Eclipse

[WiseOne]

Is anyone traveling to watch the eclipse on Monday?

Alas I will be at a conference that isn't in the path of the total eclipse, albeit one with sufficient nerd-points that everyone is going to herd outside to watch the event. Still, I will berate the organizers appropriately for not picking a hotel in Kansas City or similar place in the eclipse path.

Here's a map provided by NASA: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4518

[whatchamacallit]

I will get 98.5 % cover where I am at.

https://interactives.courier-journal.co ... ipse-2017/

[flyingpylon]

We are not in the path of the total eclipse (Indianapolis area) but the local schools have canceled all outdoor after school activities, which I thought was interesting.

[ochotona]

We have 66% obscuration in Houston, I made a pinhole projector

[Tortoise]

Fortunately, nature is full of ready-made "pinhole projectors" --just look at the scattered spots of sunlight under any tree. During the eclipse, all of those normally round spots will turn into little crescents.

[dualstow]

I would have booked Amtrak's special eclipse train, but have an international trip coming up. No time.
And honestly, I didn't get authentic safety glasses in time and am afraid to look.

[Mr Vacuum]

We are not in the path of the total eclipse (Indianapolis area) but the local schools have canceled all outdoor after school activities, which I thought was interesting.

Ah, a fellow Hoosier. How's the weather looking? We actually drove from the 90% band to 80% in Virginia for vacation. Oops.

I wonder if city lights will come on and typical light pollution will obscure the view of stars and planets. It would be tempting to get out of the city a ways to make sure to get a good view of the whole sky.

[flyingpylon]

We are not in the path of the total eclipse (Indianapolis area) but the local schools have canceled all outdoor after school activities, which I thought was interesting.

Ah, a fellow Hoosier. How's the weather looking? We actually drove from the 90% band to 80% in Virginia for vacation. Oops.

I wonder if city lights will come on and typical light pollution will obscure the view of stars and planets. It would be tempting to get out of the city a ways to make sure to get a good view of the whole sky.

Weather.com says it will be mostly cloudy to cloudy during the eclipse, 45% chance of scattered thunderstorms by 4:00. So perhaps it will not live up to the hype and it will just get dark for a while, which is okay by me. It's supposed to be less cloudy in the southern part of the state. Enjoy your vacation!

[dualstow]

[Kbg]

Watching now...96% coverage area. Pretty cool. Sun is maybe 1/4 th covered.

[Mr Vacuum]

Nice, Kbg. Thick clouds rolled in here an hour before the start, but now we are on the edge and can see the sun through the glasses. It could go either way. C'mon wind.

[Kbg]

Bummer... hope it clears out for you. About 50% now. Slightly twilightee.

[Kbg]

At the max... definitely cooler and brownish. End of reporting.

[farjean2]

I never even thought of this until I read this thread. I remember back when I was in grade school there was a big hype about an eclipse that got everyone all excited and I even made a cardboard box contraption according to instructions where you could sit with your back towards the sun and view the reflection of it without going blind.

I was quite underwhelmed given all the hype. Haven't gotten too excited about eclipses ever since. The eclipse programmer workbench was more exciting when it first came out.

[Xan]

Stayed home and saw about 60% coverage. Pretty neat. A nearby library made an event about it, including craft tables, vendors, etc. It was fun for the kids. And a train even went by!

I went to one in 1990 (or so). We went down to Mexico City where it was total. For the actual eclipse we went out to Teotihuacan, the site of the Aztec pyramids. We didn't climb the pyramids, because a) there was no form of safety, and b) they were chock full of people. Absolutely packed.

When the eclipse went total, it got quite dark and cold, and a light rain started dripping. (I think the sudden temperature drop caused some water to condense). What was creepy was that everybody on the Aztec pyramids started chanting something we couldn't understand. We got chills, and not just from the low temperature!

[dualstow]

I don't have protective lenses so I took a photo through my skylight without looking. (Kind of reminded me of Perseus and Medusa).
Yup, that's an eclipse.

[Mr Vacuum]

The clouds did clear out in time in Virginia, leaving a clear blue sky for the entire eclipse. Similar to what Kbg described, the air was tinged a bit. It was like a thin cloud shade but there was no cloud. Nice little temperature drop.

Relatives in South Carolina sent a fantastic photo. They were right on the line.

[WiseOne]

Some thick clouds rolled in during the event, but we caught a few glimpses. The glasses definitely work better than the iPhone, but I got a picture that shows a grainy looking crescent image anyway. Nice! I liked when it got a bit dark and cool, also.

I hope everyone got a live look. It's a reminder that there is more in the universe besides our own little set of problems.

[Xan]

I hope everyone got a live look. It's a reminder that there is more in the universe besides our own little set of problems.

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. -- Hamlet

[Mr Vacuum]

Synchronize watches for April 8, 2024. This one will not cross the country, but it cuts a nice line from Texas to Maine via Indianapolis and Niagra Falls.

[Cortopassi]

Went to Mastodon State Park, 30 miles south of St. Louis. Stayed two nights in the city. Nice city, the arch was way more impressive than I ever imagined.

We had a perfectly clear sky, and about 2:30 of totality. It was a very amazing sight, and over way too fast. The corona against a deep blue sky made it look like a hole opened up. Saw Bailey's beads, and I did risk a split second at the end to see the diamond ring effect.

The time leading up to it for me was almost as impressive, just watching everything start to darken.

[dualstow]

Saw Bailey's beads, and I did risk a split second at the end to see the diamond ring effect.

I had never heard of that effect, but google images made it clear.
"Risk" -- you mean without protective eyewear?

[Cortopassi]

Yeah, no eyewear right when it came out of totality. About as fast as when you accidentally look at the sun and blink or look away.

No damage...as far as I can tell...!

[Tortoise]

When I was a little kid, before anyone ever warned me not to stare at the sun, I remember a couple of times staring at it for several seconds -- long enough for the middle of the sun to start looking "dark" like a wobbly eclipse. But then I would instinctually look away since it hurt.

Didn't seem to permanently damage my vision in any noticeable way. Thank God for instincts and pain receptors

[WiseOne]

Went to Mastodon State Park, 30 miles south of St. Louis. Stayed two nights in the city. Nice city, the arch was way more impressive than I ever imagined.

We had a perfectly clear sky, and about 2:30 of totality. It was a very amazing sight, and over way too fast. The corona against a deep blue sky made it look like a hole opened up. Saw Bailey's beads, and I did risk a split second at the end to see the diamond ring effect.

The time leading up to it for me was almost as impressive, just watching everything start to darken.

Good for you!!!! That sounds like a wonderful experience. Hope you didn't have to spend hours battling traffic.

My niece & brother in law went desert camping to see the eclipse and sent back some amazing photos.