Official August 21, 2017 Solar Eclipse Thread

[slag]

Living in Lawrence, I'm about 40 miles or so from the totality area, but meh, I don't care. Our plan is that I'm going to take off Monday at 11 am. Head home, get the kids from school on the way, go out on the boat on the lake, and experience the eclipse on the lake. It will be bright, then as we are playing in the lake it will get dark for a few mins, and then go back to normal. I expect we will get a nice chill. I plan on staying on the boat and filming the entire thing with my gopro or phone.

 

[Pheran]

Also, it seems to me the PSAs etc seem to greatly exaggerate the danger, from what I've researched, the sun is not going to be any brighter or more powerful than normal (why would it be?) so sunglasses are ok for general protection. Just don't look at it directly with only sunglasses, but that goes for any day.

You are correct that there's nothing magic about the sun during an eclipse; it's no brighter than usual. The danger comes from a combination of factors:

1) Under normal circumstances, there's no good reason to try looking at the sun. A solar eclipse will have lots of people trying to do that.

2) Normally, your body will stop you from looking at the sun because it's too bright. During a high-percentage partial eclipse phase (90%+), there might be enough of the sun obscured so that it's not unbearably bright to look at. The problem is, the exposed portion of the sun is just as bright as the whole, and can still damage your eyes.

 

[Pheran]

Living in Lawrence, I'm about 40 miles or so from the totality area, but meh, I don't care. Our plan is that I'm going to take off Monday at 11 am. Head home, get the kids from school on the way, go out on the boat on the lake, and experience the eclipse on the lake. It will be bright, then as we are playing in the lake it will get dark for a few mins, and then go back to normal. I expect we will get a nice chill. I plan on staying on the boat and filming the entire thing with my gopro or phone.

It seems a shame to waste an opportunity to see totality for such a small amount of travel. Totality is very different; you get to see night during daytime, you don't have to use eye protection during that time, and you get to see the sun's corona.

 

[BoomerD]

We're about 225 miles from Salem, OR, right in the center of the totality band. We had 2 RV sites cancelled in the past month as the owners realized they could charge FAR more than their normal rates for this event. (one tripled their rate from $35/night to more than $100/night...to dry camp in a weed covered lot with no water, sewer, or power.)
We're either going to stay home and see 92% totality, or get up VERY early and drive down as far as we can get. Salem is predicting an extra 100,000 people to be in town for the event.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

It seems a shame to waste an opportunity to see totality for such a small amount of travel. Totality is very different; you get to see night during daytime

Is night during daytime any different from night during night time? Is the dark a different color? Do the shadows dance and cavort as if in a Broadway musical? Do the trees sprout gumdrops?

Here's an expert level viewing tip: If you want to see night it happens every night.

 

[TennesseeTony]

Actually, I've heard you get a 360 degree sunset, not actual darkness. I am fortunate to be in the path of totality for nearly 2 minutes, so I guess I get to find out for sure next Monday.

 

[Svnla]

We only get around 80% here, the folks in Kansas City/St. Louis will get 100%. I just mark down my calendar the time. Hopefully it will not be raining or cloudy.

 

[Pheran]

We're about 225 miles from Salem, OR, right in the center of the totality band. We had 2 RV sites cancelled in the past month as the owners realized they could charge FAR more than their normal rates for this event. (one tripled their rate from $35/night to more than $100/night...to dry camp in a weed covered lot with no water, sewer, or power.)
We're either going to stay home and see 92% totality, or get up VERY early and drive down as far as we can get. Salem is predicting an extra 100,000 people to be in town for the event.

Some hotels have tried pulling this stunt and gotten in trouble because, depending on the terms of the arrangement, it may be illegal. Just one example article:

http://www.jsonline.com/story/news/...-price-gouging-ahead-solar-eclipse/479913001/

 

[Pheran]

Actually, I've heard you get a 360 degree sunset, not actual darkness. I am fortunate to be in the path of totality for nearly 2 minutes, so I guess I get to find out for sure next Monday.

Yes, this is probably a more accurate description. The 360 degree sunset is because the edge of the moon's shadow is all around you.

 

[Red Squirrel]

There's some really interesting effects that can happen during totality too, called shadow bands. Probably quite surreal to see that in person.

 

[BoomerD]

Is night during daytime any different from night during night time? Is the dark a different color? Do the shadows dance and cavort as if in a Broadway musical? Do the trees sprout gumdrops?

