wxeyeNH

I just saw this picture of the eclipse from space.  I found it interesting because as you can see the totality line is not as sharp all the way around.  Like taking a flashlight and shinning it over a globe depending on if the flashlight beam points straight down or at an angle, it will make a difference.  In the case of the moon the "beam" is the shadow.  So if the eclipse was closer to mid day the shadow comes quicker/more defined.  If it occurs near sunrise or sunset it is more diffuse.  I'm not sure if I am making sense or not.

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I posted this on the New England thread but will repeat it here.  This photographers description summed it up perfectly!  His picture attached...

13 hours ago, Hoosier said:

The average Joe just doesn't get it.  I had read about the difference between being in 99% and 100%, and it's not like I was doubting it, but you really can't fully grasp it until you're there. Totality began at 1:20 at my location and while the light was gradually growing dimmer, it was striking how much light there was even at 1:17, 1:18, etc.  I couldn't stop glancing at my phone to count down the minutes lol

Because I saw my 3 1/2 minute total in Aruba in 1998 I have been harping my family and friends to do whatever they had to do to see this one.  I started 3 years ago.  The last few months I have aggravated so many people because I kept saying you have to do this!  Do whatever you can, you just have to see this.  A few family members got it and went.  A couple of friends too but most just told me, Gene, shut up, enough is enough a partial is fine and I can watch it on TV.  Now you guys know!  Before this week I was in a club of about 50,000 people that lived in the US and had seen a total.  At least you guys now understand.  Even today the people I talk to say, yeah it looked neat on the evening news but no big deal!

19 minutes ago, eyewall said:

That is an awesome shot and one hell of a photogenic landscape. I would recommend not being in New England for April 2024. We all know how cloudy it is that time of year. I wish I could go to South America in 2019.

 I would book a winter  (April) vacation in the Mexican resort town of Mazatlan.  It's on the Pacific side.  Almost guaranteed sunshine.  That's what we did.  Tropical vacation and a total on the beach.  Can't beat it.  I was urging my friends last week to look into booking. I was just looking at the rates of resorts there and they are incredibly low.  Of course that will change for eclipse week.   I bet after this week the resorts in that town are booking fast if they take reservations that far out,  who knows?  Lots of time to start saving your money!!

Jeremy so glad you got to see this.  Wow, the weather could not have been better across the US.  Sure a few places got clouded out but all and all over 3000 miles the weather was epic.

I guess all could be summed up by this picture I saw and the photographers comments.  I saw this on facebook and it really summed up my experience in 1998.  Now we look forward to April 8 2024.  Only 6 years and 9 months away...

  Blake Farnham is with Sam Ridout-Claude.

Just noticed the KP index is 5 right now.  Clear skies  no moon, any chance of anything up here tonight??

3 hours ago, yak said:

in the quality of light even before it got noticeably darker.  Did anyone else notice that?  Images and shadows become noticeably sharper and everything becomes clearer somehow like your vision has suddenly improved and you've enter into a type of hyper-reality.

Everything does become crisper as you get to the thin crescent sun.  Usually the shadowed areas are muted in outline since the orb of the sun is not a point.  As the last rays come down it is more of a point so shadows on the ground have sharp lines.  Many people don't notice but I did.  The whole quality of light within 10 minutes is very strange.  It's a sunny day but the light is just dim, weird.  Something you can't explain to people unless you experience it first hand.  Glad it was a success for you!

It's really fun today watching the Utube videos from people in totality.  So many people really had no idea what to expect.  The hooting and hollering of normal folks is so fun to watch.  Kids just jumping around.  I knew it would be a total over performer for people that had never seen one.   Watching totality with many other people adds to the excitement!

So frickin happy for my fellow AMWXers that are going to see this.  You don't know the treat your in for!!  Good Luck!  

49 minutes ago, weathafella said:

Texas would have higher likelihood of better skies too.  If I am alive and able I will go.

