``Romania is going to have the maximum time of the eclipse. Scientists need every little second of the eclipse and NASA is working with Romanian scientists to get pictures, so we can see ... the sun's corona,'' Dan Goldin told Reuters television.

Apart from specialists of the U.S. space agency, dozens of other top U.S. astronomers have set up observation posts in Bucharest, the only European capital right in the path of the eclipse.

Total darkness in the Romanian capital will last for two minutes and 23 seconds, starting at 2.06 p.m., offering astronomers a rare chance to study the phenomenon.

Forecasters predict clear skies over the city, but NASA scientists will also use Romanian airforce jets to take pictures as the eclipse travels across Romania.

``We'll be making measurements from airplanes, so we're not worried about clouds getting in the way,'' Goldin said.

An official with the Romanian Space Agency told state television that a Russian-made MiG-29 supersonic jet would also follow the path of eclipse. ``We aim to catch six minutes of totality, much more than can be seen from the ground,'' he said.