy yet. But definitely after the path.

SPEAKER_03 29:44

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 29:45

Um, if you can plan to stay overnight wherever you're at least overnight, whenever you're coming back. And then you'll find I actually booked the train back to Barcelona a bit late. I was like, oh, they're full. Oh, and I ended up I ended up having to upgrade the trip back to in order to get on the train.

SPEAKER_00 30:04

Ah, I see. Yeah, but I think it's good to do the train. It probably be easier, right? To get back.

SPEAKER_06 30:11

It should be easier. Oh, yeah, it'll be easier. I mean, well, I still have to drive, I still have to drive part of I have an hour's drive back into to where the train station is.

SPEAKER_00 30:19

Yeah, well, there's also another way of just going on a private jet. And I I I had I had the opportunity in 2024 to fly from Boston on a private jet into the path wherever we want needed to go. And there was just a once-in-a-lifetime unique opportunity because I met these uh American billionaires in Iceland uh earlier in the year, and they invited me and my wife to go with them uh into the path. And yeah, that's the best way of traveling for sure.

SPEAKER_06 30:47

Are they are they the ones being your are they funding your umbrece too?

SPEAKER_00 30:51

Or uh well, no, unfortunately not. So they they were supposed to come here again, but they decided in the end not to, uh, for some scheduled conflict, I guess. But it would be lovely to see them again for sure. And I hope they will, because I've yet to show them the northern lights. So yeah.

SPEAKER_06 31:07

Ah. Okay, they are they need to come back with the northern lights.

SPEAKER_00 31:10

But yeah, it's but it it it's a weird feeling though to on eclipse day be way outside the path, and you don't care because you can go wherever you want, and you have nothing to worry about. It it was the most soothing, calm, uh total eclipse I've ever experienced.

SPEAKER_06 31:27

You didn't have the weather challenge that we had to architect this.

SPEAKER_00 31:31

I know.

SPEAKER_02 31:32

Lucky, lucky break. Well, you flew your learjet over Nova Scotia. We would say that you're so vain. Yeah. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:40

Uh that that song came came to mind indeed when we were flying over. So we flew to Vermont. We had beautiful skies there.

SPEAKER_06 31:49

Awesome, awesome. Did you did you land in Vermont or you just flew through this?

SPEAKER_00 31:54

No, we were we landed in yeah, in Burlington in Vermont. So and we had a beautiful, beautiful show from there. Uh we had some high clouds in the sky, but they just made it even more interesting because you could so easily see the shadow approaching you. Uh and slowly the darkness take over. Just yeah, beautiful. Like oh like always.

SPEAKER_06 32:14

Video?

unknown 32:15

I didn't know.

SPEAKER_06 32:16

Did you do video when you didn't? So you may want to look at it. If if you you can probably see the shadow bands on the clouds. You did. Okay, you got that that shot. The cameras now. I remember I think it was the 2012 eclipse, is when that started. The cameras had gotten high speed enough that when you took a picture, you took a video of a solar eclipse with light chat light clouds, now you see the shadow bands coming across.

SPEAKER_00 32:41

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 32:41

It's really interesting.

SPEAKER_00 32:43

Oh, it's it's beautiful. Yeah, it's just stunning. Um, it's so hard to describe to people who have never experienced it. But I remember saying to the people on the plane when we flew to uh to Vermont, they had never uh seen a total solar eclipse. And they say, What say what's so remarkable about this? And I say, Well, it doesn't really matter what I tell you, you just have to experience it. And it'll be remarkable, life-changing. Um, like your team winning the Super Bowl or whatever, something like that, or baseballs or whatever it's called. And then afterwards they said, Well, you were wrong. It was actually way, way more impressive than winning the Super Bowl or whatever. So, well, yeah, it is truly stunning.

SPEAKER_02 33:24

It is hard to describe though. Yeah, God scored a touchdown. That was my first thought. Yeah, yeah. My first total. It's like, what's going on? Yeah. We are pretty faces just Yeah, we are we are nothing, we're insignificant. That big star in the sky can go at any time, and it changes everything. And then at the same time, there are the planets all lined up, we are part of everything.