Okay,  hot tip!   2024 eclipse goes from Mexico to New England.  Hits the Pacific coast of Mexico at the resort town of Mazatlan.  Mexico weather is the best and this resort is on the beach.  Book a room today!!   This is what we did for Aruba in 1998.  Winter vacation and long total eclipse on the beach!!!!  CAN"T BEAT IT!.  We had to book 5 years in advance.  So my advice is to get on the phone today and book a vacation.  Once the US sees how fantastic a total eclipse is everyone will be thinking about places like Mexico!! Next week might be too late....

2 hours ago, weathafella said:

The hope is the typical diurnal cumulus can be dampened by the eclipse moving in.  In any case, I'm feeeling ok with Gallatin-timing of the 594dm ridge high water Mark couldn't have been planned better.   Fingers crossed.

Safe travels Jerry.  I am so excited for you!   Definitely want to hear a detailed write up.  In Aruba 1998 the Cu did not get dampened by the total eclipse.  Perhaps it was because it is such a small island surround by ocean.  Of course water temps don't change.  An hour of slowly decreasing sunlight before totality might make a difference.  Now that we have GOES 16 with such high resolution it will be interesting to watch from space to see if in fact the cooling does decrease Cu!

22 minutes ago, TellicoWx said:

I'm located in Tellico Plains, SE TN, on the center line. A lot of people here think this is being over hyped. Going to be interesting to see how it plays out. 

When I went to see the total eclipse in Aruba 1998 I dragged my partner down with me. He is not an nature person and really thought the whole thing was going to be overhyped. Boy did he change his mind once he saw what was happening. Let's see what people say about it being overhyped come Monday night. People will want to see an another one absolutely. Now for most of the country that sees a partial eclipse that's a totally another story.

Totality verses Partial is like almost being dead or being dead!

I was here in Central NH for our 1994 annular eclipse.  My house was almost on centerline.  88% coverage.  I have videos.  At 88% you can barely notice a darkening of the landscape.  In Aruba when I saw the 3 minute total eclipse even 5 minutes before totality at 95 to 99%% or more of coverage it was not a big deal.  Once the dark curtain of complete shadow descends and the diamond ring comes out everything changes in seconds to the jaw dropping, awe experience.  With this eclipse you are going to have people literally at one end of a football field in 99.9% partial saying, that was overblown while 1000 feet away people under totality saying, oh my God, that was crazy awesome.  The line is that fine!!  Trying to explain this to "average Joe" is so frustrating!

6 minutes ago, ice1972 said:

Not liking the forecast for Missouri.....Nebraska may be better?

Hum,  still quite aways out there.   All in all the weather looks about as good as it can get if you factor in the whole track from Oregon to South Carolina.  I see that moisture in Missouri and East Nebraska but again its only Wednesday.  Too early to make adjustments.....

Time for another post about this total eclipse.   I have seen 3 partials, 1 annular and  one total.  Aruba 1998.  From the beach.  Almost a 3 minute eclipse. Total blows everything else out of the water.    Photographers were set up all around me.  I decided not to bother with cameras.  So many wondrous things happen so fast.  Not just the sun but the rapidly changing twlight all around me.  The planets, stars, the eerie light on the hills.  There will be a zillion pictures/videos on the web.   Grab a couple of pictures just to say you were there but every second that you play with lens and exposures are seconds lost taking in the whole experience.  It does go by ultra fast!  

7 minutes ago, ice1972 said:

It doesn't "end" suddenly.....it's just that's the spot where the shadow falls off the face of the planet......what's depicted is the area that sees a total before that happens so the end - while maybe not exactly straight like that due to curvature - seems like it just stops......

