Any solar eclipse plans?

[olds]

If you're right on the edge you should drive a few miles to get way longer totality so you'll have enough of a buffer to look without any glasses and be able to see the corona. I'm right outside the edge of totality by about 5 miles but with just a 12 mile drive I can get a minute and a half of totality. Though I'm going to my cousin's house where he has 3 1/2 minutes.

I see lots of news articles about how awful the traffic is going to be. Guard being activated, schools cancelled, etc.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

I see lots of news articles about how awful the traffic is going to be. Guard being activated, schools cancelled, etc.

If you're right inside the edge of totality you can do a 7-8 mile walk or bike ride and get to a minute and a half if you're going the right direction. I'd put up with the traffic to get to see the corona of the sun. Not like you'll ever get another chance to see one in your area. My area hasn't had a total solar eclipse since before Chaucer and before the Aztec Empire even existed.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

For some reason, this stuff doesn't impress me much. I get near total black sky at night, very little if any stray light. Yet I don't bother with any of the meteor or asteroid showers, planet alignments or similar. I don't even pay much attention to Full Moons other than how bright it can be sometimes.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

For some reason, this stuff doesn't impress me much. I get near total black sky at night, very little if any stray light. Yet I don't bother with any of the meteor or asteroid showers, planet alignments or similar. I don't even pay much attention to Full Moons other than how bright it can be sometimes.

This isn't a normal event like a meteor shower or conjunction of planets. And it's something that happens once in spans of hundreds of years in places.

 

[bbhaag]

This isn't a normal event like a meteor shower or conjunction of planets. And it's something that happens once in spans of hundreds of years in places.

Yeah I agree. I'm not an astronomy fan by any means but this happens so rarely in our part of the world that it seems like it would be worth checking out. I will be 65 years old the next time this happens.

I'm seriously reconsidering my plans to skip it and just go all in and drive the two and a half hours east to the Crawfordsville IN area to see it.

 

[brianmanahan]

i wasn't gonna make any big deal about it, just go outside for 10-15 minutes during work

but now my niece has decided to throw an "eclipse party" and i guess it's gonna be a whole big thing haha

 

[njdevilsfan87]

If the weather holds up in TX I'll be heading to TX to see it from the DFW area. I think they get around 3 minutes of totality so I don't us dealing with traffic too far from the hotel to get an extra minute.

It's probably crazy to travel half the county to do it, but the next one within the CONUS isn't due until 2045. We did the ring of fire from Albuquerque last year and that was pretty cool, but I want to see it get dark!

 

[sdifox]

I am sure someone with the equipment and expertise will film it and put it on youtube

 

[SteveGrabowski]

Ugh this eclipse is going to be a bust for most of the nation, with it forecast to be cloudy pretty much everywhere in the path of totality except western New York and then Vermont to Maine. And of course cloudy with thunderstorms forecast around San Antonio too FML.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I'll be working, so guess I'll miss it. Will be on night shift so I'll be sleeping. I could try to get up early for it though, and just deal with being tired on the next shift. I'll probably play it by ear that day. If it's cloudy or even partially cloudy then I won't bother setting an alarm. Right now the forecast is showing partially cloudy.

I'm sure there will be plenty of Youtube videos of it though. It's not the same than seeing it in person, but it will do.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

Out here in CA I think it's supposed to start around 10ish so I'll be at work and we won't see much anyways. I did buy some glasses to try and see the partial, but I doubt we'll be able to see anything with the weather.

 

[IronWing]

Ugh this eclipse is going to be a bust for most of the nation, with it forecast to be cloudy pretty much everywhere in the path of totality except western New York and then Vermont to Maine. And of course cloudy with thunderstorms forecast around San Antonio too FML.

My plan for the Starnes Barbecue parking lot in Paducah, KY would have worked. The forecast is for sunshine on Monday.

 

[kage69]

Monday's weather is going to be clear and sunny for us too, I'm stoked.

We're already in the path of totality, but I'm going to drive everyone 20min north so we're dead center.