SPEAKER_00 33:51

Oh yeah. And and it's so interesting to experience totality for the second or third time with someone who has never experienced it, because you can hear the reaction of the people coming straight from their heart. And in this video from 2024, I have my wife next to me and she just said, Oh my god! Just screams, oh my god, constantly. Uh, because this was so alien to her. And I had described it multiple times and shown shown her images and video, and it was just nothing, nothing like it, of course.

SPEAKER_06 34:20

I'm actually going to put um I'm my tour guide here. I'm actually gonna make sure she's in I'm gonna put like a an audience shot because I really want to see she's so expressive anyway. I want to really see her reaction to totality. Yes, yes, yeah, as well as the other people here in Spain. Because everybody here is very passionate and expressive, and it's really great. And I just really want to see what that's gonna be like when we get when we get to totality.

SPEAKER_00 34:50

Oh, that would be awesome. I mean, the southern Europeans are known for being passionate.

SPEAKER_06 34:55

I think it's gonna be maybe I'm curious to see what that looks like. I'm gonna you ever see the YouTube video just to touch. Here's the here's the experience. Cut back and forth.

SPEAKER_02 35:06

This was the first this was the first one over Europe uh um in how long?

SPEAKER_00 35:12

So in in May yeah, mainland Europe since 1999. But I keep seeing online that it's the first one in Europe since 1999. That's of course not true because I last time I checked, the Faroe Islands were considered part of Europe. So part of Europe, okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 35:26

And there was one, I guess it's mainland Europe because 2006 missed mainland Europe. They got a work. It was Turkey and Yeah, it was Turkey.

unknown 35:35

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 35:36

Was it the Asian side of Turkey or uh or the European side?

SPEAKER_06 35:40

I think it was the European side of Turkey.

SPEAKER_00 35:43

So maybe not. I don't know. Maybe even the 2006 could fit the bill there. But at least since 2015, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_06 35:52

Yeah, 2015. If you count the pharaohs, yeah, if you count the pharaohs, it's it's 2015.

SPEAKER_00 35:59

Yeah. Oh, we had a we had beautiful partials in 2015. And uh because I I keep hearing that people don't really well. I mean, I know there's a huge difference between a partial and a total, but a very deep partial solar eclipse is still amazingly beautiful, considering how the light changes all around you, the silvery metallic look to the light, even uh, and you can feel it. You you feel the temperature drop and you can hear the birds, birds go silent. And that happened on March 20th in 2015. Here uh we had a 90% 97% parcel in Reykjavik and 99% parcel in the east of Iceland. And that morning was completely clear everywhere in the country, so everyone experienced a big, beautiful, deep uh partial solar eclipse, but it also caused a misunderstanding. So people nowadays they think they have seen a total solar eclipse because of that one. And I've spent so much time trying to correct them. No, you haven't. Yeah, there's a huge difference, but still particularly. Yes. Yeah, they saw partial total, which is no such thing. Yeah, that's right. That's right. So that's why I'm of course encouraging everyone to drive into the path and stay there for as long as they can. Uh for for this year's, for next week. It's so weird to say next week. Because I've been thinking about this since the noon of March 20th, 2015. Because in 2015, we um uh donated solar eclipse classes for every student in the country, all throughout the country, and their teachers. And it's just the biggest single science, communication, educational event ever done here. And since we were lucky enough to have clear skies everywhere, every student in the country went outside and looked at the this beautiful partial solar eclipse. Uh, and then after afternoon, shortly after the eclipse ended, it started raining, of course. So we had this one beautiful opening at exactly the right time, and that's so much what I'm hoping for next week.

SPEAKER_06 37:55

Excellent, excellent. Oh, that's so great.

SPEAKER_02 37:58

That is so great. On the on that partial total comment, um I'd like to credit uh Jamie Carter for bringing us together. He um shouted out and we love Jamie, and and he shouted out and said, You have to interview Savar. So thank you, Jamie.