 

Maybe I can make this a bit more clear.  It is where the shadow falls off the earth.  It's the place where as the sun rises or sets its alreadly in total eclipse.   2024 is going to be a nice eclipse.  Moon's orbit will be closer so a wider path.  Wider path means darker skies at center line.  Next weeks eclipse is 70 miles wide so even if you are at center line the sun will be shinning 35 miles to your north or south.  So it will get twlight but not pitch dark unless there is thick cloud cover as the sunlight on the horizons have a lot of cloud angle to penetrate.  Another point.  The sun angle is now moving southward each day as August moves on.  So the southern horizon would have more light.  If I were picking a spot I would be a bit north of center line so more of the south sky is darkened.  Of course weather is the wildcard. There could be a tropical system heading in from the islands.  Let's hope that doesn't happen or at least delayed....

I'm so frustrated today.   My Mom, sister, brother in law and niece all live in Bend Oregon.  About 25 miles south of totality.  As someone who has seen a total eclipse and knows how mind blowing beautiful it is I have been trying to get my family to go just a bit north to get under totality.  No go.  Mother says too much traffic.  Brother in law and  niece say they can't get the day off.  My sister is off and keeps saying 99.5% coverage is  good enough and she is staying put.  Arrgghhh....   

2 weeks from right now it begins.  The greatest celestial event for the US in 100 years.  As one of a select few that have seen a total eclipse I wish I could transport all you guys into the path of totality.  Words just can't describe how awesome it is.

Starting to watch the weather patterns.  Will monsoon moisture move north into the NW and muck viewing up like it is doing today?  Will a tropical system threaten viewing in the SE?  Fingers crossed...

I think I posted this before....

Cu and Eclipses...

When I went to Aruba and watched the 3 minute AWESOME total eclipse in Feb 1998.  Early afternoon in the tropics.  We stayed at the Marriott right on the beach on the north side of the island.  A 3 minute total.  Wow, watching a total on a tropical beach is indescribable.  Anyhow... South side of the island, 10-15 miles south had a bit longer eclipse.  So many astronomers eclipse buffs decided to head there.   About 30- 45 minutes before eclipse totality a Cu field formed on the south side of the island.  Wow, a crazy traffic jam as everyone quickly relocated north.  So lesson is,  if the weather is good but there are Cu watch the direction and get ready to move quickly right before totality.  One cloud at the wrong 2 minutes and your screwed.   Cell service will probably be over stretched so getting 4G Satellite pictures and weather updates might be hard on Monday. Locate someplace that if you have to move you can!  We are weather freaks so we know cloud direction potenial convective blow ups etc.  Average Joe doesn't and will be hunkered down a couple of hours before totality. Have your car in a place you can move  if necessary.  Sure,  large synoptic weather systems can be forecasted days before but afternoon scattered convection can not.   Remember everything happens at totality...

2024 will be a better eclipse.  Longer eclipse, wider totality path.  Darker sky at centerline.... Early April can be very fickle but if you love this one  (you will) you will already be thinking about the next.  We had to book Aruba years in advance

2045  Looks to be even better.  I'll be 89 years old so not thinking about that one too much!!

So...just painting with a very broad brush  as far as potential tropical weather goes,  For at least  August, wouldn't this favor any disturbances being steered move WNW towards the US verses out to sea?  Perhaps towards the Gulf and then coming northeast bound around the Bermuda high?   

3 hours ago, Paragon said:

Wow, that's amazing!  I wanted to ask a question of those who have seen a total solar eclipse.  Something I read about in The Farmers Almanac that stated that you have to see this in person, it can't be photographed.  They mentioned that during totality the air shimmers the way water does when you look down into a swimming pool on a sunny day.  Is this true?  And why can't this effect be photographed?  And can you see stars during the day time during totality?  And the wind picks up, animals/birds go silent, and there is a noticeable drop in temperature.

 

 

 

 

Okay,  I'm a photographer and weather enthusiast.  60 years old.  I have seen 4 solar eclipses.  2 partials.  1 annular.  One FANTASTIC solar that blows everything else out of the water.   Sure you can photograph it.  Lighting conditions change rapidly.  Really need a telephoto lens.  If you are lucky enough to view this eclipse don't bother with the cameras and photography.  There will be so many  photos, videos of this that unless you need to take some pictures to prove you were there,  just enjoy the 2 minutes.  Every second that your playing with a lens or looking through a camera viewfinder is  a second lost.  Enjoy the rapidly changing conditions and not only as to what is happening on the sun but also what is happening all around the sky. 

