Solar eclipse 2021 on December 4: Meet the man behind the Facebook group that connects …

The Solar Eclipse Chasers group on Facebook has had a busy week. First, there were discussions about travel plans and the best spots to catch the December 4 solar eclipse. Then there were enthusiasts reminiscing and sharing photographs about their past eclipse-chasing experiences. A couple of umbraphiles (people who love eclipses), who made it to Punta Arenas in Chile, took to the group to share exquisite photographs and offered to meet up with other enthusiasts in the area. Another group member shared photographs of the eclipse stamps issued by the Chilean postal company. On the day of the eclipse, the online and on-location eclipse watchers convened together in the virtual space to debate the merits of NASA’s live feed vs that of Lindblad’s or share disappointing photographs of fog-covered Amundsen Bay in Antarctica (“Life of an eclipse chaser. Win some, lose some,” wrote a user in response). When he started the group in 2010, UK-based Ian (who goes by his first name) envisioned it as a space where he can keep in touch with his travelling companions from Polynesia’s Easter Island. Over a decade later, the group has over 8,200 members and is a space for eclipse chasers to make…
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