• http://www.sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SENL/SENL9901/SENL901fi.htm
• http://www.williams.edu/Astronomy/IAU_eclipses/atmospheric.html

According to Espenak and Anderson (1997), and Espenak (1998), the total solar eclipse on Wednesday, 11 August 1999, will be visible from U. K.,central and south-eastern Europe, and the Near and Middle East (Figs.1-2). The Moon umbral path will touch British territory at the Cornwall peninsula in Englands south-western coast during the midmorning, where the totality will last 2 minutes (Fig. 3), and passing over Plymouth at approximately 12 km distance from the totality line. After having passed over the English Channel the umbra reaches continental Europe along Frances Normandy coast (Fig. 3), running across northern France (eclipse southern limit just 30 km north of Paris), southern Belgium, Luxembourg (Fig. 4) and Germany (passing over Sttugart and Munich), respectively (Fig. 5). Then, the shadow begins to swing across central Austria (passing over Salzburg) and Hungary (Fig. 6). The shadow briefly sweeps through northern Yugoslavia (Fig. 6) before continuing on to Romania (passing over Bucharest) and where the totality will reach the greatest duration (2 min 23 sec at Rimnicu-Vilcea). The shadow also will enter northern Bulgaria before going to across the Black Sea (Fig. 7). Finally, the eclipse path will touch the Near East in Turkeys northern coast on the Black Sea and continues across this country Southeast direction passing, then, over Iraq and Iran (and also eastern Syria) where the shadows trajectory begins to narrow and the duration to drop. The ending stages of the phenomenon will take place late afternoon over southern Pakistan (passing over Karachi) and central India.

Along this stretched path there are multiple diversity of climatologies,meteorological conditions, landscapes, topographical characteristics, etc., which make the local eclipse circumstances, based on weather prospects, very complicated at the moment to choose the most convenient observation site. However, Espenak and Anderson (1997),and Espenak (1998), provide some basic useful information as guidelines in order to have an idea over eclipse viewing chances. According to them the probability of seeing the eclipse, over dry land, increases from Lands End (~45%), in England, to Esfahan (~95%), in Iran.

By technical and logistic convenient reasons the observation site must be restricted in somewhere between Austria and Romania. The probability of seeing the eclipse from countries in this sector of the shadow path ranges from ~53% to ~63%. Among these reasons are: (1) Positions of the sun in the sky (local time) during the event. (2) Duration of the totality at the centre line. (3) Moderate travel expenses. (4) Existence of national committees for the eclipse providing strategic support (facilities) and useful local information. (5) Invitation received from the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group on Solar Eclipses to participate with them in the eclipse observation (from Romania). The reason No. 2, along with the highest probability within the limited interval referred to above, indicate that Romania would probably be the best country to go. In any case, this project has to be confined to somewhere in the countryside of the country selected, faraway from cities, to avoid artificial illumination (light pollution) and big obstacles in the sight line (mainly to the horizon). These are restrictions associated with the radiometric and photometric requirement measurements. In the particular case of Romania, the capital Bucharest and Timisora (where the Romanian observatories are located), are ruled out because they are highly polluted. Then the possible sites are: Retezat National Park, on the line of centrality (about 2400m), the heal region near Ramnicu Valcea (where the maximum will be observed), somewhere in the countryside of Romanian Plain (depending on the weather prospects), and on the Black Sea coast. In these sites observation camps will specially be set up by the Romanian Astronomical Society of Meteor Observers for scientific research activities.

Considering the many factors involved on this matter, the final decision on the exact spot to be selected will be taken later. Yet the local astronomical circumstances of the site, wherever it is, can be found in Espenak and Anderson (1997) or obtained from these authors after the eclipse."

from MARCOS A. PENTALOZA M. project for "Observation and measurement of the optical, thermal, pressure and other atmospheric physical/chemical effects during the total solar eclipse of 11 th August 1999 in Europe