What are your eclipse plans?

I should have added, if he actually was.

Success in Gorevill, Illinois!!!

13 hours to make the 5 hour dive home to Chicago though....

I was able to see the approaching shadow. Conditions were such that the temperature drop caused a light ground fog to form as the totality approached. I was well above the haze at 14,500 feet but it made the shadow line on the ground less clear but you could definitely see it coming. It moved really fast.r

The guy on the radio was right. Totality is the real show. There is something surreal and indescribable about it. Your eyes are drawn to this black hole in the sky surrounded by a light that redefines the term 'contrast'. I couldn't look away. I have no idea what the surrounding sky looked like, never saw the stars come out that I'm sure were there. The corona was very obvious and beautiful but I did not see the 'ring of diamonds' effect that I've heard about. I wonder if that's what you see if you keep the goofy glasses on? Naked eye is the only way to go during totality. Before and after I was amazed at how bright it was with only 10% of sun showing.

If I were to do it over I'd leave all the cameras at home not waste a second trying to photograph it. It's a waste of time no matter how good they come out. Just take it in.

A lot of other pilots had the same plan. There were over 50 airplanes within 10 miles of me at totality, and that was just the ones equipped with ADS-B out transponders that I could track. Never saw them though, most of them were well below me where you don't need supplemental oxygen.

Well worth burning 30 gallons of Dino juice to see.

You mean "Baileys beads". I never saw them either years ago, but I did see the "diamond ring" of the returning sun. I never knew it even existed. The feeling of the approaching shadow, I found almost terrifying. But your right, the big show comes after the shadow catches up with you.

I only larned yesterday that the Baileys Beads are really and expression of first returning un light peering theough mountain valleys on the moon's surface and the sunlight partially refracts thats why the beads last fairly long(ish) maybe 4 seconds.
Im planning the next one from Mt Ktahdin Ive never seen a cloudy ky cover from Katahdin cause were most inland and were above the stratocumulus types. Were talking April 2024.

Excellent. I think those that had it best were on the far west coast, Idaho, and the Tetons . My idea to hit it from the Blue Ridge was a good show also. Clear and slightly above any cumulus.I woulda loved it from Mt Mitchll or Clingmans (Unfortunately these were like 98% and thats not totality

somethin to rally cherish eh? I still talk and compare photos with two friends who wre with me in the 89 eclipse

OK, maybe will watch for the beads next time if I'm still around. Didn't know when to expect them, thanks for the tip.

BTW, I read a story about strange wavering band shadows that sometimes occur during an eclipse. Several times I've seen something that matches the description of them. Not sure exactly what conditions have to be but maybe 5 times every summer if I'm awake the instant the sun first peeks over the Sangre de Christo mountains to the east of me, the projected image of my bedroom window on the opposite wall will be in sharp focus for a few seconds. During that time there will be these wavering bands running through the image. Looks something like heat waves seen in jet engine exhaust.

The article said the cause is unknown. I speculated that they are projected corona 'heat waves' but IDK.

All the hotel rooms in town were booked, but I never ran into the traffic we were warned about. The main highway through town stayed solid red on traffic maps, but I think locals just avoided it.

We stepped outside of work and milled around with other shopowners and employees. Was so nice to mingle, looking up as sun as it became a crescent. I remembered something I'd read and walked over to check out a tree's shadow.

I don't understand the science behind it, but there were hundreds of tiny crescents of light in the shadow of the trees dotting the parking lot. No one else had read this and, sadly for science, I was, in fact, the Neil degrasse Tyson of the parking lot for a few minutes.

That simple sight, though, was so lovely and quite special.

Looking up during the safe period at the sun, completely covered, is hard to describe. Magic.

That hour, the sights, and conversations made for really nice memories.

Where did you see it from?

Path of totality, southern state. I don't give more identifying info online.

Totally clear skies. Totally eclipse.

Did you get to see it?

I knew about the light through the leaves, Lash, and took some photos of them to boot!

One of my neighbor's pointed out how sharp edged all the shadows were -- like being in a spotlight, instead of sunlight. I'd never have thought to look for that. I'm sure we all looked like we were tripping -- slowly waving our hands in around while looking over our shoulders while saying "Oh! Wow!"

That sounds awesome!

I felt like we must have looked kooky too, 30 adults milling around in a parking lot, looking down like metal detectorists, pointing at the ground with our mouths open.

Wish I had taken some pics. So glad you thought of it!

Yes, I saw it in Paducah. Spectacular and ephemeral. But not as impressive as the one I saw in Aruba in 1998.

I got back home late last night but just crawled into bed and slept until noon today. I'll never fly, but I can see why people prefer it when traveling long distances.

I ended up seeing the eclipse at Ednis K Wilkins State Park just east of Casper. The Wind River Valley had partial smoke obstruction forecast so I didn't bother.

There were no nearby mountains, so no opportunity to see the moon's shadow rushing by. However, at the end of totality I did notice a sudden brightening as the shadow moved off from me.

There was a thin layer of high clouds which annoyed me to no end as totality approached, but it turned out that I was able to see the totality just fine because the clouds were so thin.

I missed the wedding ring at the beginning because I was unsure of the point at which it was safe to take my glasses off. Saw the totality OK. Saw the wedding ring at the end.

I saw the 360 degree sunset, although it was pale by sunset standards. I was much more impressed with the moon-obstructed sun and focused mostly on that. I could also see Venus up there next to the sun.

After totality I saw a dark path stretching away from the sun through the high thin clouds, which was the moon's shadow still covering areas adjacent to us in the eclipse path.

On the way home I saw Devil's Tower but didn't go into the park. The locals said that in the park you just look straight up at the tower from the base, so I just looked a bit from outside the park.

I drove through Badlands National Park. Very pretty, but they seriously need some guardrails on those hairpin turns with a drop of more than 100 feet just two feet away from the road. I have no idea how those full-size buses and giant motorhomes navigate those turns. I was freaked enough just doing it in a car. How many people end up going over the edge there every year anyway?

2024

Watching Baily's beads without safety glasses will cause permanent blindness. That little bit of direct sunlight is more than enough to destroy your eyes. But it is dim enough to not trigger the reflex forcing you to look away. You can easily stare at them until you are suddenly blind.

Fine to watch them with safety glasses though.

Thanks, oralloy.

I'd heard the year of the next one, but didn't know locations.

It was such a resonant experience, I might drive.

thanks for the 2024 map. We talked about this on as seen from Mt Katahdin in Maine. I think We will need early permits.
Sorry ya didnt like the Black Hills. That was one of the areas of my dissertation.i had a couple of old mine wells that I recovered gold from ground water with 45 ppm of gold and platinum. The wells were closed by Interior but it was a magnificently secluded area and I as there with a girlfriend lab assistant and we lived as licensed DOI hermits for almost two weeks. I took plenty of pics but my first wife took em as part of her way of stabbing me in the heart. I can reveal to you that You missed your chance(along the edges of the BH's) to get some neat footprints of a favorite pelycosaur of yours.

Katahdin in April will still have snow on it.

I've hiked Katahdin twice in my life...not sure I'd enjoy it much with ice and snow. Torrential downpour was bad enough.

Take a second look at that cloud cover map.

Texas. Or if you want to risk the drug lords, Mexico is better yet.



I wouldn't say I disliked them. I just think those hairpin turns with a hundred foot drop just inches from the road in Badlands National Park could use a guardrail.



Our ancestors left footprints there huh. Interesting.

I also saw there is some sort of tourist attraction celebrating Minuteman ICBMs. I was tempted to go there instead of to the Badlands.