Among the tens of thousands expected to watch the celestial show from Zambia this week is Jay Pasachoff, a leading U.S. eclipse scientist.

CNN: Africa awaits total eclipse of the sun

Jay Pasachoff, an astronomer at Williams College, in Massachusetts, and a member of Dr Schneider's team, will be observing the transit of Venus from Thessaloniki, in Greece, to test this theory.

ECONOMIST: Transits of Venus