SPEAKER_00 38:18

So yeah, it's great. I want to say thanks to him. Jamie is fantastic. Uh I I I hired him, let's say, uh a couple of years ago to do some articles for Eclipse2026.is because I knew that uh I needed someone who would be willing to write some articles, who would be knowledgeable about it, and would definitely help me in communicating different aspects that I maybe didn't really think about. So he's been tremendous help. And we're we're seeing each other on Friday and gonna do a toast for sure when I finally see him. Because he's on his way to Greenland. Uh and well, hopefully get some clear skies from there. Otherwise, he'll be just around and watching the eclipse from sea.

SPEAKER_06 39:03

This this eclipse is uh is a very cruise-heavy eclipse.

SPEAKER_00 39:07

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 39:08

Both in Greenland, Iceland, and in Spain, because a lot of people are going to uh for cruises here in Spain.

SPEAKER_00 39:16

I think I think the number here around the country, at least within the Icelandic uh area, what's it called, oceanic area or something like that. Uh I think there are about 40 cruise ships for the eclipse. That's a pretty pretty big number, yeah.

unknown 39:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:31

And some of them are all regions. Yeah. And I'm I'm seeing images from eclipse chasers who are in the country right now. Uh, because the ships are coming on land or in port at the moment. And hopefully they'll just enjoy the scenery. The eclipse chasers are coming. If they're not going to be able to do it. Eclipse chasers are coming. Yeah. And that's kind of funny. If you fly in to the country right now, the airport, the um the international airport has is all in on this. So this big wall welcomes you into the path of totality because the airport is within the path of totality, and people can witness it from the airport if they are flying out in the afternoon. And they had some arguments about maybe delaying some of the planes, but if they delayed some of the planes leaving in the afternoon, mostly for North America, uh then the staff at the airport would be would need to be inside. So this was quite the conundrum in the end. But I think they solved it, right? Yeah. But they have some viewing. Yeah, even at the airport. So and they have some viewing points. Yeah. Yeah. That's great. That's great. Yeah, and then when you go down into duty-free, the first thing you see is eclipse chocolate and my eclipse glasses. They welcome you there. So you can buy it, buy it a memorabilia right now from there as long as stock lasts. Do you have a pear nearby you can show us?

SPEAKER_06 40:51

Yeah, do you have do you show us your eclipse glasses?

SPEAKER_00 40:53

I can't. Your branded Icelandic? Yeah, go grab it. Yeah, if you if you stay for one minute, just a second. Go grab my glasses. All right. All right, let's see which glasses are. So I brought some pears. This is it. Nice. This was branded by a local advertising company that I've been working with, and it has this Icelandic word called Al Mirkui, which means total solar eclipse.

SPEAKER_02 41:14

All right.

SPEAKER_00 41:15

Al River. Okay. Al Mirkwi, yeah. Total darkness or total eclipse. And then we made the t-shirt as well. Branded. Which is kind of nice.

SPEAKER_06 41:25

Oh, that is beautiful. I want one.

SPEAKER_00 41:29

I can I can send you one for sure. Sure. I'd love one. That's unique. I'll send you one too. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_06 41:36

Oh my god, that's beautiful.

SPEAKER_00 41:38

Yeah, and then this uh prose poem uh that describes uh total solar eclipse from uh poem called Wurlespol, which is part of Nordic mythology. So it's basically describing the end of the world. Uh that of course ends with a total solar eclipse. Yeah, that's what we happen.

SPEAKER_02 41:59

That doesn't happen until 27 over uh levels. Oh, that's right, that's right. So we're safer now.

SPEAKER_06 42:05

It's not until 27 when Raw comes back.

SPEAKER_02 42:07

The end of the world only happens once, so for yeah, that's true.

SPEAKER_00 42:12

I think I think we're safe for the next five, six billion years or so. But I think so. Almost I think so too. Maybe maybe slightly less. We humans might not be here, but the Earth would be.

SPEAKER_03 42:20

Yeah, that's true.

unknown 42:20

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 42:22

But uh yeah, but I'm I'm very happy with the branding, how it turned out, and I've been working with American Paper Optics, so huge credit to them for helping me out. And especially Paolo, our Paulo who's working there. If he's listening in, then thank you so much for the cooperation. It's been wonderful. Excellent.

unknown 42:40

Excellent.

SPEAKER_02 42:41

Yeah, the whole solar eclipse glasses world. That's a that's a whole form.

