document: Mexico , where sun worship has passed from ancient civilizations to modern beachgoers , is gearing up early for the day next year when the sun will be blotted out . President Carlos Salinas de Gortari has appointed a Cabinet-level commission to prepare for what astronomers bill as `` the slar eclipse of the century '' on July 11 . Posters have been placed in Mexico City subways promoting the event , and resorts along the eclipse 's path are scrambling to accommodate the expected rush of tourists . `` It 's the most important eclipse in history , '' says Miguel Gil Guzman , secretary-general of the Mexican Astronomical Society . This one will cut a swath across one of the most populous regions of the globe , turning day to night for an estimated 50 million residents in 14 of Mexico 's 31 states . The eclipse path reaches from Hawaii through Mexico to Brazil . The 165-mile-wide path will go dark for almost seven minutes , the maximum length for a total solar eclipse . On July 11 , the moon will pass between the planet and the sun , abruptly swallowing midday 's light , except for a weird glow on the horizon . People from British Columbia to Buenos Aires will experience at least a partial eclipse . Viewing conditions may be poor because of the Latin American rainy season . But the special government commission , Eclipse 1991 , is banking on the clouds to roll in the country 's financial favor . The commission bills the northwestern state of Baja California Sur as the best place to watch because the state has an average of 300 cloudless days a year . Baja California Sur alone plans to spend $ 26.5 million for public safety for eclipse enthusiasts but banks on raking in millions more from tourism . For three years , scientists and astronomy buffs have been staking out turf in Mexico . It will be the last chance to see a total solar eclipse this century . Most hotels along the eclipse route are full for July 11 . Tourism officials are seeking private homes and campgrounds , schools and auditoriums to house the influx . Baja California Sur 's tourist facilities can only handle 120,000 visitors , and 90 percent of that capacity is booked , tourism director Rodolfo Palacios says . The state says at least four ships will pressed into service as floating hotels . Some 13,500 amateur and professional astronomers from the United States , Japan , Soviet Union , China , Canada , England , France and Germany have confirmed reservations . Some tourists have been booked into one hotel even before it is completed . The Pacific coast region of Nayarit is bracing for about 1 million visitors , about double the population . Cuernavaca , 35 miles south of Mexico City , is hosting a geophysicists ' congress during the week of the eclipse . At least one expedition plans to view the show from the 17,887-foot Popocapetl volcano , the country 's second-highest peak . Others plan to see it from boats at sea . An eclipse is an astronomical coincidence . The moon is 400 times smaller than the sun , but because it is 400 times closer to the earth , the smaller body appears to cover the larger one . Rosy rays of light will shoot out around the moon 's edges , forming what astronomers call a corona , or crown . Temperatures will drop at least 5 -LCB- degrees . The stars will come out ; the planets Mercury , Venus , Mars and Jupiter will shine . Streetlights will be triggered on . The National University is developing six half-hour documentaries on eclipses and 10 TV spots on the dangers of looking at the sun , astronomy professor Jesus Galindo says . Since September , the university newspaper has been publishing installments of a book called `` Eclipse '' that will be translated into Indian languages . The government plans to supervise the production of special lenses for viewing an eclipse .
extractive_keyphrases: total solar eclipse partial eclipse slar eclipse moon eclipse path mexico tourists