Solar Eclipse
General
Posted by Chet_Manly 6 years, 8 months ago
So, I should have done this a week ago. Anyone else going to view the Solar Eclipse Monday? If so, where and anything unusual going on with the plans.
I'm driving a state away with my kids to see the totality of it. Should be interesting; lots of traffic, etc. I'm not luck enough to simply live in the path. That'd have been too easy.
Anyway, just curious if this is actually a thing for anyone else or if it's more just hyped anticipation.
And/or I'm curious to hear if anyone had in unique observations/experiences from it all. I'm enjoying the eclipse-ageddeon that I see head lines for, but I saw Y2K come and go peacefully so....
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elancaster65
6 years, 8 months agoI'll get about 75% here in the DFW Metroplex. Don't have any glasses save a pair of really, really dark shades from the 80's.
I do plan on trying to capture it with my camera and several filters.
I'm glad I'm not traveling on Monday. It's already nuts out there.
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Chet_Manly
6 years, 8 months agoI made it to my destination in TN, never hit traffic but I left at 4 am for my 3 hour drive. It's NOT been (edit out my mistake) crowded and nutty.
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glen
6 years, 8 months agoHere in Lawrence Kansas we have about 99.3% totality, which is good enough for me. I'll be watching it outside of my house, provided it's not too cloudy.
I haven't really heard any doomsday stuff, but I always like chuckling at it. I think historically eclipses cause all sorts of world-ending prophecies. If it all goes down today, I feel like it's been a good run :)
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Chet_Manly
6 years, 8 months ago99.3%...but that's 0.07%.... just kidding, that's pretty nice. Would have been awesome to never leave home. I'm sitting in a field under a tent, enjoying tossing around a football, reading some Far Side comic books with my boys and shooting the proverbial... it's warm, but a nice day.
But the parking lots here that last night were trying to charge up to $50 for a space, are only partially (66-75%) full. A friend walked over to take a gander at the interstate (I-75 between Knoxville and Chattanooga) and said it looks crowded but moving along just fine.
I think some entrepreneurs might have slightly over estimated the crowds. Sometimes the news just makes me smile.
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lhriv
6 years, 8 months agoAlso in Lawrence....in the backyard... waiting......nothing but clouds......
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glen
6 years, 8 months agoWe drove about 20 mins south and sort of saw it for a bit :/
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elancaster65
6 years, 8 months agoDidn't use the camera. It started to get darkerish around 1p. Took the iPhone outside, flipped it to selfie video mode, rotated until the sun started to come into view over my shoulder, looked down at the bottom of the phone (dang it was still bright!), hit record, closed my eyes and looked away (more than a feeling?). Caught a reflection/refraction of the crescent sun in the video and an American Airlines MD80 on final to DFW.
And I'm not blind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9V6ozl4b78
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Chet_Manly
6 years, 8 months agoThe video is very cool, but extra points for the Boston reference!
With the glasses I could see the orange ball. But the video captured the halo around it. It makes more sense from seeing the corona of the sun during the eclipse. I'd never seen the sun via video though.
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Chet_Manly
6 years, 8 months agoSo I got 2 minutes of total coverage. The coolest thing about the experience was seeing the corona. I don't have words to describe the wavy way the corona of the sun looked. The right words exist, I'm just not sure how to describe it.
The cicadas got really loud as the light dimmed, the whole horizon for 360 degrees looked like twilight, the birds went nuts flying everywhere, and the news helicopter buzzed lowly across the field where we were. There were about two dozen people around and audible gasps were heard at first and though it was cool, as the sunlight returned, people just kind of wandered away.
It was a cool experience, I just wish it had lasted longer.
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Razorback
6 years, 8 months agoWe had an eclipse-watching party at our office, complete with a tailgate tent in the parking lot and had various sun/moon-related snacks. Several pairs of glasses were provided for people to share. Everyone had an opportunity to step away from their desks and come watch the show. I think we had about 92% totality here in Fayetteville, AR.
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Chet_Manly
6 years, 8 months agoI got back home to NC and talked with folks who stayed here. They all came out to view but were very disappointed by the mid 90% coverage. I think they expected more darkness and didn't understand the tremendous power of the sun.
Even though the trip wore my kids and I out completely, I think I'd have been disappointed and always wondered what the real deal looked like. Or atleast how the world around me would change for those two minutes.
The only real complaint was the traffic afterwards. 8 hours afterwards, as far as 2-3 hours drive away, traffic was still snarled on the interstates. That part was as the media advertised.
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Razorback
6 years, 8 months agoThe path of totality will be right in the middle of Arkansas in 2024. Our deer camp will be in a perfect position to view it. We should be able to sit on the deck of the cabin, drinking a cold adult beverage and taking it all in.
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Chet_Manly
6 years, 8 months agoNot THAT sounds like the right way to enjoy it!
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