Looking Ahead

Southern Hemisphere eclipse

2010's only total solar eclipse may not compare to 2009's eclipse in terms of duration. But sky watchers will need to make their way to the Southern Hemisphere on July 11 if they hope to see a total eclipse anytime soon-it will be the last of its kind for 29 months. Easter Island off the South American coast will be prime watching grounds for the eclipse, which will last for four minutes and 39 seconds.

World Population Day

When the calendar turns to World Population Day 2010, the global population should stand at 6.8 billion. The UN holiday on July 11 is meant to draw attention to supposed problems caused by overpopulation. Meanwhile, the U.S. Census Bureau predicts Earth will reach 7 billion inhabitants in July 2012.

A book delayed

A lot has changed since Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Regnery Publishing set July 12 as the release date of the governor's forthcoming book, On Solid Ground: Returning to America's Core Values. Namely, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Saying the Louisiana governor needed to focus his attention on protecting the Pelican State's coastline from bubbling crude, aides for Jindal announced he would delay the book's publishing.

Alabama runoff

Dale Peterson won't even be on the ballot in Alabama's Republican primary runoff for agriculture commissioner on July 13. But by virtue of two viral videos he created before placing third in the opening round, many folks will be tuning in to see if the man Peterson endorsed can beat out an opponent labeled as a "dummy" in one of Peterson's videos, which garnered more than 1.7 million hits.

Mileage prize

The X Prize Foundation kicks off a 12-day competition in Michigan on July 19 to see if any team can create a street-ready vehicle so fuel-efficient it is capable of getting at least 100 miles per gallon. The $5 million prize is hardly a first for the X Prize Foundation, which has offered large prizes for, among other things, manned space travel and placing a robot on the moon.