As it is told in some Chinese folk stories, dragons chase away the Sun during a total solar eclipse. These stories have been told for generations. Now, some new stories will be passed on. This time, the main characters are a team of Chinese astronomers and the local people in a small Oregonian town.

Dallas, Oregon, might not be on many peoples radar. But its not short on lovers of the sky. Just down the road from the farm where the Chinese team stayed, a local man had built his own observatory into his house. And hes surely not alone.

A kind invitation When I wrote a story earlier this year about this same Chinese astronomy team, which would travel 7,000 miles to observe the Great American Solar Eclipse, I didnt expect any follow-ups or readers responses. The team later told me, however, the story netted many readers. And in the meantime, a library manager from Dallas, Oregon, invited them to Dallas, instead of their original destination of Lincoln City, for a better chance of clear skies.

In general, Dallas has less cloud cover than Lincoln City. The latter is near the coast, which makes it more likely to have a marine layer of clouds, said Mark Johnson, manager of the Dallas Public Library. Dallas, 40 miles from Lincoln City, is less affected by the sea.

Johnson is also the guy who contacted the Chinese team after reading my story. When we talked on the phone several weeks ago, he told me his town would close the main street and many lecturers and events had been scheduled.

"It will be a large party for three days, he said. The library itself also planned to close from 10 to 12, because staff members would want to experience totality.

Who wouldnt?

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Chasing the eclipse from China to Dallas, Oregon - Astronomy Magazine