Moments of totality: How Ars experienced the eclipse
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I watched a hour northwest of Austin with my family. No traffic on the way there, a bit on the way back. Cloudy but enough wind to give us a chance to see things in between clouds.
Amazing experience. What beauty!
Amazing experience. What beauty!
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From eastern Massachusetts ~3:30 pm EDT. Some high thin clouds but really lucky that weather turned bright today.
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We saw it through clouds in Erie PA. We couldn't see Venus but I did see the corona and the prominence on the bottom. It was super cool.
The kids were terrified, and they understood what was happening. I can only imagine the terror our ancestors might have felt, without forewarning or ready explanation.
The kids were terrified, and they understood what was happening. I can only imagine the terror our ancestors might have felt, without forewarning or ready explanation.
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For once mother nature played along and gave Cleveland a clear view of a cool celestial event! Had scattered high cirrus clouds that didn't block the views at all. Took one good shot of totality and then walked across the street to my neighbor's farm where I could see almost 360 to the horizon, the surround sunset is very cool. My wife loved it so much we decided to save up for an eclipse and valley of the kings/great pyramids tour in 2027.
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Totality was amazing. Thank you to the Arsian who posted the XKCD about totality this week. We drove to get more totality, and it really mattered. Just a few minutes, but it felt like just seconds.
The red flare (or CME?) was very noticeable by naked eye. Apparently it could be seen across several states.
The red flare (or CME?) was very noticeable by naked eye. Apparently it could be seen across several states.
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That's an amazing sequence of photos, Dr. Timmer!
I noticed the sky was getting hinky and decided it was about time for a motorcycle break anyway. The rest area was packed with people that didn't want to miss it. Some kind stranger let me have a peek through his glasses - neat, but not quite the awe of totality (I think I was about an hour outside of Raleigh at that point).
I noticed the sky was getting hinky and decided it was about time for a motorcycle break anyway. The rest area was packed with people that didn't want to miss it. Some kind stranger let me have a peek through his glasses - neat, but not quite the awe of totality (I think I was about an hour outside of Raleigh at that point).
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It might be worth raising another kid and keeping them completely oblivious to the true nature of eclipses, instead telling them for 20 years with all due gravitas that a snake is coming to devour the sun. What can I say, sometimes I enjoy playing the long game.
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After being dead in the line of totality in 2017 I was somewhat agnostic to this eclipse. Still, we got about 98% here in Lousiville.
It was a partly cloudy day, and I didn't think I'd get a good view, but just as the event started a hole opened up.
I was working in the garage with the doors open and what stuck me was actually the shadows. As clouds passed the sun the shadows mostly diffused. When clouds passed and the eclipse was active the light level was even lower, but the shadows were just as sharply defined as normal sunlight. So that was a kind of "something weird is going on here" that hit my brain in that moment.
It was a partly cloudy day, and I didn't think I'd get a good view, but just as the event started a hole opened up.
I was working in the garage with the doors open and what stuck me was actually the shadows. As clouds passed the sun the shadows mostly diffused. When clouds passed and the eclipse was active the light level was even lower, but the shadows were just as sharply defined as normal sunlight. So that was a kind of "something weird is going on here" that hit my brain in that moment.
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I was pretty far off the path, but it was fun watching other people gazing up at the sky in the middle of their daily routines.
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I'm all for this but... not possible. Pick a media. Any media. Seemingly very third sentence has included the word "eclipse" in it for the last week. I mean month.
That's not a bad thing. I don't mean to shrug off the cool factor. I was in 99.6% so I get it. Just... no way can you keep this a secret. Newsworthy events are... in the news.
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Had a nearly 80% magnitude partial eclipse in upstate South Carolina. It was darkest just after 3pm EDT. Fortunately, that's when I got off from work!
I struggled to get adequate pictures and failed to get any clear ones. My most reliable method was to take my Samsung phone and put the camera in "pro" mode, stop to F1.5 and lowered the ISO to about 50, then put it behind a spare pare of eclipse glasses (leftovers from my first total eclipse, 2017). The downside is that my physical zoom was unavailable in this mode, so all I had was "digital zoom" which is just the same as zooming in on an existing image, so it loses all the sharpness.
