From a NYT article about the solar eclipse, coming to a city near you on April 8th.
Do you have plans to locate yourself appropriately? Had you thought about what to wear? The pleasing coordination with the Purkinje effect is to wear red and to go dark along with the sun, but the NYT is prompting you to steal focus from the sun by wearing green. I hope I'm nowhere near anyone attempting to take photos to be captioned, "Me and the solar eclipse."
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Twilight is heavy in ultraviolet because of refraction, which there is none of in an eclipse.
When you've seen one solar eclipse, you've seen them all.
I take it back. Diffraction is what makes UV predominant at twilight, short wavelengths diffract more and come from other parts of the sky. Might work the same on the eclipse. It's not the eye's sensitivity though, but an actual predominance of blue over red.
A good test would be see what happens to day-glo oranges and greens. They stand out by converting UV into visible colors, thus standing out as unnaturally strong in daylight but especially twilight.
I will be taking photos of the eclipse, but my greater interest will be photos of the people gathered. Our Midwest suburb is erecting fences around the parks to control the crowd and its cars.
This morning's news noted a nationwide shortage of portable potties due to eclipse-watching-related-demand. We don't want people peeing and pooping in the shrubs.
If you're going to take photos, the interesting thing is leaf shadows on the ground, not the sun. Or shadows in general. They'll be very sharp, which is surprising because you don't think of shadows as being blurred until you notice this. A partial eclipse will do for this, so totality isn't necessary.
I watched the last total eclipse in Wyoming, and this year I will be driving with family to see it in Texas. As an excuse for a bit of a road trip, it's not a bad one.
"Me and the solar eclipse"
Carly Simon had a great song about that very thing.
i was fishing on the North Platte river last time (2017)
worst two and a half minutes of my life.. Not a single strike (well, none i saw or heard anyway)
Fishing WAS pretty good up to, and after the eclipse.. But fishing is ALWAYS pretty good on the North Platte
Fact-based writing in the Times. What a rare nugget Althouse found. I wonder if the article mentions that the “light sensitive cells” have a blind spot right in the center, just like the NYT editorial viewpoint.
"Your mama so big she blots out the sun."
When a total solar eclipse crossed the midwest on July 29, 1878, one newspaper editor described the event this way:
“The day was all that could be desired; not a cloud obstructed the view….The darkness upon us became oppressive and everything was now quiet….The moon seemed to settle in place, and as the beautiful and sublime halo of light bursted out and sparkled all
around her, a great wild shout came up from the crowds….
“Never had we realized before how absolutely our world is hung out in space, with nothing but the power and goodness of God to rely upon. The utter helplessness of man and the vanity of his ambition were forcibly impressed upon us during these rapid moments. Should the light of the Sun never reappear, how awful would be our condition! But the streak of light on the horizon was the anchor of our hope, and the ring of promise, like the rainbow.”
I doubt many media luminaries will comment on "the power and goodness of God" this time, nor will their prose be so elegant.
I don't need an excuse to visit family in central Indiana, but we're driving up from the Atlanta area to be together during the eclipse. Not planning to do any naked dancing or child sacrifices.
My brother tells me all the hotels in the Indy/Bloomington area are booked solid and the grocery stores and gas stations are expecting supply challenges related to the mass influx of spectators.
Always wanted to see one…I had plans to see the one what passed over my house in the south but a client insisted on a meeting in Boston for that day. Apparently said client didn’t know about the eclipse until the last minute, then cancelled the meeting the night before so they could take their jet to the desert to some fabu spot to watch so no meeting no eclipse for rehajm…
Now I live in the south and the damn thing will totality through all the Vermont real estate family used to own. Eff it this time…
On Feb. 26 1979 we drove from Corvallis Oregon with friends, hoping to see the total eclipse there. Of course, it was cloudy in Portland (Feb, duh), but with some time to spare we drove up the highway toward The Dalles, and found a break in the clouds just in time for the eclipse. I still have some slide buried away somewhere. It was cool, but not cool enough that I need to drive to Erie, Pennsylvania to see it again, though. But I hope my son who lives near Pittsburg takes his family.
I'm just on the edge of totality and I'm not moving for it. I'll take the usual dog in the yard pictures, perhaps with shadows emphasized if it's clear, otherwise just dark if it's cloudy.