SPEAKER_00 42:46

Yeah, so I I haven't I haven't mentioned it publicly, but um I have the number of glasses that's gone through us. So everything we've been doing has been financed by selling eclipse glasses and solar uh observing equipment. And we have uh uh had the help had a hand in about 290,000 eclipse glasses. And that's quite a lot considering the population is about 400,000. So three out of every four Icelanders will have our eclipse glasses. Yeah. Wow. That's awful.

SPEAKER_06 43:21

And for the and the ones that don't, hopefully they'll share.

SPEAKER_00 43:24

Oh, yeah, absolutely. Yeah, we're getting the last batch uh probably today or tomorrow, and it's selling like do you call it hotcakes or something like that? Is it hotcakes, yeah? Selling yeah, selling really fast nowadays. And that's part of the reason I'm super nervous. Just to make sure everyone gets their glasses and we're probably gonna be sold out, but that's fine. Better than having huge stock afterwards.

SPEAKER_06 43:48

Well, I I actually still you do giving up taking to Spain.

SPEAKER_02 43:54

She already already has a bunch there. I'm bringing a bunch from twenty four.

SPEAKER_06 43:58

Yeah, I'm bringing a bunch too. I've got about a thousand, maybe almost fifteen hundred that I've brought with me that I'm handing out right now. Bringing um I work at I work at a company, I'm dropping two hundred of them off until they're ready. Come get 'em for the office.

SPEAKER_00 44:12

Yeah, you always bring a batch with you whenever you go, right? Right. And then I'm gonna talk to everyone at it.

SPEAKER_06 44:17

Yeah, well the town, the town that I'm gonna see it at. I haven't really picked out which one it is, but whichever town it is, they're all gonna get Eclipse glasses.

SPEAKER_00 44:24

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 44:24

So I expect to have that suitcase is gonna be empty when I yeah, good.

SPEAKER_00 44:30

Excellent. Yeah, because it it's uh it's very popular nowadays, and the frenzy is kind of just getting started. Um, I don't know if you know an Icelandic food called skir, which is almost like a Lapne in many ways. It's like a uh almost like a yogurt, but it's full of protein, really healthy. Uh, and we have an eclipse-themed skir, so people can buy that locally now. Uh, we also did this uh beer, special uh microbrewery type of beer, which was it is delicious. And then uh I don't know what if you remember what Churchill said about champagne. Well, he said a lot of things about champagne, but one thing he did say was in victory I deserve it. In defeat, I need it. So we customized or branded a bottle of champagne to be opened after the eclipse, either to drown our sorrows or celebrate. That's it, that's it.

SPEAKER_06 45:22

Yeah, we're doing uh I'm in Spain, so we're doing kava.

SPEAKER_00 45:26

Ah, oh okay, of course, of course, yeah. And you have branded kava as well, yeah?

SPEAKER_06 45:30

I don't have any branded kava. I I'm I'm not good at the marketing stuff, so I'm staying out of that. We're just otherwise we would have a bunch of products we were trying to push here, but we don't.

SPEAKER_00 45:39

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, you learn quite a lot from visiting other places, especially the US, who are masters of of branding everything and making the most out of everything.

SPEAKER_06 45:49

The only thing is the US, the only Eclipse one I've ever had in the US was just awful.

SPEAKER_00 45:54

So the next one you have is in a few years. Well, in 2014, right? 45. 2045. August 12th, 2045, right?

SPEAKER_06 46:05

It's not quite August 12th, it's some other date. August 12th.

SPEAKER_00 46:08

Here we go.

SPEAKER_02 46:09

What what does the globe say? The globe says August the 12th.

unknown 46:13

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 46:14

Is it really? 40. Correct. 2045. Yeah. Six seconds. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 46:21

That's another August 12th of 2045.

SPEAKER_02 46:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 46:25

So that'll be my fourth Saros of 18 years.

SPEAKER_02 46:29

So that's a Soros. That's a Soros from the same one as this one? Is that correct? Uh no, no.

SPEAKER_00 46:35

That's the next one will be in 2014. Right? 2020.

SPEAKER_06 46:42

No, 2027. 2027 is the next Saros.

