July 22nd Total Solar Eclipse Promises to Be Great (in Asia)

Note that the "most densely populated section of the planet" does not translate into North America. No, it's going to be a treat in India and China and other parts of Asia, though.

Most of the best viewing opportunities will be in China, where some 30 million people will be able to witness the solar eclipse in the coastal cities of Shanghai and Hangzhou alone.

For those not in that part of the world, how to see July 2009's total solar eclipse? Well, in the US, some observatories will have events around the eclipse. For example, Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles will be having an event starting late Tuesday afternoon (yes, that's the 21st, but remember the International date line; that's the 22nd in Asia).

Here are the details on watching the solar eclipse: Griffith Observatory will be presenting its live webcast from 5:24 to 8:03 PM on July 21st, 2009. Here is a schedule of what you will see during the event:

5:24 p.m. PDT = First contact (when the moon first begins to obscure the sun)

6:37-6:43 p.m. PDT = Totality (when the moon completely covers the sun)

8:03 p.m. PDT = Last contact (when the moon no longer obscures the sun)

Where: The webcast will be shown on a large screen in the Gunther Depths of Space room.

Cost: Free and open to the public.