I saw the 2017 eclipse in Sun Valley, ID. The town was fearful of being overwhelmed with thousands of visitors. Nothing of the kind happened. Why? My theory is that the eclipse's shadow covers 1000's of square miles, so there were plenty of places outside of Sun Valley to view the eclipse, so the presumed crowds effectively dispersed themselves.
The eclipse itself was an amazing experience and would recommend to anyone to see one. I will be traveling to see the upcoming eclipse.
It'll be a nice time to go visit my sister and nephews near Cleveland.
We did the last total eclipse in 2017. The better half humored me, barely. I think totality was around 1:00pm.
We went to Omaha for the weekend so we had Sunday nite rooms at the standard rate, not the eclipse rate. We headed south about 80 miles. As traffic slowed I got off on county black tops, and when they slowed I took gravel roads for the last 30 miles or so. Pulled into a field drive and got our our law chairs and listened to an audible book.
My better half was awe struck, and still talks about how wrong she was to question me on the trip.
We will do the same on the weekend before Monday April 8th. We will stay at the bed a breakfast provided by our son, and his family. Then we will repeat the process. Head south about 100 miles to the path of totality, find a field drive and settle in. If you are going to partake, figure all the food and drinks you will need, and then double that amount. We did not take into account the traffic after totality, is just as bad as getting there was. All the C stores and restaurants are swamped, Start with a full fuel tank, eat the food you brought with you.
We have our glasses already and have filters coming for the phones and SLR camera. Two total eclipses in a lifetime is a treat. The next one is in 24 years, not likely I'll be around for that. You never know, I'm not guaranteed to see the 8th.
The fortified family compound back in Arkansas, where my parents and brother live, will get 100% coverage. Rain is forecast for April 8. Bummer. I saw the last one @ 100% here in SC, and it was a transcendent experience.
I'm about 20 miles north of the totality zone, but that's about 18 miles out in Lake Ontario and I don't have a boat. To go 20 miles south, I first need to go about 40 miles west and that will funnel me into big crowds that I am not thrilled about joining.
My daughter wants to watch it from Buffalo, where we have family, but the idea of crossing the border during this time is not attractive.
This is reminding me of the color Mountbatten Pink, applied to some warships because it allowed them to be less visible at dawn/dusk. (Allegedly) (Wiki link)
I'm watching the eclipse from Madison. Why travel?
Was going to fly to Indy where I have family just outside of town there. Indy is in the path of total eclipse. But that was then, now we'll just be here in South Florida, seeing a bit of a partial sniff of an eclipse. It might look like a cloud passed over our otherwise sunny day.
And now...back to pickleball.
"This morning's news noted a nationwide shortage of portable potties due to eclipse-watching-related-demand. We don't want people peeing and pooping in the shrubs."
Well, that offers a different answer to the NYT's what-to-wear question? Apparently, the answer is adult diapers.
I live in the path of totality (suburb of Toledo, OH), so I need only travel to my back patio. I will no be thinking of what outfit to wear.
If I have a location where the skies are going to be 95% clear, I will drive out the night before (closest for me would be in Indiana). I got to see the eclipse in 2017 since the zone of totality was just a handful of miles south of where I live, and this one is twice the duration at 4+ minutes. This is the last total solar eclipse in the Lower 48 United States (there is one in northern Alaska in 2033) until August 2045, and that one will be over 6 minutes duration and I hope to still be a live to see it.
As to why you would travel to see it- if you haven't been present at anything other than a total eclipse, the difference is profound.
"Do you have plans to locate yourself appropriately?"
We have a camper and will be going wherever the weather wills, from Texas to Maine (except Mexico; not interested in trying ti traverse Biden's war zone). It's about time to start looking at weather forecasts.
I've seen two, 1979 and 2017. There is little on the planet that is more awesome. But it HAS to be totality. A partial isn't worth even crossing the street for.
As the polling picture darkens, Trump-sensitive cells in lefty eyes become more sensitive to red and orange and often bulge in response. This shift in color perception is a symptom of TDS.
Temujin said...
"Was going to fly to Indy where I have family just outside of town there."
My wife still has family down around Shawneetown Illinois, but I don't feel like making the trip.
For those interested- this eclipse is from Saros Series 139. It last visited the United States in March of 1970 where it produced a total eclipse of about 3 and half minutes of duration along the east coast. Saros 139 will produce another eclipse on a similar path in May 2078 that is 5 1/2 minutes long. This series will produce the longest total solar eclipse of the last 3000 years (and the longest for the next 3000 years) on July 16, 2186 which will be 7 1/2 minutes duration which is just a few seconds short of what is theoretically possible.
