The uproar can be attributed to the rarity of the occasion: the last total solar eclipse on the British mainland occurred in 1927, and the next one won't happen until 2090.
In Pakistan, the government of the state of Sindh hosts an eclipse Web page which shows the best cities from which to watch the darkness set in. If you're going, try Karachi.
Romania's tourist board is spending about $1 million to lure international visitors the country. Eclipse duration will last the longest in Romania, though the probability for clear skies is highest in Iran.
And Iraq seems to be catching eclipse fever. CBS reports that Saddam Hussein has asked the United Nations to hold off on its flights over the no-fly zone to give eclipse watchers an uninterrupted view.
Even in the U.S., where there won't be a total eclipse, the San Francisco-based museum Exploratorium is leading an eclipse watching expedition to Turkey, and will broadcast an array of eclipse views from Europe and Asia over the Internet.
It's a quirk of fate that solar eclipses are even possible. Just as you can hold your thumb to block an entire skyscraper from sight, the moon, when in the right position, can block the entire sun. That happens pretty rarely, however, once every year or two.
Other types of eclipses, partial and annular, each occur about as often. (Annular eclipses occur when the moon blocks out the middle of the sun, leaving a shining ring of brightness.)
For those who can't afford a plane ticket to Europe or Asia, a partial eclipse will be viewable at sunrise on the Eastern coasts of the U.S. and Canada.
A good spot would be Maine, says NASA astrophysicist Fred Espenak, who suggests that eclipse travelers stake their viewing ground a few days early to acquaint themselves with the morning sky and ensure they have a clear view of the horizon.
Even those in New Jersey or Maryland could notice a little piece missing from the rising sun.
And there's another effect to look for.
"The lighting could be a little odd before sunrise," Espenak says. "It might start to get bright, then it may trail off or even dip down as the moon shadow slices through the upper atmosphere."
Scientists will appreciate the eclipse for more than just the views. The darkness provides a great arena for experiments. Measurements of the moon's shadow, for instance, can be used to calculate the precise diameter of the sun.
The eclipse will cover .2% of the world in shadow during the three hours it takes to move 8,700 miles around the Earth.
Darkness will brush the southwestern coast of England by midmorning. Londoners will see only a partial eclipse, with about 10 percent of the sun visible.
The path of total eclipse passes just above Paris, through Germany and the Rhine Valley, and into Central Europe. Shadow hits Austria, Hungary, and northern Yugoslavia before reaching the instant of greatest eclipse longest duration, at two minutes and 23 seconds; and widest path, at 69.6 miles in Romania.
The show will be almost as good in Turkey, where shadow length will still be above two minutes. Iraq and Iran will then see the darkness, though totality will miss capital cities Baghdad and Tehran. Pakistan is next, followed by a long path across India, where the shadow will pass from Earth at the Bay of Bengal.
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