Total Solar Eclipse 2017

[Steve Mayers]

Seeing the eclipse was awesome. I traveled to Tennessee to watch it. The drive home from the eclipse was a complete nightmare though.

 

[Kled]

that's pretty neat

Spoiler

Everyone said the same thing haha. It was a pretty great pic. The others i have are really tiny pics taken from the glasses or jsut bright dots.

 

[DuckSucker]

Already saw! Not worth it. See you next time in 2024.

Where's the next one gonna be? Someone earlier in the thread said they were going to Dallas to see it, which is like a few hundred miles away from where I am. I almost might go, even having to deal with shitty traffic, to see it, if it's going to be another total eclipse.

I live in central Texas and there have been partial eclipses before, so I didnt really give a fuck about this one except that everyone was saying it was a once in a lifetime thing so I checked it out. But in my area it was only 75-80% so I was like, "Yeah that's pretty neat, but life changing?" Someone else said they got to see stars and shit and Im kinda jealous of that. I grew up in a city so Ive never seen stars in my life except like super bright ones, even in the surrounding area. I guess even if the next one passes over Dallas and I go there I still wouldnt see stars.

Basically it felt like, if you werent looking at the sun you would have just thought there was a big cloud overhead, but you'd look up and see it wasnt not very cloudy but a nice day. It just seemed hazy.

I didnt know about the tree shadow shit, my sister said she had read about it, but we looked once and they were the same so when it peaked, we forgot to look again.

Kinda wish I had been out walking during it, rather than before when I didnt know when it would peak, and that I had thought to look at the shadows and take some pictures.

 

[A Robin]

Where's the next one gonna be? Someone earlier in the thread said they were going to Dallas to see it, which is like a few hundred miles away from where I am. I almost might go, even having to deal with shitty traffic, to see it, if it's going to be another total eclipse.

I can imagine the traffic might be worse than this year (just a guess), but at least people in different states'll get to see it next time.

lucky people in Illinois who'll get to see it twice if they don't move lol

 

[Angry New Ager]

Where's the next one gonna be? Someone earlier in the thread said they were going to Dallas to see it, which is like a few hundred miles away from where I am. I almost might go, even having to deal with shitty traffic, to see it, if it's going to be another total eclipse.

Yeah, that was me. If I fly, I'll end up in Dallas. But I may decide to turn it into a long road trip and see parts of the West and Southwest I've never been to. I'm not ready to buy and customize a road trip van just yet, but by 2024 I should be set. The chance to see another total eclipse gives me something to plan toward, at any rate. And if I do that, I'll find someplace in open country, without streetlights, where stars will be more visible.

I live in central Texas and there have been partial eclipses before, so I didnt really give a fuck about this one except that everyone was saying it was a once in a lifetime thing so I checked it out. But in my area it was only 75-80% so I was like, "Yeah that's pretty neat, but life changing?"

Haha--the difference between totality, and any degree of coverage that is not totality, is tough to describe. Imagine having the best possible seats at your dream sporting event or concert, and getting to watch it unfold live--as opposed to staying home and listening to it on the radio. Some people may receive a stronger signal and have better radios, but it's never going to be even close to the experience of being there and seeing it unfold in person.

And that's a weak, stupid analogy, because I've yet to see anything that matches the overwhelming, almost terrifying, sense of awe I experienced the second totality started. Yeah, things were very weird and kind of cool as the day grew darker and colder, but the instant totality happened was like being catapaulted into a completely separate event that was utterly unlike anything that led up to it. Some people arond the campsite I was at screamed involuntarily when it happened; I can now understand how people in the past dropped dead on the spot from terror, or went mad thinking the world was going to end. Knowing the scientific explanation behind it did not diminish my profound sense of awe when I saw totality in any way. In fact, as a natural-born atheist, I found myself thinking that what I was feeling must be how religious people feel at times. It was the most beautiful, terrifying, magnificent thing I've ever seen.

When it was over, I got in my car and was back on the road home within 10 minutes. Having experienced totality, there was no point in sticking around for the recession. Before I went, I'd heard about people doing just that, and didn't understand it--how could you not stick around for the whole thing? But to use the sports analogy, staying for the recession felt like sticking around after the sporting event to watch the cleaning crews sweep up and haul out the trash.

Basically it felt like, if you werent looking at the sun you would have just thought there was a big cloud overhead, but you'd look up and see it wasnt not very cloudy but a nice day. It just seemed hazy.

The progression was well underway before I even noticed that it was happening, and even then it was only because I thought to try out my glasses. About 1/3 of the sun was covered. I think it was probably about 60% covered before I realized the sun no longer felt warm, and there seemed to be a light neutral gray filter over everything.

It wasn't until about the last 3 minutes before totality--when we had >95% coverage, that things got really interesting fast. And then BOOM! Totality! With people screaming!

So if you're able to go see totality in 2024, I can't recommend it enough. There's just no comparing any degree of partiality with totality.

 

[DuckSucker]

Yeah turns out its going right over my parents house. I live in the area. God damn. It does give you something to live for. If it lands in your lap, why not live long enough to take advantage of it. How many people get to see a total eclipse? I hope they still stay in the area, except its getting super expensive and we were a low-class (not scumbags but like, literally not middle class) family. It's an area where gentrification is a huge issue.

If Im still alive and my parents still live in the area and this website is still around Ill film it for yall.

 

[Dorsia.Reservation]

We managed to get a little place on Lake Barkley in Kentucky to watch it.
It was amazing.
Street lights came on, crickets came out and the temp went from 96 to 81.

I might get some video of it, people we met in the next cabin were filming it and promised to send it on to us.