SPEAKER_00 46:45

Yeah. Yeah, but but the next one in this Saros will be in 2044. On August 23rd, 2024. Over Alaska, right?

SPEAKER_04 46:54

Parts of Greenland. 2014.

SPEAKER_02 47:03

Yeah. Over Greenland. Let's see. Yes, okay, here we go. Oh wow, that's a big yeah, that's uh August the 23rd. Um over the northern tip of North America, uh America, over Canada, um British Columbia, Yukon, and then goes back and it and it um I think it starts on the west coast of Greenland.

unknown 47:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 47:32

Lucky lucky them. Well, well, there are a few full few more uh towns at least on that side of Greenland than than this year's.

SPEAKER_06 47:40

So this year's oh it's it's an Arctic one, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 47:43

Yeah, it's real Arctic. And maybe Greenland will be owned by the US by then. Who knows? Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 47:51

Own. We'll see.

SPEAKER_02 47:54

You'll be our neighbors.

SPEAKER_06 47:57

Maybe. Maybe.

SPEAKER_02 47:59

This is great. Um I'm um I'm starting to feel like I'm I'm missing out on the Iceland thing. This is this is fantastic.

SPEAKER_00 48:09

It'll it'll be it'll be beautiful no matter what. And there are so many unique, beautiful places to witness it from. Uh, one thing, of course, is the Blue Lagoon. Uh there will be a huge festival in the Blue Lagoon, which is a geothermal pool, very popular for the tourists. And we provided them with plastic eclipse glasses, so we don't want dissolved in the in the lagoon itself. But yeah, you can just stay in the warmth of the geothermal pools looking up and enjoy the show. So there are many unique sites to witness it from.

unknown 48:39

Awesome.

SPEAKER_02 48:41

Well, we help you right there being in the therapy pool. Yes. Witnessing a totality.

SPEAKER_04 48:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 48:51

Good for your body and your souls.

SPEAKER_04 48:53

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 48:56

Well, I'm hoping you put clear skies for everybody on this one. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 49:01

Fingers crossed indeed.

SPEAKER_06 49:02

Yeah. Clear skies for everybody because it's a it's the start of a run of three eclipses. I mean, they're coming about every 11 months.

unknown 49:11

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 49:12

For the next 2027, 2028. I think we skip 2029, and then we go back to a 2030.

SPEAKER_00 49:21

Yeah. Have you decided where to go for next year's and the year after? I'm in Luxor.

SPEAKER_02 49:28

Okay, yeah. Same here. And um as in Australia. She's doing outback. I'm I'm torn right now. Yeah. City on the adventure west. But uh, do you have plans for 28? Uh 27 and 20.

SPEAKER_00 49:47

Yeah, so in 27, I'm going uh I'm I'm I'll definitely be going to the southern part of Spain. Uh, I've been offered a Villa There's a beautiful Villa there to enjoy the show from there, and I'm absolutely going for it. Uh, it's a villa that fits fits my whole extended family, so they are all invited to come and join. And I'm very afraid of large crowds in Luxhort and also the heat. So I think I'm gonna stay close to the Mediterranean for that one. Uh 2028, definitely Australia. Uh, although it would be interesting to be in New Zealand as well. Lower in the sky and a little bit more traumatic maybe in some cases. But yeah, probably Sydney, because I'm taking my family with me. Uh, we're going to travel uh around Australia uh after that eclipse or before. After that eclipse, okay, or before.

SPEAKER_06 50:34

I'm planning I'm planning on doing the tour before. Yeah. And you know, hopefully taking some eclipse classes with me and passing them out out and things like that while I'm there.

SPEAKER_00 50:44

Yes. Good. Maybe we'll do that.

SPEAKER_06 50:47

One of the Yeah, one of the things I loved about Australia is the fact that the Eclipse art I got for the 2023 was some of the best I've ever seen. Some of the give meats that they have. It's still my favorite T Mot T um. What it was it we got? The Thermos. That thermos was just fantastic it was fantastically dec decorated in the Aboriginal style. And I just love that thing. So the art that I got picked up in Australia was great. So I'm looking forward. I probably do need a caravan to carry collect all the art that I'm gonna pick up.

