SOLAR ECLIPSE!!!

[FoxValleyDame]

Taking the baby to the pool tomorrow with a picnic lunch, hoping for some lighter crowds there during the eclipse. I'm thinking it will be kinda cool floating on my back staring up at the sun (with my special glasses on of course) while the day turns into semi-darkness. I'm bring extra pairs of glasses along for anyone there who doesnt have them. Should be exciting!

[BWeaves]

We're back!

Clear skies from the parking lot of the Ririe High School in Idaho. The high school football team was raising money by renting out a parking spot for $15 each. It was a bargain. Unfortunately, I didn't think they advertised well enough, because they expected hundreds of people and only got about 50.

But we had a relaxing time sprawled on the grass by the new high school. Good toilets with lots of toilet paper. I brought my own just case. Last eclipse was in Turkey and they didn't have any TP. A little kid would stand outside the toilet and sell you TP by the square before you went in. The football team had food in the concession stand. We had brought our own.

The trip back north to Bozeman, where our B&B was, was a parking lot for hours. We were worried we wouldn't make it back in time for a flight out the next day, it was that bad. If we'd been traveling 60 m.p.h. it was going to take us 4 hours. I think it took us 6 or 7 hours to drive back.

But the eclipse was gorgeous. It took an hour for the moon to slip over the sun. As it got slightly darker, the shadows got sharper because the sun's light was becoming more of a pinpoint spotlight rather than its usual flood light. Shadow bands rippled across the ground right before totality. Right after the diamond ring, the rim of the sun glowed bright red as we saw the chromosphere for a brief second, and then the total eclipse. Wings of white corona spread out like the swept back wings of a jet airplane. Venus was quite bright up and to the right. Regulus was right next to the sun and almost touching the corona down to the lower left. Two red prominences were at 1 and 3 o'clock on the Sun's rim. The Moon was like a black hole in the sky rimmed by feathers of white corona. The sky was indigo blue fading to rusty orange all around the horizon. Then it all happened in reverse. The red coronosphere and then the diamond ring, and then "bright" sunlight again, although it took another hour for full brightness to return.

The temperature dropped 13 degrees F during totality.

When there are lots of sunspots the corona is round. When there are few to none sunspots, like this eclipse, you get long wings off the sides of the sun and small sprouts from the top and bottom. Think of the image of the ancient Egyptian Sun God Ra, which is a round disk with wings on either side. A solar eclipse!

Most photos that capture what was seen by the naked eye will need to be composites of lots of different F-stopped images, because so far, all the photos I've seen in the newspapers don't begin to show what I saw with my naked eye and binoculars during totality.

From Sky and Telescope magazine, the photo with the LONG streamers of corona is what it looked like to the naked eye.

Best 2017 Eclipse Pictures from Our Readers - Sky & Telescope

This eclipse was 2 minutes long. The next one will be 4 minutes long, because the moon will be closer to the earth, and so bigger, and will take longer to cross in front of the sun. The path will go from Texas up through Indiana. 2024 here I come!!!

[organicfarmer]

The eclipse was so awe inspiring, a moment I will not forget. I am thankful for clear skies with no cloud obstruction and a beautiful day it was. The northbound traffic on the route home, I want to forget, but almost as epic as the eclipse itself. Seeing an interstate at a standstill in both directions in the middle of nowhere Kentucky, I will not forget that sight. Gave some small rural towns more traffic than they may see in a whole year I think with hopefully some economic activity too.

April 8, 2024 The date is on my calendar already. Unfortunately, hotels are only booking 12-18 months ahead of time when I asked.

[Perseffect]

I was on a business trip to Washington DC this week so had the opportunity to see the eclipse in person.

I did manage to get this shot of it on my phone (although it was sooo much better in person of course). Apparently it was 80% coverage where we were.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[backpack]

The light was unforgettable, warm colors sunset and sunrise, like a day into night cinematography effect.

[BWeaves]

I finally got my photo off my husband's phone.



Things to notice.

I'm sitting on a garbage bag because the grass was slightly wet. I used it later to put the remains of our lunch in.
I'm completely covered except for my chest and hands. Long Macabi skirt was perfect for this trip. Cashmere shawl was warm and packed up small. My face makeup had sunscreen. I forgot sunscreen for the rest of my body. My chest and hands got sunburned.

Look how sharp my shadow is! That's because the sun has been turned into a spot light instead of its usual flood light.

I have my eclipse glasses around my neck for wearing over my regular glasses. My binoculars on my skirt for when totality hits, and my eclipse diary in my lap making notes and drawings every step of the way.



My Pilot has a piece of white paper propped up on it, and my husband was focusing his binoculars on it to project the crescent of the sun during the partial phases.



Notice the erie lighting. It was great!

I didn't put my water bottle in the center pocket of my Pilot. That's where my eclipse glasses were carried!!!