Solar Eclipse 8/21/17 Where Were You?

**Garyhead** · 08-20-2017

I'm heading out shortly for Tigard, Oregon for the Solar Eclipse tomorrow. Tigard is expected to have 99.7% totality. Staying at my brothers so no exorbitant lodging fees and No Traffic Jams. Are you observing? Tell us your story here.... I have a fond recollection of the only other one I witnessed.....It was 1980.....I was home from school sick....My Father was working nights at the time and he set his alarm clock to be able to see it......It was an overcast day so we sat together at the kitchen table and watched it get dark....the street lights came on, the birds got quiet....and it was about 9AM. Dad is gone now.....but it was an event just we two shared together....in silence.

**SteveSly** · 08-20-2017

Unfortunately I will be at work and not even near any windows. Will have to wait for the next one in 7 years.

**markwoll** · 08-20-2017

Sanibel Island, FL. Far from the Path Of Totality.
I am constructing a shoebox eclipse viewer.
No magic glasses for me.
I will leave the 'bonfire of the retinas' to more hearty souls.

**BobM** · 08-20-2017

Just checked my solar glasses. You can't see a damn thing through them except when you look directly at the sun. Then you see a small yellow circle. If you see anything else through your glasses then they aren't working properly and are likely dangerous.

Still, I would suggest wearing a good pair of sunglasses under them and not looking for minutes at a time. Look for 10-15 seconds then look away for a minute.

Also, I suggest looking down at the ground and shadows cast by buildings and trees. I'm told the effect can be pretty cool.

**rushfan** · 08-20-2017

Arrived in Anderson SC, just under 2 hours from home, no traffic on I-85. My wife and I will be attending an event at the Civic Center here with live music, food and a ton of other people. Started talking about doing this 5 years ago, reserved the room back in January at a normal rate. Fortunate to be this close to the path of totality. Got eclipse glasses from the local library several months ago.

**moecurlythanu** · 08-20-2017

I'm not in the Path of Totality, but I'll be driving my Eclipse to work, and should have a good view of the effects at the marina. Weather should be clear.

**ronmac** · 08-20-2017

Originally Posted by BobM

Just checked my solar glasses. You can't see a damn thing through them except when you look directly at the sun. Then you see a small yellow circle. If you see anything else through your glasses then they aren't working properly and are likely dangerous.

Still, I would suggest wearing a good pair of sunglasses under them and not looking for minutes at a time. Look for 10-15 seconds then look away for a minute.

Also, I suggest looking down at the ground and shadows cast by buildings and trees. I'm told the effect can be pretty cool.

Sunglasses make no difference. The eclipse glasses are about 1000X stronger.

**rcarlberg** · 08-20-2017

I'll have 93% totality but I'll be in front of my TV, watching live coast-to-coast coverage on the Weather Channel. I figure that'll be safer and a lot more informative.

I remember a few other eclipses. I'm not sure I'll structure the day around one.

**Dave (in MA)** · 08-20-2017

I was in my time machine. Tomorrow's eclipse was great.

**markwoll** · 08-20-2017

An interactive eclipse map, courtesy of NASA.
It will tell the start, end and approx. amount the sun is obscured ( but not by clouds ) for your location.
https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/sites/d...map/index.html

**rcarlberg** · 08-20-2017

Nice map, but holy cow is it glitchy on my iMac! It errors-out to "maximum zoom level reached" no matter WHAT you do!

**rapidfirerob** · 08-21-2017

Fairly sure it will be overcast here in the Bay Area. I'll watch the NASA broadcast on Facebook live. I may peek out the window though to look for shadows, just in case.

**JKL2000** · 08-21-2017

I wish it weren't happening - the whole thing is a pain in the ass. My wife is excited about it so we have to bring our son to a museum to watch it through their viewers or whatever. They'll also be livestreaming the total eclipse (we're near NYC, not sure how close to total it will be here). It's a cool event and all, but I don't really give a crap and am more concerned about getting our older son ready and packed for college. This eclipse comes at an inconvenient time!

**rcarlberg** · 08-21-2017

Perhaps you can get it rescheduled.

I've been through a few eclipses I remember and, while exceeding weird, they're not magic or anything. What I remember most about the last one is the dead silence -- all the birds stopped singing, even the insects seemed to silence.

**Don Arnold** · 08-21-2017

My inlaws booked a week at their fractional share resort in Oregon (we live in Victoria, BC) months ago. Little did they, or we, know that the location, laying between Redmond and Sisters is on the southern edge of the Path of Totality. How cool is that! (perhaps 10 degrees or so

) Apparently we'll get under 10 seconds of totality here at the resort yet only 30 minutes or so away in Madras they'll have over 2 minutes. Anyway, a nice bonus to our vacation.

**ronmac** · 08-21-2017

Originally Posted by rcarlberg

Perhaps you can get it rescheduled.

Better yet, he can wait for the blu-ray to come out.

**Supersonic Scientist** · 08-21-2017

here in Gainesville, GA we will have 99% totality...will be watching it LIVE on a large screen here in town. (couldn't get any glasses for viewing directly) skies are predicted to be clear....should be fun.

**JKL2000** · 08-21-2017

All the people who paid for expensive eclipse viewers are losers. Sad.

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**markwoll** · 08-21-2017

Big pin. The sun is about 10% gone here. Will it Ever Come Back?

**JKL2000** · 08-21-2017

Here's a sample of my Astro-photography employing the Sun-Master 3000 and the iPhone 7:

It's best if you zoom in on the image. The Sun-Master 3000 is constructed of space-age materials including a Meusli box and a Canada Dry carton.

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