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Eclipse chasers: When chasing totality becomes a way of life (1/4)

France24 · 🇫🇷 public France · · 1106 words · By Pauline ROUQUETTE
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What to know about Eclipse chasers: When chasing totality becomes a way of life (1/4)

Eclipse chasers: When chasing totality becomes a way of life (1/4) Total solar eclipse (1/4).

Claims checked 10
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center83%
Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Eclipse chasers: When chasing totality becomes a way of life (1/4) Total solar eclipse (1/4).

Why it matters

A total solar eclipse will sweep across northern Spain on August 12 in one of Europe's most anticipated astronomical events of the decade.

Common ground

For Singaporean family Janet Tay, Koh Joo Beng and their son Jared, it will be the latest stop in a journey that has taken them around the world in pursuit of the Moon's shadow.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260809-eclipse-chasers-when-chasing-totalit…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 5
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Claim 1: “Veteran eclipse chaser Fred Espenak... had witnessed total solar eclipses from every continent, including Antarctica”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources (iHeart/Totality Talks, TWAN) confirm Fred Espenak witnessed total solar eclipses on all seven continents, including Antarctica.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Fred Espenak Jr. (January 19, 1952 - June 1, 2025) was an American astrophysicist. [1][2] He worked at the Goddard Space Flight Center and published extensively on eclipse predictions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Espenak
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web search NEUTRAL — He has traveled to all 7 continents to observe total eclipses of the Sun and witnessed 30 total solar eclipses, 11 annular solar eclipses and 9 partial solar eclipses. He's spent almost an hour and ha…
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-totality-talks-the-solar-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Known to the public as Mr. Eclipse, Fred Espenak had been a member of TWAN since the beginning of the project in 2007. At age 72, his truly inspiring and adventurous life ended on 2025 June 1, after d…
https://twanight.org/profile/fred-espenak/
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Claim 2: “The August 12 eclipse... will cross parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources (Flipboard, EuroNews, Deutsche Welle) confirm the path of the August 12 eclipse includes Greenland, Iceland, and Spain.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Air Greenland A/S (formerly named Grønlandsfly and Greenlandair) is the flag carrier airline of Greenland, owned by the government of Greenland. It operates a fleet of 28 aircraft, including a single …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Greenland
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Wednesday, 12 August 2026, with a magnitude of 1.0386. Totality occurred in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the part…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_August_12,_20…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Since 2025, the second Donald Trump administration of the United States has sought to annex Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark (itself in the European Union), triggering an ongoing internat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenland_crisis
+ 4 more evidence sources
info
Claim 3: “Jared designs and delivers training programmes for managers in Singapore's public healthcare system.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim appears in the context of the article's subject, but the provided web search results for 'Jared' return biblical figures and jewelry stores, providing no independent corroboration of his specific employment in Singapore's healthcare system.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In the Book of Genesis, the biblical patriarch Jared (יֶרֶד) was the sixth in the ten pre- flood generations between Adam and Noah; he was the son of Mahalaleel and the father of Enoch, and lived 962 …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared
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web search NEUTRAL — Jubilees states that Jared married a woman whose name is variously spelled as Bereka, Baraka, and Barakah, and the Bible speaks of Jared having become father to other sons and daughters (Genesis 5:19)…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_(biblical_figure)
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web search NEUTRAL — Shop the perfect piece of jewelry for any occasion at Jared Jewelers. Shop our selection of necklaces, earrings, and more to find the perfect gift.
https://www.jared.com/
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Claim 4: “A total solar eclipse will sweep across northern Spain on August 12”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent news sources (EuroNews, France24, The Guardian) confirm a total solar eclipse will sweep across northern Spain on August 12.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Southern Hemisphere, August is the seasonal equivalent of February in the Northern Hemispher…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Wednesday, 12 August 2026, with a magnitude of 1.0386. Totality occurred in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the part…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_August_12,_20…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spain
+ 5 more evidence sources
info
Claim 5: “Another study, published in The Journal of Positive Psychology in 2025, found that people who experienced totality as part of a group reported stronger positive emotions... than those who watched alone.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim regarding a 2025 study in The Journal of Positive Psychology is mentioned in the France 24 snippet, but the other search results for the journal do not provide the specific findings mentioned.
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web search NEUTRAL — This specific type of positive emotion predicts life satisfaction better than the rest.Study author Jinrui Liu and her colleagues conducted a study in which they explored whether positive emotions and…
https://www.psypost.org/this-specific-type-of-positive-emoti…
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web search NEUTRAL — Another study, published in The Journal of Positive Psychology in 2025, found that people who experienced totality as part of a group reported stronger positive emotions, greater feelings of awe and a…