SPEAKER_00 51:20

Yeah. Sounds sounds great. So in the Australian outback, I mean, yeah, you're not afraid of any insects or stuff like that.

SPEAKER_06 51:31

It'll be a way to go.

SPEAKER_00 51:33

Yeah. Well, that's true.

SPEAKER_06 51:36

Hopefully, it should be safe enough. I'm not gonna go that far off the trail.

SPEAKER_00 51:39

No.

SPEAKER_06 51:40

Yeah, well, that's I'm gonna stick. My plan is to stick to campgrounds and um motels when I can say it. Um Janine Francis did a very similar tour. In fact, I followed her on Facebook in 2023, and I was like, that's what inspired me to go ahead and do that. Is just watching her and all the people she met and how much fun she had. I just decided I'm gonna do it in 2028.

SPEAKER_02 52:03

Yeah, that sounds great. Yeah. There were lots of caravan people in 23. Uh Australia Australia. They just started in Perth and cruised up the west coast and took their time, stopped off at the observatory, and and and and all had an incredible time.

SPEAKER_00 52:24

So yeah, that that's also kind of a very important aspect of eclipse chasing. Uh going to places you would otherwise never ever go to, meet all these locals, uh, try the food, the drinks, uh the culture, of course. And then for me personally nowadays, what seeing the eclipse itself is just the icing off on the cake. So always hope for the best, of course, but you cannot you never know. So yeah, just enjoy being wherever you are.

SPEAKER_02 52:56

It is getting close to time. I've got the eclipse jitters. And I got the yeah, and it's been so long. I mean, it's been we had 28 months. It's been a long, it's been a almost long and kind of depressing 28 months. Not just not having that 12-month away. Hey, in 11 months, there's another total soldier. It's like it's draining. Have all that that energy and emotional in uh upwelling uh vanish, you know, slowly trickle away for 28 months, and now it's coming back, and it's like all the old memories start coming back, and uh all the old feelings, and it's like we're going. It's yeah, it's go time.

SPEAKER_00 53:40

Yeah, uh it's a bit bit stranger uh when you're organizing things, preparing your nation for what is about to happen than just being traveling. It's a little less precious when you're just traveling to get the jitters. For me nowadays, it's just nightmares, hardly any sleep, waking up in the middle of the night, uh just nervous. So I'm I'm kind of relieved when it's finally over, to be perfectly honest.

SPEAKER_02 54:06

The burden is yours now, like you know, and be careful of the the post-eclipse crash. You've gonna have to balance you know the the working aspect and the enjoyment aspect. I I can't imagine um to go through.

SPEAKER_00 54:22

I'm actually I'm going on I'm going on summer holiday after after the eclipse. Good. Good. Yes. Uh well it's go ahead, Fish your save it, sorry. Oh yeah, just a well-deserved rest. And what's the lunar eclipse, of course, on the 28th of August from the Canary Islands. So that will be something. Oh, that's where you're going for your night. Yeah. So we were just trying to try to find some place where I didn't have to think at all. I would like to be carried from the plane into the hotel, preferably, and just handed a drink and something good to eat, and then just sit down and relax and do nothing.

SPEAKER_06 55:02

Well, I for one want to commend you for all the work you're doing and getting the word out. I did it. Thank you. Chris and I did it from 2024. It's a lot of work. It is well worth it. But you will deserve your rest afterwards.

SPEAKER_00 55:16

Yes, thank you so much. Uh much appreciated. I look very much forward to it, although I'm yeah, super nervous about it at the same time. And I just wish you clear skies wherever you are, of course, in your all of your eclipse chasing. Yeah. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 55:29

Yeah, thank you. Clear skies to you. Iceland sounds like it sounds like a fantastic place to be for this event.

SPEAKER_00 55:37

It is. It will be. It'll be the best day of the summer. Completely clear skies, 25 degrees centigrade, no wind. So that's that's what I'm aiming for.

SPEAKER_02 55:53

That's it for this episode of Totality Talks. Hope you enjoyed our chat with Stephon. In the next episode, we have the Bastellian Elements team, and that's gonna be a wrap as we head into Totality. As always, please guys.