Total Eclipse in August (USA)

[Guest [Le...]]

This is pretty cool, so you may want to save the date:

 

  Total Eclipse - August 21, 2017 (USA)

 

 

Edit: Corrected clickbait title

[Guest [ba...]]

I'll be camping near Grandjean, Idaho (in the Sawtooth Mountains - right on the center line).  Got my solar filter (for the camera) and my solar sunglasses.  I co-instruct a beginning astronomy class, and have been telling students about this event for at least a dozen years.  I finally get to see one.  This is the shot that I'm hoping to capture...

 

http://enchantedskies.net/SawtoothEclipse.jpg

(this is just a photoshopped pic)

[Guest [Le...]]

Badsocref, that's gonna be amazing!

 

I'm glad you mentioned solar glasses. My dad taught us to never look at eclipses directly, to avoid frying our retinas. Instead he'd use a pinhole to project the eclipse phases onto paper. Cool, but also a great way to miss the beauty of the eclipse.

 

Would appreciate suggestions for genuinely safe glasses for this purpose - would hate to go blind using phony ones.

[Guest [ba...]]

All you need are some inexpensive paper/cardboard solar sunglasses.  My local astronomy club bought some hundreds of them for around 50 cents each (in quantity).  I see 10 and 15 packs still going for around $20 on eBay, so get a few friends to chip in a couple of bucks each and you should be able to get some at a decent price.

 

There are fancy $20+ dollar plastic framed ones on Amazon and eBay.  They won't significantly improve the safety or the view, but I'm sure some people will go for that model.  I've still got the paper pair from the annular eclipse a few years ago, so I'm good.  I'll probably bring 10 pair with me to share with spectators who don't have any.

 

During totality, it's safe to look at the Sun without sunglasses.  But if there's any direct light at all (even if it's just a tiny ray), the sunglasses have to stay on.

 

Some welding goggles are safe. 

 

Some cool things to watch for...  If you're near a bush or tree with fairly dense foliage, look on the ground at the tiny bits of light that pass through the small cracks in the bush/tree.  Each little ray will look like the eclipse (like 1000 pinhole cameras).  Just before totality, look at the ground.  You'll likely see little 'ripples' of light dancing around.  During the eclipse, you may see prominences on the edge of the solar disk, and of course you'll get to see the Sun's corona!!  Much to try to see in 2-ish minutes.

 

Bring a jacket.  Temps can drop a bit during the eclipse.

[Guest [ba...]]

fwiw - I kind of wish people would stop calling it America's greatest eclipse.  We've had others including some that have lasted longer than 2 minutes.  And this 'greatest' thing has political overtones that bother me (I can almost see #45 taking credit for it).

[Guest [Le...]]

Thanks for the excellent tips, badsocref.

 

This will be one event that won't be ruined by the raging ambient light of Manhattan. 

 

I'm not savvy enough to have caught the bogusness of using the word 'greatest,' but I'll change the clickbait title of this topic. I napped through a notable eclipse in the 90s and had the impression I'd never see a good one again in my lifetime - so this is going to be a treat (weather permitting).

[[je...]]

I'm in oregon and in one of the top spots for viewing. They are expecting a million people coming to.oregon, estimating 7 hours to travel 60 miles. Great for the old anxiety. But I'll see it once in my lifetime so yes, pretty cool.

[Guest [Le...]]

I'm in oregon and in one of the top spots for viewing. They are expecting a million people coming to.oregon, estimating 7 hours to travel 60 miles. Great for the old anxiety. But I'll see it once in my lifetime so yes, pretty cool.

 

Wow, that's great - I'm sure the thrill will suppress the anxiety!

 

I'm a little sad that Manhattan will just go a little dark, since we're not in the path of totality. But it will be interesting to see how our various critters react - supposedly they are likely to engage in nighttime behavior.

 

Hope it's a great experience, jenjee. 

[Guest [Le...]]

Before you buy glasses for the eclipse, please read this warning. There are a bunch of these being sold as ISO-certified that aren't.

 

  Avoid Bogus Solar Eclipse Glasses

 

'Some vendors are even going so far as to put falsified test results on their websites to support their bogus claims, AAS said.'

[[be...]]

fwiw - I kind of wish people would stop calling it America's greatest eclipse.  We've had others including some that have lasted longer than 2 minutes.  And this 'greatest' thing has political overtones that bother me (I can almost see #45 taking credit for it).

 

ROLF!

[[Gr...]]

At this link you can see how the solar eclipse will look where you live after entering in your ZIP code. It's pretty cool.

 

https://www.google.com/amp/amp.timeinc.net/time/4882923/total-solar-eclipse-map-places-view/%3fsource=dam

 

[[Ph...]]

fwiw - I kind of wish people would stop calling it America's greatest eclipse.  We've had others including some that have lasted longer than 2 minutes.  And this 'greatest' thing has political overtones that bother me (I can almost see #45 taking credit for it).

 

Uh uh uh...careful there, you know the rules about starting "those kinds" of food fights in a forum full of benzo-damaged receptors and delicate, easily-triggered emotions.  Breathe deeply, contemplate oneness and recite your mantra, good buddy.

 

Would love to hear more about what your Astronomy Club does.  Good luck tomorrow snapping pics of that great corona!  It's going to be fantastic!

 

BTW, I went to enchantedskies.net.  The photogallery has some amazing pictures in it!  If I ever looked into a telescope eyepiece and saw an actual cluster of galaxies...actual photons that traveled billions of light years to hit my retina, I would absolutely freak.

[[Ph...]]

At this link you can see how the solar eclipse will look where you live after entering in your ZIP code. It's pretty cool.

 

https://www.google.com/amp/amp.timeinc.net/time/4882923/total-solar-eclipse-map-places-view/%3fsource=dam

Very cool, we'll get about 75% coverage of the sun in SF.  Thanks for this post!

[Guest [ba...]]

The eclipse was awesome!  We had beautiful skies in Grandjean, Idaho.  Here's a couple of linked images that I took.

 

http://enchantedskies.net/DiamondRing.jpg

http://enchantedskies.net/Corona1.jpg

http://enchantedskies.net/EclipseSeries.jpg

 

 

PBug - Our astronomy club does lots of activities.  We do outreach for the community, in-class presentations for local schools, we have monthly meetings with invited guest speakers, we have an active imaging group, and much more.  Much more info can be gleaned at aslc-nm.org.

[Guest [Le...]]

Wow, just perfect - thanks for posting this, bads!

[[Fa...]]

Wow! Awesome pics. Thanks for sharing Badsocref!

 

[[Gr...]]

Those are AMAZING pictures Bads!!! Thank you for taking the time to show us.  :clap:

[[pi...]]

Awesome pictures!!! Thanks for posting.

 

My daughter and husband were on their way home from a vacation and stopped to camp just outside of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The day of the eclipse they mountain biked up to a plateau and had an amazing experience seeing the eclipse.

[[be...]]

Awesome pics! I was in the partial zone and it wasn't nearly as exciting! But still pretty cool.

[[Do...]]

Absolutely stunning!!!