This one was taken after the peak of obscuration.
More below the fold, with an adjusted white balance to remove the redness from the glasses.
I attempted to get pictures with my point-and-shoot, but it refused to focus. I also tried to use a cheapo refractor telescope as a telephoto lens for the phone, but it just wouldn't work out. After getting the pictures I wanted, I mostly just sat around and started up at the spectacle.
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My house was like 25 miles from the literal dead center of the totality path and I experienced it through 100% cloud cover. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
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It is wonderful to see an entire staff scattered across this country share in a common celestial cycle. The impact on each observer was indelible. This was my third partial along with one annular solar eclipse, and I still might be around for the next one at the age of 92. The power and the force of nature is something we can all share in and feel, not just in photographs produced by coronagraphs or by satellites plunging into the corona sphere. The detachment of those instruments does not motivate most folks, and that is why manned exploration despite the expense and danger continues to inspire societies. The ability to share and experience what is beyond our planet seems to be built into our species.
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Kalamazoo, 96% of totality with slightly hazy but otherwise sunny skies.
Eclipse was amazing, even if not seen in the prime time path. Decided that travel to Ohio or Indiana too iffy with forecast weather and Kazoo was in the Midwest clear skies bubble.
CBS News was broadcasting live (Austin?) and magically, overcast skies clouds parted just enough for the eclipse annular peak to be viewed, and then the cloud gap closed just after the sun re-emerged.
Very cool.
Eclipse was amazing, even if not seen in the prime time path. Decided that travel to Ohio or Indiana too iffy with forecast weather and Kazoo was in the Midwest clear skies bubble.
CBS News was broadcasting live (Austin?) and magically, overcast skies clouds parted just enough for the eclipse annular peak to be viewed, and then the cloud gap closed just after the sun re-emerged.
Very cool.
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What's really crazy is how localized it was in some places. Here, there are only a select few bright bits showing, not even a crescent.
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If in 2017 I lived where I live now, I could have driven a few hours to see totality (I did see a partial eclipse). If I lived now where I lived in 2017, I could have driven a couple of hours to see totality. Oh well, that's life. 
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Just after 2pm in downtown Chicago. Felt like the whole city took a break from work.
Unfortunately work ran out of glasses and I left my pair with my parents, so had to borrow someone's and hurriedly get a picture after a the high point. Laser autofocus was not a fan of the glasses. But was still cool. The city got noticeably darker, which was wild.
Had my trusty pinhole though.
Unfortunately work ran out of glasses and I left my pair with my parents, so had to borrow someone's and hurriedly get a picture after a the high point. Laser autofocus was not a fan of the glasses. But was still cool. The city got noticeably darker, which was wild.
Had my trusty pinhole though.
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Nice to read pieces by all the most eloquent people at Ars, and Aaron Zimmerman.
I went for a bike ride along the Saint Lawrence River but mistimed it, so instead of cycling towards the sun at totality I had already gone past my halfway point and turned back. Still, it was unmistakably a tiny bit dimmer. Meh, ok.
Then suddenly the huge crowds I was cycling past went quiet, and as of then it wasn’t just a little bit dimmer anymore, but very quickly getting dark. And then, actually dark enough to see stars! There were also the sunset colours on the horizon, which I hadn’t expected. And, just as quickly, it got light again.
I went for a bike ride along the Saint Lawrence River but mistimed it, so instead of cycling towards the sun at totality I had already gone past my halfway point and turned back. Still, it was unmistakably a tiny bit dimmer. Meh, ok.
Then suddenly the huge crowds I was cycling past went quiet, and as of then it wasn’t just a little bit dimmer anymore, but very quickly getting dark. And then, actually dark enough to see stars! There were also the sunset colours on the horizon, which I hadn’t expected. And, just as quickly, it got light again.
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I traveled to Indianapolis for it, i was obsessed with checking forecasts for the last week. It was a tiny bit cloudy but totality was mesmerizing; one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen
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I was with my family in Manor, TX just East of Austin. We were in the path, but only barely. We still had a solid 40 or so seconds of totality, and the clouds cooperated to see the entire big event.
About a minute or so after totality ended, low level clouds thickened up and we couldn't see anything any longer. But at least we saw totality, unobscured.
