Honoring the State of Texas and The Explorers Club through Expeditions
See photos below for images from some of our solar eclipse expeditions completed over the years.
The Texas flag, the symbol of our great state, has flown at most expeditions that we have conducted.
Ring of Fire Expeditions (ROFE) is the longest consecutive astronomical tour organization in the United States. In 1970 it was founded and has been continuously led by Paul D. Maley of the NASA Johnson Space Center Astronomical Society in Houston, Texas USA. It was first created as a way to let members of the Society experience a grand phenomenon that cannot be replicated anywhere else in nature. Then it expanded to the general public in the USA and after that to participants in other countries. The purpose has been to serve as a public outreach arm of Texas astronomers permitting the general public, amateur astronomers and welcoming all persons who are interested in astronomy and the natural sciences. Since its inception more than 3,000 participants have participated with us to see the most amazing visual sights in the skies. You do not need to have a science background or any prior experience to join us! Not shown below are private expeditions to solar eclipses and other events as well as the 24 expeditions conducted to observe the Northern Lights, 9 expeditions to volcanoes, 1 expedition to Chile to view Halley’s Comet, 1 expedition to China to view the Leonid meteor shower, 2 expeditions to view a Transit of Venus across the Sun and 3 expeditions to view the Transit of Mercury.
1970 EXPEDITON TO VALDOSTA, GEORGIA FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
PHOTO HAS BEEN LOST
1972 EXPEDITION TO CAP CHAT, QUEBEC FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
1973 EXPEDITION TO ACAPULCO, MEXICO FOR THE ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE
1977 LAKE GUATAVITA, COLOMBIA FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
1979 EXPEDITION TO HECLA ISLAND, MANITOBA FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
1980 EXPEDITION TO NDOLOLO, KENYA FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
1983 EXPEDITION TO BANGIL, JAVA, INDONESIA FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
1984 EXPEDITION TO ATLANTA, GA FOR THE HYBRID SOLAR ECLIPSE
1984 EXPEDITION TO KWIKILA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
1987 EXPEDITION TO PORT GENTIL, GABON FOR THE HYBRID SOLAR ECLIPSE
1987 EXPEDITION TO TAIYUAN, CHINA FOR THE ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE
1991 EXPEDITION TO MAZATLAN, MEXICO FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
1991 EXPEDITION TO NEW ZEALAND FOR THE ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE
1992 EXPEDITION TO KAMCHATKA, RUSSIA FOR A JOINT SCIENCE EXPEDITION WITH RUSSIAN VULCANOLOGISTS
1994 EXPEDITION TO TACNA, PERU FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
1995 EXPEDITION TO PINAHAT, INDIA FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
1997 EXPEDITION TO DARHAN, MONGOLIA FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
1998 EXPEDITION TO CURACAO FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
1999 EXPEDITION TO BATMAN, TURKEY FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
2001 EXPEDITION TO ZAMBIA FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
2004 EXPEDITION TO MAURITIUS FOR THE TRANSIT OF VENUS
2005 EXPEDITION TO PENONOME, PANAMA FOR THE ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE
2006 EXPEDITION TO JALU, LIBYA FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
2008 EXPEDITION TO CHINA FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
2010 EXPEDITION TO HIKUERU, FRENCH POLYNESIA FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
2012 EXPEDITION TO DARVAZA CRATER, TURKMENISTAN FOR THE TRANSIT OF VENUS
2012 EXPEDITION TO CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
2013 EXPEDITION TO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
2013 EXPEDITION TO TARAWA, KIRIBATI FOR THE ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE
2015 EXPEDITION TO LONGYEARBYEN, SVALBARD FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
2016 EXPEDITION TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
2016 EXPEDITION TO TANZANIA FOR THE ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE
2017 EXPEDITION TO NEBRASKA USA FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
2021 EXPEDITION OVER CANADA BY PLANE FOR THE ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE
2021 EXPEDITION TO ANTARCTICA FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
2023 EXPEDITION TO THE MONTEBELLO ISLANDS FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
