GREENLAND — Eclipse cartographer Michael Zeiler is aboard the expedition ship Ocean Explorer heading toward the fjords of Greenland, where he hopes to witness Wednesday's total solar eclipse under clear skies. His personal ambition for the event includes attempting the first observation of an aurora during totality while also watching for meteors from the ongoing Perseid shower.

Zeiler has chased total solar eclipses since 1991 and has spent more than two decades creating detailed maps that show the narrow path where the Moon's umbral shadow will completely block the Sun. "My personal mission is to combine scientific accuracy with cartographic beauty," he said. "So, I think that for an eclipse map to really work, the first requirement is it has to be correct, has to be accurate, but it also has to effectively communicate the important information."

On August 12, the Moon's shadow will sweep from the Arctic across the eastern tip of Greenland, western and northern Iceland, the North Atlantic and northern Spain before ending near the Balearic Islands around sunset. Greatest eclipse occurs over the North Atlantic west of Iceland, where totality can last up to 2 minutes and 18 seconds. The path of totality is roughly 180 to 190 miles wide at its broadest point and stretches more than 5,000 miles in length.

In Reykjavik, Iceland, partial phases begin in the late afternoon, with totality expected around 5:48 p.m. local time and lasting about one minute. In León, Spain, totality is forecast to begin near 8:28 p.m. local time and last roughly two minutes, with the Sun low in the sky. Other Spanish locations inside the path, including areas near Zaragoza, Valencia and parts of the northern coast, will experience........

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