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There are no total solar eclipses during the year 2000. There are, however, four partial eclipses: on February 5, visible throughout most of Antarctica; on July 1, visible in the extreme southern Pacific Ocean and the southern third of Argentina and Chile (including Tierra del Fuego); on July 31, visible across the Arctic Ocean, northern Russia, northern Greenland, Alaska, the western half of Canada, and the northwestern continental United States (specifically, the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, the northern half of California and Nevada, and the northwestern corners of Wyoming and Utah); and on December 25, visible throughout all of the continental United States, Mexico, the northern half of Central America, most of the Caribbean islands, and all but the northwestern corner of Canada.
The next total solar eclipse takes place on June 21, 2001. The path of totality crosses a portion of the southern Atlantic Ocean and then passes across the southern African nations of Angola, Zambia (including the capital city of Lusaka), Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, and finally crosses the southern portion of the island of Madagascar before ending in the southwestern Indian Ocean. The partial phases of the eclipse will be visible from almost all of Africa except the northernmost portions; most of Brazil except for the northwestern portions; Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina.
The following map of the path of totality across Africa has been lifted from Fred Espenak's eclipse web page at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. More detailed information about this eclipse is available at that site.
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At the present time the Southwest Institute is exploring the possibility of leading an expedition to view this eclipse and, as in Iran, engage in science diplomacy with the region's citizens. The location is still TBD but will probably be in either Zambia or Zimbabwe (depending, to a significant extent, upon the weather prospects). Stay tuned for further developments!
UPDATE: We successfully observed this eclipse, from a location in northern Zimbabwe. Reports and photographs can be found here.
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