Mazatlán, Sin., April 8. It's a society without open membership or mandatory attendance, nor do they have a name by which they identify themselves. However, those who make up this multinational group have known each other for many years and know that they will meet again with the scheduled regularity offered by physics and mathematics to anticipate when the Moon will obscure the Sun and cast its darkness on Earth.
They are the umbra chasers (eclipse hunters), as they are known because they pursue eclipses (especially total ones) anywhere on the planet. No more than 10 people arrived in Mazatlán a few days ago, not only to prepare telescopes and other devices for measuring the phenomenon, but also so that several of them could have a few tequilas and celebrate the shared joy that has brought them together again.
The fraternity is made up of award-winning scientists, astronomers, physicists, and amateurs who are in the Sinaloa port to witness the new session convened from space by the two celestial bodies that, until not long ago and even now in some cultures, have been identified as gods of humanity.
The most assiduous is the American Fred Espenak , who with his 30 total eclipses now prefers discretion to coexistence, particularly since his fame in 2003 earned him the International Astronomical Union the name Espenak to asteroid 14120 .
No one knows where, but everyone knows it is in Mazatlán, since the 70-year-old astrophysicist who has flown aboard the space shuttle Discovery 3 and is the author of several books that have become classics among umbra chasers , would not miss the observation of his 31st eclipse.
Kryss Katsiavriades , a retired Briton of Greek origin, who is here to observe his 20th total solar eclipse, has at least 100 partial eclipses and, throughout his life, has visited almost 140 countries for his observations.
An exquisite place to observe it
He says he chose Stone Island, located east of the port opposite the docks, because it will be a place where there will be little noise, there won't be as many tourists and observers, which makes it " an exquisite place " to mix his hobbies with his wife, or his boss as he calls her, Talaat Qureshi.
"We arrived in Mexico three weeks ago, spent two weeks in Mexico City, one in Guadalajara for Easter, and we just arrived here to be under the threshold for the four minutes and 20 seconds that this spectacular phenomenon will last," he adds.
