Mexico and California offer prime eclipse view
June 10, 2002 Posted: 1:19 PM EDT (1719 GMT)

CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico (AP) -- In this tourist resort on the southern tip of 
Mexico's Baja California peninsula, the sun is the main attraction, burning 
harshly over the cactus-studded deserts and sending ripples of light over 
the blue waters of the Pacific and Gulf of California. 

But on Monday, vacationers looked forward to watching it disappear during 
the first partial solar eclipse of 2002. 

In what promises to be a stunning cosmic event, 94 percent of the sun will 
be obscured by the moon's shadow, reducing the sun to a glowing crescent just 
before sunset. 

"Visualize the sun with a bite taken out of it," said John Mosley, an 
astronomer at the Griffith Park Observatory in Los Angeles. 

While not a major astronomical event -- several partial solar eclipses can 
occur in a year -- Monday's eclipse promised to be particularly rewarding 
because it coincides with a traditionally spectacular sunset. 

"I'm really looking forward to seeing it," said Lee Copperwheat, a 
35-year-old fashion designer from London who two years ago witnessed a 
total solar eclipse in England. 

In most places in the United States, skygazers Monday will see only 
tiny portions of the sun's surface obscured, if any at all. The East 
coast, where the eclipse occurs after sunset, will miss it entirely. 

But in California and Mexico, it promised to be dramatic. 

The event begins across the International Dateline at sunrise Tuesday in 
Southeast Asia. The moon's shadow will partially darken the sun, widening 
while crossing the Pacific. 

The eclipse will reach its final phases and stage its most impressive show 
near San Diego, California, Mexico's Baja California peninsula, and the 
resort city of Puerto Vallarta on Mexico's Pacific coast. 

In San Diego, three-quarters of the sun will be hidden, while just south 
of Puerto Vallarta and about 30 miles south of the tip of the Baja 
California peninsula, 97 percent of the sun will disappear, leaving only a 
narrow burning ring of fire, known as an annular eclipse. 

But heavy rains were forecast for Puerto Vallarta, leaving Los Cabos one 
of the most promising places for a land-based view. 

Several sunset cruise liners were offering eclipse-watching trips, complete 
with solar-viewing glasses. Scientists warned that no one should look 
directly at the sun without proper eye protection. 

Mark Aragon, 44, and Brian Malone, 36, on a fishing trip in Los Cabos with 
10 buddies from the Los Angeles area, were hoping for a glimpse of the event. 

"I'm sure if this is happening, the guys will want to see it," Malone said. 
"This isn't something you see every day."