From the windswept coast of southwest England to the desert plains of Iran, the shadow of the moon will race at up to 2,000 mph, blocking out the sun and turning day into night.
Astronomers are beside themselves with excitement, hoteliers are rubbing their hands with glee, eye hospitals fear an influx of blinded sungazers and police are braced for traffic chaos.
More than one million people are expected to cram into the toe of England to get the best view in Britain -- even though forecasters warn it could be a wash-out and landlords say there are still plenty of spare rooms.
That has not discouraged hordes of New Age travelers eager to dance with the moon as well as rain-sodden campers packed into pop festivals.
In France, worries over unsafe "eclipse viewing" glasses, traffic jams and crammed hotels have been overshadowed by weather woes. "Widespread sunny weather is not forecast," said France's EclipseInfo organization.
The government has launched a huge publicity campaign to warn people about the dangers of eclipse viewing.
"We are killjoys. We are here to remind you that even though it is a great phenomenon and a fascinating event, it can be dangerous," said Employment Minister Martine Aubry.
Thousands of glasses had to be recalled because they did not offer enough protection.
The government ordered heavy trucks to stay off the road for three hours over the eclipse for safety reasons, unleashing a wave of protest from haulage firms.
In Germany, insurance giant Allianz AG, worried about traffic accidents when darkness suddenly falls, is urging drivers to stop during the eclipse.
Carmakers DaimlerChrysler AG and BMW AG said workers could arrange lunch breaks around the eclipse. But one lawyer failed to have a case deferred so he could watch.
The eclipse offers a golden opportunity for Romania and Bulgaria, their economies still recovering from post-communism turmoil, to pick up much needed tourist dollars.
Preparations have not been smooth though, with a lack of accommodation and modern facilities to attract eclipse chasers.
Slow privatization has left Romania with only 160,000 rooms and the road network is in a shambles.
In Bulgaria, hoteliers around the Black Sea resort of Albena claim they offer better viewing conditions than Romania and are scrambling to offer 15,000 tourists day trips to the best sites.
Bucharest, which will have total darkness for two minutes and 23 seconds, is the only European capital in its path.
East and Southeast Turkey are prime eclipse viewing sites but Turkish tourism officials say only diehard astronomers appear eager to trek to those areas -- the scene of a 14-year-old battle between government troops and Kurdish rebels.
Villagers in eastern Turkey have been burning cow dung to blacken bits of broken glass to view the eclipse.
The U.S. space agency NASA gave the best possible publicity boost to the historic Iranian city of Isfahan, saying it had a 96 percent chance of enjoying the eclipse under clear skies.
The city, famed for its Islamic architecture, is hosting 100 astronomers from the United States, Europe and Asia.
All airlines flying to Isfahan sold out their seats by mid-July and booking hotel rooms is downright impossible.
Not everyone is seized by eclipse mania.
French fashion designer Paco Rabanne is convinced Russia's Mir space station will crash to earth and destroy Paris on the day of the eclipse.
The designer, basing his fears on the dire predictions of 16th century seer Nostradamus, said: "I've brought forward my haute couture collection and told all my employees -- don't be in Paris on Aug. 11, stay home, be far from Paris."
advertisement
