I'm in Totality!

[mtnbkr]

That thunderstorm missed us, but we had a deluge of rain about an hour later.

Overall, viewing was good and we got to see the peak coverage.  The kids enjoyed it.

Chris

[K Frame]

Oh man, you even got sunspots in that image! That is so neat!

[K Frame]

You could definitely tell that the light levels were reduced, but it was still plenty bright. It did seem to cool off a little bit close to peak coverage.

Friend of mine is a professor at SIU Carbondale, dead center of totality. He said it was kind of "overwhelming when the big pieces of your day to day world act so strangely."

[Perd Hapley]

I would have posted about this yesterday, from the small town of St. Clair, Missouri, but the Washington Post was right - no internet connection on my phone!    Not intermittent service, either. We had no internet from the time we got to St. Clair, until we left a few hours later. There were also no clouds, to speak of.

An hour later, there was still stop-and-go traffic trying to get out of town. I-44 eastbound was really backed up, and even heading north up 47, it was bumper-to-bumper. Luckily, I know a few back-roads, so we got to skip a bunch of that, and see some nice country along the way.

[grampster]

Magnified pic I saw had the space station moving across the sun at about 25% of eclipse.  Don't know if that was photoshopped or not.

[MillCreek]

Clear blue skies and 90% totality north of Seattle.  I got to saw much less of the eclipse than I planned: in my admin building with 70 employees, I was the only one with eclipse glasses.  So I spent much of the time outside passing my glasses around to people rather than looking at the eclipse.

[lupinus]

My town and workplace we're right smack in the path. We're also right off an exit of i85. It was a damned freak show around here with tents and folks charging 40 plus bucks for a parking spot....and getting it.

Overall though was pretty cool. Work bought glasses for everyone, and handed out sodas popcorn and moon pies...because why the hell not and basically just extended the lunch break for everyone so they could go outside and watch. We had something like 2 minutes and 30 seconds of total coverage and the glasses could be removed. That was neat. Along with all the animals going holy crap night time!

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[Ben]

Why go back? Hang out with your new friend.

Ha ha! It was a funny occurrence, because somehow I got lucky and found a forest service road that led to the lake and and area where some people were parked along the water. Turned out to be almost all locals. When I struck up a conversation with the people next to me,  the dad said that they had lived in Santa Barbara until 15 years ago and their daughter, who they had just moved up from Vegas (I assume under divorce or similar circumstances) started at UCSB the year I finished, so the mom being a mom, took those commonalities and ran with them. I could almost see the thought bubble of "Why did I move back home?" pop up over their daughter's head.  

As to the eclipse: I can't tell you guys how glad I was that I didn't cave into fears of traffic jams and just headed to a 99% locality. Totality was simply awesome. It was a ring of fire in the sky, night, stars, and every single person within hearing (including me, involuntarily) oohing and awing in wonder. And all the dogs reacting. Simply no comparison to anything you could watch on video.

There was a HUGE difference between totality and 99%. At 99%, you still couldn't look at the sun because it was so bright. At totality, the ability to watch the corona with my naked eyes was just awe inspiring. I would have never guessed how cool that would be. Which again, made me thankful that I didn't wuss out and got into the zone. Knowing what I know now, I would drive five times as far and pay all kinds of money to see it again. It was just (and surprisingly to me) beyond anything I expected. Especially being in the cool locale in the mountains.

As to traffic, where I was it was way, way overblown. There was maybe five miles outside of Alpine where there was a slowdown, mostly from people turning right to get to Jackson and the Tetons, but it didn't add more than ten minutes to the drive. There was a little more heading back, but by the time I was 20 miles from Alpine, it was smooth sailing at full speed.

Anyway, this was one of those bucket list things that I would have never known about if I didn't actually experience it. I never thought it would be as cool as it was.

[Perd Hapley]

I was right in the center of totality, and I expected things to get darker. It was like a sunset. Dark enough that a streetlight came on, but not what I expected. Pretty cool to hear the bugs start going, though.

[Scout26]

We had Totally here. 


Totally cloudy skies, so all we saw was it get somewhat dark.

Classic rock station (97.1 WDRV) Played Pink Floyd's  "Dark Side of the Moon" starting at 11:30am in its entirety.  They called it "Dark Side of the Noon". 

     

[Ben]

I was right in the center of totality, and I expected things to get darker. It was like a sunset. Dark enough that a streetlight came on, but not what I expected. Pretty cool to hear the bugs start going, though.