 

[Brainonska511]

Last time I looked, should have clear skies in Burlington, VT. The biggest challenge will be getting into the city on Monday. We're coming from Boston, but I got us an Airbnb for Sunday night about 1.5 hr from Burlington, so hopefully should help get a jump on some of the driving/traffic that day. And then we have a room in Burlington for the next two nights just to hang out.

 

[96Firebird]

Where I live is in the path of totality, I didn't think it would be as big a deal as the news and social media is making it out to be. All hotels and airbnbs are booked, there are signs on the highway saying to expect severe delays, they are warning the cell towers may get overloaded.

My work is having an event for employees at their golf course, shuttles from our 2 local factories and some shuttle busses for our Canadian facility. Basically get a half day if we attend, schools are off Monday as well.

Businesses are selling eclipse-themed apparel, food, etc... Nice little boom for the economy, but I don't think I'd ever travel to see it.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Thought this was rather interesting.

 

[bbhaag]

If the weather holds and the cloud cover remains under 25% it looks like I'm driving to Jamestown Indiana. Not going to stay the night or anything but just driving to get the full experience. According to NASAs map this spot should get close to 3 minutes of totality.

As of today the NOAA is forecasting mostly sunny skies and a high of 71 degrees(21C) in that area. If that changes then my plans might change.

 

[MrSquished]

If the weather holds and the cloud cover remains under 25% it looks like I'm driving to Jamestown Indiana. Not going to stay the night or anything but just driving to get the full experience. According to NASAs map this spot should get close to 3 minutes of totality.

As of today the NOAA is forecasting mostly sunny skies and a high of 71 degrees(21C) in that area. If that changes then my plans might change.

For a total eclipse, you should definitely do it. Smart move.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

"
Every 11 years or so, the Sun’s magnetic field flips, causing a cycle of increasing then decreasing solar activity. During solar minimum, there are fewer giant eruptions from the Sun, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections. But during solar maximum, the Sun becomes more active.

In 2017, the Sun was nearing solar minimum. Viewers of the total eclipse could see the breathtaking corona – but since the Sun was quiet, streamers flowing into the solar atmosphere were restricted to just the equatorial regions of the star. The Sun is more magnetically symmetrical during solar minimum, causing this simpler appearance. During the 2024 eclipse, the Sun will be in or near solar maximum, when the magnetic field is more like a tangled hairball. Streamers will likely be visible throughout the corona. In addition to that, viewers will have a better chance to see prominences – which appear as bright, pink curls or loops coming off the Sun.

With lucky timing, there could even be a chance to see a coronal mass ejection – a large eruption of solar material – during the eclipse."

How the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse Is Different than the 2017 Eclipse

On April 8, the Moon’s shadow will sweep across the United States, as millions will view a total solar eclipse. For many, preparing for this event brings memories of the magnificent total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017. In 2017, an estimated 215 million U.S. adults (88% of U.S. adults) viewed...

science.nasa.gov

Sort of like a cat spitting up a hairball. ACCKK!!

 

[jpiniero]

Thought this was rather interesting.

If the eclipse is that popular... wonder how many stories will come out of people getting blinded by it.

 

[olds]

If the eclipse is that popular... wonder how many stories will come out of people getting blinded by it.

Blinded by the light

 

[pcgeek11]

Nothing here in SC. I don't see why so many people are making such a big deal about this....

The dragon / demon has eaten the sun before... meh...

 

[repoman0]

Nothing here in SC. I don't see why so many people are making such a big deal about this....

The dragon / demon has eaten the sun before... meh...

It’s a rare astronomical event, and people who can feel joy and wonder are excited to see it the one time or maybe one out of two times they are likely to. I find it harder to understand how anyone could not understand why people want to see it.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Blinded by the light

NSFW

Spoiler

 

[AdamK47]

This whole solar eclipse thing has become too popular and mainstream. I can no longer participate even though totality is only 50 minutes from where I live.

I'd go watch if it was niche or far less popular. I just cannot conform.