Only Indonesia and a few islands in Micronesia will experience totality on March 9, 2016. The path of totality crosses the large Indonesian islands of Sumatra, Kalamantan (Borneo), Sulawesi, and Halmahera. An eclipse festival is being hosted at Palu, Sulawesi and will attract thousands of visitors. Halmahera and the neighboring islands of Ternate and Tidore are also favored sites. Some minor atolls in Micronesia are also in the path, but none have a serviceable airport so visitation, if any, will be sparse. No other country or island is under the shadow of the Moon as the remainder of the eclipse crosses the Pacific. The eclipse ends at sunset northeast of the Hawaiian Islands.

Indonesia in March is often cloudy with odds for clear skies steadily increasing eastwards across the nation. Visitors to this eclipse should be aware of micro-climates which can affect their chances. For a detailed prognosis, see Jay Anderson's essential eclipse meteorology site, eclipsophile.com/ Other essential web resources for the 2016 total solar eclipse are eclipsewise.com and this Google map.

A mitigating factor which could improve the weather odds of eclipse visitors is the strong El Nino weather event of 2015-2016. An El Nino typically drys the atmosphere in Indonesia, so eclipse chasers are hopeful.

All of southeast Asia, Japan, most of Australia, Hawaii, and western Alaska will experience a partial solar eclipse. This is the last total eclipse of the Sun before totality visits the United States on August 21, 2017.

Many eclipse visitors will view totality from a ship. While ships are not ideal for serious eclipse photography, a cruise offers several advantages including mobility to find clear skies, convenience of travel, and extended social visits with other like-minded eclipse chasers. The largest cruise ship embarking on a dedicated eclipse is the Holland America Volendam. Over 1,000 on-board eclipse chasers will be in Makassar Strait on eclipse day and will enjoy many other stops during the 16-day cruise.

We are pleased to offer two limited-edition maps of this eclipse for purchase. Map supply is limited to our small quantity stock.