And the diamond ring effect was so sharp. So focused. Both at the start and end. Amazing, and I'm glad I could share this moment with those I love.
About a minute or so after totality ended, low level clouds thickened up and we couldn't see anything any longer. But at least we saw totality, unobscured.
And the diamond ring effect was so sharp. So focused. Both at the start and end. Amazing, and I'm glad I could share this moment with those I love.
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I may be a bit too prosaic for astronomy!
Everything lined up for me, though. I had the day off work, a friend dropped off glasses last night. Brantford, Ontario (my closest totality) was calling for clouds and rain all day, and I resigned myself to just seeing it get dark (yes, also thank you for the XKCD). It was my first time there, and it was not busy like the tourist places/expectations in the bigger cities.
It was cloudy all the drive there, but right before it started, the sky just totally cleared! Haha my pictures totally didn't work, but I enjoyed seeing it live. However, while it was worth the amount of effort I put in, I'm not sure I'd go through much more. (Wasted on the unappreciative I suppose!)
Everything lined up for me, though. I had the day off work, a friend dropped off glasses last night. Brantford, Ontario (my closest totality) was calling for clouds and rain all day, and I resigned myself to just seeing it get dark (yes, also thank you for the XKCD). It was my first time there, and it was not busy like the tourist places/expectations in the bigger cities.
It was cloudy all the drive there, but right before it started, the sky just totally cleared! Haha my pictures totally didn't work, but I enjoyed seeing it live. However, while it was worth the amount of effort I put in, I'm not sure I'd go through much more. (Wasted on the unappreciative I suppose!)
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This was, by far, the highest drive time:activity duration of my life. Seven hours in (and seven hours to drive tomorrow) for 3.28 minutes of totality. And unquestionably worth it.
Gas for a fourteen hour road trip? $100. Two nights in a hotel in Noblesville, IN? $700. 3.28 minutes of totality with your ten year old daughter? Priceless.
Gas for a fourteen hour road trip? $100. Two nights in a hotel in Noblesville, IN? $700. 3.28 minutes of totality with your ten year old daughter? Priceless.
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I think we saw the same ship! I was upstream a bit at the St. Lawrence waterfront park at Morrisburg and the ship passed by some time before totality. Original plan was to go to Picton and head further south to the shore of Lake Ontario but the prediction was for not just clouds but rain in the afternoon and that led to a rethink. Headed the other way, basically trading off length of totality for a better chance of good weather.
It worked! This was my first full eclipse, and totality really is a whole 'nother experience. Definitely very spooky. I can understand why some folks travel all over to experience it.
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There were high level clouds in Central Indiana, but nothing that took away from the event. I found the red flare at the “bottom” fascinating as it progressed during totality.
I had not gotten my hopes up, figuring that clouds would ruin it. It really was a neat experience. Especially when Venus and Jupiter popped into view as well.
I had not gotten my hopes up, figuring that clouds would ruin it. It really was a neat experience. Especially when Venus and Jupiter popped into view as well.
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My family and I stayed by Richland Chambers Lake, east of Corsicana, TX. It was mostly cloudy all morning, but miraculously the clouds parted about 30 minutes before totality and provided a spectacular show for about 3½ minutes.
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Congratulations to all the Texans who managed to get a view. I had a site lined up in south Texas near Uvalde, but the depressing and dreary forecasts convinced me to change my plans at the last minute. Instead I drove up past Dallas to a place near Clarksville. The previous day was cloudless, the night was crisp and clear, and at sunrise the clouds rolled in fast and thick.
This was almost certainly my last chance to see a total eclipse (and my first), and I wasn't going to give up that easily. I checked some cloud cover forecasts, found a possible clearish patch in driving distance and set off again. I ended up in Pencil Bluff, Arkansas, under clear blue skies, and treated to the experience of a lifetime. It was worth all the stress and turmoil I endured trying to chase it down from Nevada.
One quick takeaway: There was a bright prominence visible as a pinprick of light with the naked eye, revealed to be bright red with binoculars. I had always assumed the red color of those in photographs was a result of the filters used -- but no. Those things are REALLY red!