I don't remember any air shimmering when I saw mine.  What was fascinating was watching the wall of darkness descend so quickly and then leave so quickly.  As far as your star question it will get dark enough to see 4 planets and a few brighter stars.  Each eclipse is different.  When the moon is closer to the sun the eclipse is longer and the path wider.  So if your near the centerline it is darker than an eclipse that is shorter.  Hence, more stars and planets.  This eclipse is not a particularly long eclipse so its will not be very dark.  The areas near the horizon will be well lit so its more like kinda late evening with the sky still having some brightness.  If you are on the edge of totality then the sky is even brighter.  Weatherwise, it depends on the time of day that you are viewing the eclipse.  For instance if you are watching from Oregon at 10am the temperature is not going to drop very much because its morning anyhow and the atmosphere has not had time to warm.  Probably watching from South Carolina in the afternoon would be a different story.  I didn't notice anything about wind or changes when I watched.   I have heard lots about animals.  The resort we stayed at had parrots and tropical birds.  The birds were in cages around the property.  I'm no bird expert but I had noticed in the days before the eclipse that the staff rolled in the cages before nightfall.  Of course no one thought of this and the parrots were screeching.  I could hear them from the beach.  They did not like what was happening.

Oh, one more thing.  Bring binoculars.  Be very careful to wait until complete totality and make sure you put them down before any sunlight at end but a close look at the sun is fantastic if you do it carefully.

Couple of comments as someone that has seen a total solar eclipse.  Watched from the beach in Aruba in Feb 1998.  Amazing, stunning, awe struck experience.  Something to tell the grandkids.  The 2 or 3 minutes go by so fast.  I know people want to take pictures/videos etc. but enjoy the eclipse.  Watching the sun is absolutely amazing but also watching the environment.  The curtain of darkness descend and then pass by.  The weird color of any clouds around.  There will be endless pictures and videos for download and watching.  Be in the moment and don't spend precious seconds trying to adjust cameras and settings to the rapidly changing light conditions.

Of course once the diamond ring has passed you can look up.  Even take binoculars to look closely at the sun.  Bailey's beads.  Seeing the sun through the valleys and hills on the moon.  So neat.

It was really fun watching the eclipse with thousand of others.  Like I posted before, people literally crying it was so beautiful.  I was thinking about this eclipse.  It's like eating dog food your whole life and never tasting anything else.  Then someone trying to explaining to you how good a 5 star meal at a restaurant would taste like.  You could imagine but would have no conceptual concept because you have never experienced something like it.  That is how totality is.

Here is a short video of the eclipse I saw.    Turn the sound up and listen to the people and there comments as the eclipse happens!

1 hour ago, LongBeachSurfFreak said:

After reading what you guys have written I do not want to miss this. I'm thinking of driving down to North Carolina Sunday and then heading south. Everything in South Carolina is booked!!! Plus it would be nice to be somehat mobile as others have said. 

Long Beach.  Glad your going to try to view this.  This is going to be quite an experiment for the highway system especially if the weather is looking good in the days before the eclipse.  I could see the highways like Rt 85 Rt 95 being bumper to bumper as hundred of thousands of people all travel down at the same time.  Just really nothing to compare this too.  If it were me I would try to drive down a couple of days before. I know that adds to the cost.  Get a hotel outside of the eclipse zone and then travel into the zone during the night time hours of Sunday night.  Perhaps in smaller non interstate roads.  Don't know how this is going to play out.  Maybe not a big traffic deal or maybe like a hurricane watch and everyone wanting to leave the coast all at once.  

Found this interesting website and traffic tips/info..    https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/statistics/

This link was posted on another thread but really is very neat.  It predicts traffic for the eclipse.  https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/statistics/