Although the weather prospects are excellent, the country's political strife makes it a dangerous place for eclipse observers. Click on image for larger view. As the umbra traverses Angola and beyond, the path width, duration of totality, and Sun's altitude slowly wane as the curvature of the Earth carries the projected eclipse path farther from the Moon. As a result, the tapering shadow cone will present a progressively narrower cross section to Earth's surface along the path of totality. Nevertheless, the 2001 eclipse lasts more than twice as long as the 1999 eclipse at all corresponding positions along the path.
Farther east are the cloudy skies of coastal Africa, and to the west lies war-torn Angola.
Click on image for larger view. The umbra's path now travels to the east-southeast as it heads toward the nation's capital, Lusaka. Lying about 40 km south of the centerline, Lusaka enjoys a total eclipse lasting a respectable 3 minutes 14 seconds. Farther to the north, the centerline duration is 3 minutes 35 seconds with the Sun 31 degrees above the horizon. Quickly crossing the Zambezi River, the path continues into Zimbabwe and Mozambique.