This was almost certainly my last chance to see a total eclipse (and my first), and I wasn't going to give up that easily. I checked some cloud cover forecasts, found a possible clearish patch in driving distance and set off again. I ended up in Pencil Bluff, Arkansas, under clear blue skies, and treated to the experience of a lifetime. It was worth all the stress and turmoil I endured trying to chase it down from Nevada.
One quick takeaway: There was a bright prominence visible as a pinprick of light with the naked eye, revealed to be bright red with binoculars. I had always assumed the red color of those in photographs was a result of the filters used -- but no. Those things are REALLY red!
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I once did the math and found the moon is only about 1% off from being a perfect match for the sun. Thats amazingly close.
Use moon and sun diameters, average earth to moon and earth to sun distances, and subtract 1 earth radius from earth moon distance since the observer is on the surface of the earth.
Use moon and sun diameters, average earth to moon and earth to sun distances, and subtract 1 earth radius from earth moon distance since the observer is on the surface of the earth.
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Enjoyed it with family and friends on family farm land in southern IL with around 3-4mins of totality. It was great! Clear skies the entire time! So lucky
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Went to Dallas for the eclipse, and we got super lucky re: cloud coverage. Clouds were moving in and out all day, at times fully blocking the sun. About 10 min before totality, it looked like a big gap in the clouds was coming, then about 2 or 3 min, a thick cloud formed and completely blocked the sun. There was a very loud gasp of exasperation across the entire crowd as we all braced for disappointment. Totality hits, and you can start to make it out through the clouds, and then they miraculously just all parted. It was fairly humid, so the air was decently thick and the view wasn’t quite as “sharp” as when I saw it in Nebraska in 2018, but it was still spectacular.
What was truly awesome was how active the sun was (still is…). I got some amazing photographs of a number of solar prominences.
ETA:
For me one of the most odd or even disconcerting experiences while the sun is slowly being devoured by the moon is that, while it gets darker, shadows don’t change. The light just before totality is similar in brightness to a very cloudy day or just after the sun sets, but in both those instances, your shadow is affected by the change in light. Either no shadows, as in the case of an overcast sky, or a super long shadow on the case of sun set. Yet, during an eclipse, your shadow is still the same as any other midday shadow.
What was truly awesome was how active the sun was (still is…). I got some amazing photographs of a number of solar prominences.
ETA:
For me one of the most odd or even disconcerting experiences while the sun is slowly being devoured by the moon is that, while it gets darker, shadows don’t change. The light just before totality is similar in brightness to a very cloudy day or just after the sun sets, but in both those instances, your shadow is affected by the change in light. Either no shadows, as in the case of an overcast sky, or a super long shadow on the case of sun set. Yet, during an eclipse, your shadow is still the same as any other midday shadow.
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I didn't go somewhere for full totality, because I figured it'd be a bit of a nightmare even though I'm relatively close to it (and from others' stories, sounds like I was right), but it was still pretty cool.
Ottawa got 98.87% totality; around 3:20pm you realize the house is fairly dark for mid-afternoon, and you go outside and it felt colder than it should. And during the peak (3:25pm - 3:28pm), you could see lights in the neighbourhood that turn on for dusk, well, turned on!
I had purchased some eclipse glasses so we could observe it, so I got to experience it that way. I also put an eclipse glasses lens up to my phone's camera and took photos of the eclipse, but it doesn't look as cool or dramatic that way.
Ottawa got 98.87% totality; around 3:20pm you realize the house is fairly dark for mid-afternoon, and you go outside and it felt colder than it should. And during the peak (3:25pm - 3:28pm), you could see lights in the neighbourhood that turn on for dusk, well, turned on!
I had purchased some eclipse glasses so we could observe it, so I got to experience it that way. I also put an eclipse glasses lens up to my phone's camera and took photos of the eclipse, but it doesn't look as cool or dramatic that way.
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Or as Steve Martin might say, “Can I mambo dogface to the banana patch?”
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We had completely clear skies on a ski mountain in Maine for my first total eclipse. It's hard to put into words how profoundly awe-inspiring it was. I frankly feel bad for people like my sister who only saw 90% of it. The darkness, the temperature drop, the crazy flowing corona shadows (I'm guessing) along the snow were all just unforgettable.
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