The Book

You've booked the flights. You've booked the hotel (or the cruise). You've taken the time off work. Now what?

The path of totality is narrow. The window is brief. And the difference between a prepared observer and an unprepared one is the difference between a life-changing experience and a beautiful blur you can't quite remember.

Chasing Totality is written for travellers who have already committed — financially, logistically, emotionally — to being somewhere along that 150-kilometre corridor on 12 August 2026. It's a single book that operates as three things at once: a full-colour science textbook that makes the physics vivid, a destination decision tool for choosing between Iceland, Spain, and the eclipse cruises, and a built-in workbook — the Totality Passport — designed to go with you on eclipse day.

It's written by a father-and-son team who have chased fourteen total solar eclipses between them across four continents. Full colour throughout. 7" × 10". Designed to be read, written in, and brought outside.

What's Inside

Everything you need to prepare — and nothing you don't.

Ten chapters, four appendices, and a fill-in workbook. Structured in four parts: Understand, Prepare, Experience, and Carry It Home.

The science, made vivid

How eclipses work, why totality is nothing like 99% coverage, and a phenomenon-by-phenomenon guide to everything you'll see: the corona, the diamond ring, Baily's beads, shadow bands, and the 360-degree sunset.

Iceland vs. Spain vs. Cruise

A complete destination comparison: city-by-city contact times, how to read the cloud-cover odds, how to choose your viewing site, and practical planning considerations for each region.

III

Gear, safety, and the non-negotiables

ISO-certified filter guidance, a photography cheat sheet, and the critical eye-safety protocols every observer must follow.

A real-time eclipse-day timeline

A phase-by-phase guide so you know exactly what to do from first contact to fourth.

The Totality Passport

A built-in workbook with six structured sections: observation logs, a corona sketch area, a 13-item phenomena checklist, citizen-science prompts, and post-eclipse reflection exercises. Bring a pen.

Emotional preparation

The two minutes of totality deliver more sensory information than your brain can process in two hours. Knowing what to expect is the difference between awe and overwhelm.

From the Foreword

"I know how that sounds. I've done it four times."

You are about to spend a significant amount of money to stand in a very specific place at a very specific time and stare at the sky for less than two and a half minutes.

I know how that sounds. I've done it four times.

The first was in 2012, aboard a cruise ship in the South Pacific. I was twenty-something, exhausted from a career in hotel management, and only half-aware of what my father had been planning for months. He had four cameras set up on the deck. Other passengers had champagne. I had a smartphone that I pointed at the Sun like a tourist photographing a cathedral — and when the moment came, when the light failed and the corona flared and the ship erupted in cheers, I realised I had spent the most extraordinary ninety seconds of my life watching it through a three-inch screen.

The science in this book is not there to make the eclipse clinical. It is there to make the wonder articulate.

There is no perfect eclipse. But there is your eclipse. Let's make it count.
— Jared Koh, from the foreword

Download the full foreword (PDF)

About the Authors

Two generations. Fourteen eclipses. One handbook.

Lead Author

Jared Koh

Jared Koh has witnessed four total solar eclipses across two continents — two from land and two from the deck of a cruise ship. He brings the perspective of an experienced eclipse traveller who understands both the logistical complexity and the emotional weight of chasing totality. Based in Singapore.

Contributing author

Koh Joo Beng, MSc (Astronomy)

Joo Beng has travelled to fourteen solar eclipses across four continents over two decades, successfully observing the corona eight times. A retired engineer with a Master of Science in Astronomy, he contributes the book's "Veteran's Notes" sidebars and all original eclipse photography.

"Standing in the shadow of the Moon is the greatest demonstration of the power of science I know."

Formats & Pricing

Three ways to take it with you.

Published via Kindle Direct Publishing on 4 June 2026. The Kindle ebook is available for pre-order on Amazon now; softcover and hardcover follow at launch.

Kindle Ebook

USD 9.99 – 12.99

Full-colour on compatible devices
Searchable science reference
Free printable workbook companion

Softcover · Recommended

USD 24.99 – 29.99

7" × 10", full colour throughout
Fill-in Totality Passport
The format the book was designed for

Hardcover

USD 39.99 – 44.99

Archival edition
Lay-flat binding
Collector's choice

Launch List

Pre-order the Kindle ebook now.

The Kindle ebook is live for pre-order on Amazon. Softcover and hardcover follow on 4 June 2026. Join the launch list and you'll be notified the moment those go live, plus first access to the printable workbook companion.

No spam. One email when the pre-order goes live, one on publication day. That's the deal.

Thanks — you're on the list. We'll be in touch when the pre-order goes live.

Pre-order on Amazon →

FAQ

A few things people ask.

When does the book come out?

4 June 2026, roughly ten weeks before eclipse day on 12 August. The Kindle ebook is already live for pre-order on Amazon; softcover and hardcover follow at launch. Join the launch list above to be notified the moment those go live.

Does it cover my destination?

Yes, if you're watching from Iceland, northern Spain, or an eclipse cruise in the Atlantic or Mediterranean. Chapter 4 is a full comparison of the three viewing regions, with city-by-city contact times, how to read the cloud-cover odds, how to choose a site, and practical planning considerations for each region. If you're outside the path of totality, the book will tell you — honestly — why 99% is not 99% as good as 100%.

I've never seen a total eclipse. Is this the right book for me?

It's especially written for you. The whole book is structured around the idea that preparation is what unlocks presence — that you'll experience totality more fully if you know, in advance, what you're about to see. First-time observers are the primary audience.

I've seen totality before. Will I learn anything?

The science chapters go deeper than any pamphlet-style eclipse guide, and Koh Joo Beng's Veteran's Notes sidebars — drawn from two decades and fourteen eclipses — offer practical insights you won't find in a first-timer guide. Many experienced chasers will find the 2026-specific destination comparison and the shadow-bands section particularly useful.

Is this a photography book?

Not primarily. It contains a photography cheat sheet and practical gear guidance for observers who want to record the eclipse, but the core message from both authors is: don't photograph your first totality. Use your eyes. The book exists to make that experience deeper, not to make you a better photographer.

What about eye safety?

Covered in detail, with ISO-certified filter guidance and clear protocols for when it is and isn't safe to look at the Sun. Eye safety is non-negotiable, and the book treats it that way.

Can I get a review copy?

A small number of advance reader copies are being distributed in May to experienced eclipse travellers and astronomy-adjacent media. If you're in one of those categories, email hello@chasingtotality.org with a short note about your background.