On Wednesday, 2009 July 22, a total eclipse of the Sun will race within a narrow corridor that traverses half of Earth. The eclipse begins in India and races through mainland Asia, crossing Japan's Ryukyu Islands and heads southeast through the Pacific Ocean where the maximum duration of totality reaches 6 min 39 s.

Renowned eclipse chaser and author, Dr. Mike Reynolds of Florida State College Jacksonville is heading towards an atoll in the Central Pacific Ocean that was the scene of a bloody battle during WWII, called Tarawa. From here they will embark in search of clear skies for a chance to view and image this deep eclipse.

Explore Scientific outfitted Dr. Reynolds with an 80mm f/6 Air-Spaced Triplet ED Apo for his expedition, and Mike hopes to provide us with reports and images of a successful eclipse observation.