Here's an expert level viewing tip: If you want to see night it happens every night.

meh...it's different than nightfall...and pretty fucking cool to see. This will be my second total eclipse. I was working at Hanford that morning. Partly cloudy, but we had enough breaks in the clouds to see MOST of it. (I used a welder's helmet with a #10 and #5 lens stacked) The following year was the Mt. Saint Helens eruption. Even though that also turned the sky black, street lights came on, birds went to nest, etc., that was a different "dark" than the eclipse.

If you don't live near the event, I get not making the trip...but if you DO live, why not? For most people, it will be a once (or twice)-in-a-lifetime event.

 

[slag]

It seems a shame to waste an opportunity to see totality for such a small amount of travel. Totality is very different; you get to see night during daytime, you don't have to use eye protection during that time, and you get to see the sun's corona.

It's not worth the hour drive just to say we did it. I think we'll remember it more on the boat and it will be plenty dark. I have no want or plans of looking at the sun directly, however, I do have a pair of eclipse glasses. I'll pass them around to the kids to take a look, but I'm more interested in observing everything around me and not looking at the sun/moon.

 

[Perknose]

Bumping because we are 3 months out - who's going to see this puppy?

I am.

Will be seeing my good buddy, too.

 

[FeuerFrei]

ARE MILLENNIALS KILLING THE SUN?
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[BUTCH1]

meh...it's different than nightfall...and pretty fucking cool to see. This will be my second total eclipse. I was working at Hanford that morning. Partly cloudy, but we had enough breaks in the clouds to see MOST of it. (I used a welder's helmet with a #10 and #5 lens stacked) The following year was the Mt. Saint Helens eruption. Even though that also turned the sky black, street lights came on, birds went to nest, etc., that was a different "dark" than the eclipse.

If you don't live near the event, I get not making the trip...but if you DO live, why not? For most people, it will be a once (or twice)-in-a-lifetime event.

Thing is, it depends on what roads you will need to use, this event is expected to draw MASSIVE amounts of traffic so the best idea would be to leave as early as possible. For me it would be 3.5hrs on the nightmare of I-95, but if you can find alternate routes it really is pretty cool. As posted above, there have already been many reports of price-gouging at hotels+campgrounds so that certainly sucks. At least the "flat-earth" folks will have a really shitty day LOL!.

 

[Ken g6]

ARE MILLENNIALS KILLING THE SUN?
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That's just loony.

I'm in the 90% area and not interested in driving through Denver to see it better. I'm gonna get out an old, small telescope, point it at the sun, and project it on the ground or on some paper. No looking through the scope directly!

 

[Red Squirrel]

Kinda looking forward to this, if anything just looking forward to trying to photograph the sun, I had always wanted to try it but never had the right setup, but bought some welding glass recently. Still need to figure out best way to put on my lens, probably rubber bands or something, I'm working but I'll be off on the day of the eclipse so I'll be sure to set myself up ahead of time. Just hope it's not going to be raining or cloudy as it is now.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

ARE MILLENNIALS KILLING THE SUN?
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Good riddance to it! Sunburn, heatstroke, skin cancer, global warming, that thing has been nothing but trouble.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Millenials had to kill the sun, because the boomers killed the ozone layer. They should be paying for my SPF 90 sunscreen!

 

[Svnla]

Saw on the news earlier that the next solar eclipse in the US will be April 8, 2024. Why so soon vs. the one before this coming one (many many years ago).

 

[sdifox]

Saw on the news earlier that the next solar eclipse in the US will be April 8, 2024. Why so soon vs. the one before this coming one (many many years ago).

Partial eclipse happens regularly.

 

[Svnla]

Look like traffic is bad already - https://www.yahoo.com/news/apos-preview-solar-eclipse-traffic-221342192.html

Hopefully, the weather will cooperate - https://www.usatoday.com/story/weat...uld-mar-view-oregon-south-carolina/573317001/

 

[BoomerD]

Look like traffic is bad already - https://www.yahoo.com/news/apos-preview-solar-eclipse-traffic-221342192.html

Hopefully, the weather will cooperate - https://www.usatoday.com/story/weat...uld-mar-view-oregon-south-carolina/573317001/

yeah, i saw that on the news last night...and it's only expected to get worse.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

yeah, i saw that on the news last night...and it's only expected to get worse.

There has to be a business opportunity here. You have that many stupid people crowed into such a small area it should be pretty easy to find a way to fleece them. Well, fleece them beyond the degree that they're fleecing themselves.

 

[BoomerD]

There has to be a business opportunity here. You have that many stupid people crowed into such a small area it should be pretty easy to find a way to fleece them. Well, fleece them beyond the degree that they're fleecing themselves.

Well...gas stations are reported to be running out of gas/diesel...and I'm sure the snack situation is getting dire...