I, for one, look forward to the arrival of the sun worshippers, solar afficianados, and downright nerds here in Austin in about a week. My AirBnB is booked for 7 full days around the eclipse, and at higher than normal rates. I suspect that "The Eclipse" is an adequate, maybe even a valid, excuse for a whole lotta people to spend a week, or a weekend, enjoying Austin and its central Texas surroundings in pre-summer weather. They'll surely be seeing what the restaurants and bars hereabout have in the way of "good (solar) viewing locations" before the big event on Monday the 8th.
Bring your solar viewing lenses, they can block out not only harmful sunlight from a non-eclipsed Sol, but can also block out the view of other people doing their influencer dances nearby as the world darkens.
If you are interested traveling internationally to see a long eclipse, there are two upcoming ones in Africa and one in Australia this decade.
The one in northern Africa is on August 2nd, 2027. Best location is probably Egypt near the Red Sea where the eclipse will be as long as 6 minutes and 22 seconds. Alternatively, it is visible in Gibraltar but will be only 4 1/2 minutes long.
The one in Australia is on July 22nd, 2028 and will be 5 minutes 10 seconds long at max duration. This is one I am thinking about traveling to see since I would like to visit Australia at least once in my life for other reasons.
An hour's drive would put us in the path of totality, but we have no intention of driving for an hour.
I've seen it before.
"The one in Australia is on July 22nd, 2028 and will be 5 minutes 10 seconds long at max duration. This is one I am thinking about traveling to see since I would like to visit Australia at least once in my life for other reasons."
I'm absolutely planning on that one. Will have to decide between Australia and New Zealand. Australia will probably have less people pressure and more of an opportunity for driving to clear skies. it will be over a region that I am well familiar with.
I live in the path of the total eclipse. Schools are closed that day. The Sheriff has issued traffic warnings for the day. As in total chaos is expected. All hotel rooms in the county are booked. Had dinner at a local expensive historic hotel the other night and asked at the front desk. They've been booked for weeks- and still have people calling.
We're going to take the dog for a walk about 5 minutes before the shadowing starts, and continue until it's over.
In 2017, the eclipse was nearly total where I live (99.6%) so I drove 30 miles west to get into the path of totality. Definitely cool and I'd do it again if it didn't involve a long trip or the expense of getting a room. This time I'm not even close, so I'll take what I get (looks like around 35%) in the backyard as long as it's clear. No guarantees there, this time of year can be cloudy/rainy.
I live outside Carbondale IL, a town as lovely as its name, where we will have something more than four minutes of totality. We got two minutes or so in 2017. I’ll be enjoying the eclipse from my back deck. After this, I suppose, it’s back to obscurity for good old C-Dale.
I was a kid in Charlotte for a partial eclipse there back last century. Cloudy day, missed it completely. Finally got to see a partial here in Austin just a few years back, watched it with appropriate eye-safe welding goggles. And saw the annular eclipse here just recently, too.
Worth seeing a full eclipse this time around? YES! And I'll probably watch Apocalypto the weekend before, just to get in the mood for it.
R C Belaire:
When you've seen one solar eclipse, you've seen them all.
Yep. Been there, done that.
"Worth seeing a full eclipse this time around? YES! And I'll probably watch Apocalypto the weekend before, just to get in the mood for it."
Even though they did in the movie, you probably won't get a full moon that night.
We could drive an hour west and be in the path of totality, but have no plans to do so.
BTDT.
maybe I'll go outside for a minute to check it out
The best photos I took of the last eclipse were of the sidewalk under a tree, where the dappled sunlight turned into a collection of half moon shaped images of the doings above as the tree turned into a large collection of pinhole cameras. You put a white sheet of cardboard on the ground in dappled sunlight during the eclipse and see what I mean. I first started with the goal of making a pinhole camera, then I notice the eclipse images everywhere on the ground where it was smooth enough to show properly.
It's going to be total in Vermont, so I will go see it, even if it is cloudy, I think that totality will be worth a little drive. The partial eclipse referenced in the above paragraph was a couple of years ago in Vermont, and if the weather hadn't been clear, it would have been a waste of time to go outside for it, there was more dimming of the sun from the wildfires last year. The odds of clear viewing in early April in Vermont are not high.
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