https://d33gy59ovltp76.cloudfront.net/news/eclipse-chasers-w…
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web search NEUTRAL — Journal of the Human Development and Capabilities.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19452829.2025.2…
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Claim 6: “His retired parents worked as an electrical engineer and an accountant respectively”
SINGLE SOURCE
While some search results mention Koh Joo Beng as an engineer, the specific detail that his parents (Janet Tay and Koh Joo Beng) worked as an accountant and electrical engineer respectively is only found in the context of the source article (France 24 snippet).
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web search NEUTRAL — 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.
https://chasingtotality.org/
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web search NEUTRAL — BEng (Hons) Electrical & Electronic Engineering. School of Sciences. I graduated from UCLan Cyprus with a BEng (Hons) in Electrical & Electronic Engineering. I am currently working as an Electrical En…
https://www.uclancyprus.ac.cy/undergraduate-course/beng-hons…
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web search NEUTRAL — View Joo Beng Koh’s profile on LinkedIn, a professional community of 1 billion members.He is practical and a skilled engineer challenging assumptions and encourages questions and discourse in how thin…
https://sg.linkedin.com/in/joo-beng-koh-7823618
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Claim 7: “mainland Europe set to witness its first total solar eclipse since 1999”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results and Wikipedia (confirming the 1999 eclipse) corroborate that the August 12, 2026 eclipse is the first total solar eclipse over mainland Europe since 1999.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of orbit on Wednesday, August 11, 1999, with a magnitude of 1.0286. This was one of the most-viewed total solar eclipses in human history. A…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_August_11,_19…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Miss Europe 1999, was 53rd edition of the Miss Europe pageant and 42nd under the Mondial Events Organization. It was held in Beirut, Lebanon on 25 June 1999. Yelena Rogozhina of Russia, was crowned Mi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Europe_1999
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 1999 European Long Course Championships were a swimming competition held in Istanbul, Turkey from Monday 26 July to Sunday 1 August, in the 50 m pool of the Ataköy Olympic Pool Stadium. The 24th e…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_European_Aquatics_Champio…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 8: “his father later returned to university to pursue a master's degree in astronomy after retiring”
SINGLE SOURCE
The detail about Koh Joo Beng pursuing a master's degree in astronomy after retiring is mentioned in a France 24 snippet, but not independently corroborated by other sources provided.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — His retired parents worked as an electrical engineer and an accountant respectively, although his father later returned to university to pursue a master's degree in astronomy after retiring. Veteran e…
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260809-eclipse-chasers-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Koh Joo Beng replied to Evan Thomas's question in Q&A. I had a very similar problem. Every time I moved my mouse over a button or icon, it could (not consistently, seems a bit random) take about 2-4 s…
https://discuss.cakewalk.com/index.php?/profile/13100-koh-jo…
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web search NEUTRAL — Download free for 30 days. Sign in. JK. Joo Beng Koh. 1 Slideshow. About.Most popular. Heavenly shadows. byJoo Beng Koh.
https://www.slideshare.net/kohjb
info
Claim 9: “A study involving more than 1,300 people during the 2024 total solar eclipse found participants reported exceptionally high levels of awe”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim is mentioned in the France 24 snippet, but the other search results discuss awe in nature generally and do not specifically confirm a study of 1,300 people during the 2024 eclipse.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A total solar eclipse will sweep across northern Spain on August 12 in one of Europe's most anticipated astronomical events of the decade. For Singaporean family Janet Tay, Koh Joo Beng and their son …
https://d33gy59ovltp76.cloudfront.net/news/eclipse-chasers-w…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The authors underscore that while the solar eclipse served as a powerful exemplar of an awe-inspiring event, similar emotional experiences can be elicited in everyday contexts. Everyday nature walks, …
https://scienmag.com/study-reveals-that-experiencing-awe-in-…
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web search NEUTRAL — This map shows where a solar eclipse will be visible on Aug. 12, 2026. The red band that crosses Greenland, Iceland, and Spain shows where a total solar eclipse can be seen.
https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/total-sola…
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Claim 10: “Jared and his father have also published Chasing Totality: The Complete Handbook for the 2026 Total Solar Eclipse”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that Jared Koh and his father Koh Joo Beng published 'Chasing Totality: The Complete Handbook for the 2026 Total Solar Eclipse'.
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web search NEUTRAL — Chasing Totality applies the same instinct to a very different subject. Written with expert commentary and photography from his father, longtime eclipse chaser Koh Joo Beng, the book is the complete h…
https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Totality-Complete-Handbook-Ec…
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web search NEUTRAL — A full-colour handbook for the 12 August 2026 total solar eclipse. Science, destination comparison (Iceland · Spain · Cruise), an eclipse-day timeline, and the Totality Passport workbook. By Jared Koh…
https://chasingtotality.org/
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web search NEUTRAL — Koh and his eldest son Jared Koh recently wrote and self-published a book titled Chasing Totality, which includes information on how to make the most of the total solar eclipse on Aug 12, which ...
https://www.straitstimes.com/life/total-eclipse-of-the-heart…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.