On the afternoon of 21 June 2001 there will be a total eclipse of the sun which will be visible from certain areas in the northern part of Zimbabwe.

A total eclipse of sun takes place when the moon passes between the sun and the earth and its shadow is cast onto the earth's surface 

(see diagram). Along a narrow track across the planet, the sun is completely obscured - the eclipse is total. Outside the path of the totality, there is a broad area where the sun is partially covered or eclipsed. The eclipse path will start in the Atlantic Ocean, before reaching the African west cost, starting with - Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe and finally Mozambique. The shadow path of the eclipse will then reach land again in Madagascar before disappearing into the Indian Ocean.

Maps:

Total eclipses of the sun are spectacular and awe inspiring. For those within the path of the totality, there are dramatic effects as the moon's shadow races across the earth's surface(during the total eclipse in Europe which took place on the 11th of August the moon's shadow was moving around 2000 km/hour!).
 

Just before the sun disappears behind the moon, it shines through valleys on the moon's rim to create an effect which has been likened to a diamond ring. It then becomes quite dark and the sun's corona, which is normally hidden by the sun's glare, shines forth in a scene of great beauty. Even areas outside the path of the totality of will see the moon's shadow eating up a large part of the sun and it will become noticeably darker. 

Zimbabwe on 21 June 2001, will have the privilege of having the first eclipse of the new millennium. Zimbabwe will be fortunately again to see a second eclipse, which will take place a year and a half later on the 4 th December 2002 this eclipse will pass through the extreme southwest of Zimbabwe.
 

Map2:

The advantage Zimbabwe has over all other countries in the eclipse path, is that it has an active astronomical society that can assist the tourist industry to get the visitors to the right place.

Why do astronomers find eclipses so fascinating? While telescopes can be adapted to partly simulate an eclipse, a real eclipse offers the best visibility for observing the corona. At eclipse we see the corona as a crown of light around the sun; its shape is sometimes more round, sometimes more elliptical. We see its glow extending a million miles from the edge of the sun. The corona is composed of the same gases as the rest of the sun: 90 percent hydrogen, almost 10 percent helium, and a tiny quantity of the other elements. The corona flows outward into the solar system as the solar wind_streams of charged particles. These travel 93 million miles to earth and even pass beyond the outer planets.

Eclipses are a time-tested tool of solar astronomy. Observers pursuing the 1868 eclipse determined through spectroscopy the existence of the gas helium, from helios, the Greek word for the sun; only later was it found on earth. Other eclipses showed over time that the corona changes shape in step with the 11 year sunspot cycle.