No stars? We saw a bunch of the brighter stars and a couple of planets pop out. It wasn't a moonless midnight, but it was pretty dark. Maybe the altitude made a difference.

On the bugs, a few minutes before totality, gnats and skeeters started coming out (I was parked in taller grass by the water) and the only negative about the whole experience was all those dang things buzzing all around and on me and my face for around five minutes during the best part.  

[never_retreat]

We only got 75% here. I tried shooting some pics with my phone using the cheep glasses in front of the lens. Still got a round ball of sun in the picture even though it was 3/4 covered. I tried through the electronic welding helmet. No dice camera could not focus or something.
It look better through the helmet than the glasses.

Larry those pics are cool. Is that sun spots or crap on the lens?

[freakazoid]

Managed a few passable images.

Really cool being able to see the ridges on the moon, which causes the Bailey's Beads effect.

[RoadKingLarry]

We only got 75% here. I tried shooting some pics with my phone using the cheep glasses in front of the lens. Still got a round ball of sun in the picture even though it was 3/4 covered. I tried through the electronic welding helmet. No dice camera could not focus or something.
It look better through the helmet than the glasses.

Larry those pics are cool. Is that sun spots or crap on the lens?

Sun spots.
I used a lower end but still safe solar filter on my 100-400 zoom lens. I had to focus manually using live view mode and manual exposure settings.

[Scout26]

Larry those pics are cool. Is that sun spots or crap on the lens?

Crap on your monitor...

[Regolith]

Magnified pic I saw had the space station moving across the sun at about 25% of eclipse.  Don't know if that was photoshopped or not.

Not 'shopped: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lepQoU4oek4

[makattak]

So we got back late last night from Tennessee. Forecast was partly cloudy. 

Nothing but clear skies all day.

For those in the partial eclipse, it really is something totally different at err... totality. Wow.

It was kind of impressive even at 99%, but that last percent was such a complete difference.  If you missed this one,  try to make the next in 7 years.

Just amazing.  The stars came out (I'm told they were planets) and there was a 360° sunset.

Two minutes was really not enough time to take it all in. 

It appears my young children all retained their sight as well,  so win all around.

Related, Buddy's Bar B Q is excellent.

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[Brad Johnson]

We have friends who live about 25 miles inside the totality zone for the 2024 event. We've already warned them we're coming.

Brad

[Ben]

and there was a 360° sunset.

I forgot to mention that in my report. I didn't expect it - I heard other people oohing about it while I was staring at the sun and I took a quick look. Just so much to see in so little time.

I was looking fr those shadow snakes or whatever they're called, but don''t think I saw them. I kinda sorta thought I did, but I think it may have been my imagination. Or else I really saw them and my brain told me it was my imagination. 

[Perd Hapley]

One really odd thing, not about the eclipse, had to do with a little diner/BBQ on the main drag in the town we visited. The streets were packed. Police were directing traffic, and the place was swarming with people. The total eclipse rolled through at about 1.15 pm, and a bunch of people started packing up and leaving. We ate at the diner at about 2 pm, and this little diner was barely half-full. They said they hadn't even planned to be open that day, but I guess they changed their minds when they saw how many people were in town.

Maybe it was because the place didn't have beer and what-not. Even then, you'd expect a lot of families wouldn't care, because Mom & Dad have get on the road, anyway. Good fries, and fried pickles, though.

[freakazoid]

Smarter Every Day got some pictures of the ISS traveling across it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lepQoU4oek4

[K Frame]

Apparently the 82nd para jump in front of the eclipse was a photoshop job.

[K Frame]

Oh, and everyone who was looking forward to the eclipse?

You're filthy racists.

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/08/american-totality-eclipse-race/537318/

[Perd Hapley]

In the days since that was published, I haven't yet been bored enough to read the whole article/screed/madmutterings, but that third paragraph...

"We all know there's no intersectionality in a solar eclipse, but by the bike lock of Clanton, I will do my best to please the gods goddesses gender-fluid deities of my identitarian religion."

[Hutch]

I was on a lake near the Oconee nuke plant in SC.  God willing, I will watch the 2024 eclipse from within totality, as well.

If anyone can suggest a place in the path in Texas, yeah, that'd be great.  April 8, some really flat, remote horizon location with predictably clear weather.  Bonus points to any that will join the Fellowship of the (Solar) Ring.  I'll cook you a fine camp meal.