Solar Eclipse: August 2017

[August1991]

Who else was in totality? (I was near Knoxville, Tennessee - and watched it in a public park.)

I reckon that if you were not inside totality, you cannot understand this phenomenon.

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There was a horrendous traffic jam afterwards.

Edited August 24, 2017 by August1991

[bush_cheney2004]

The event is easy to understand....the Moon's angular size and orbit/distance from the Earth results in an eclipse of the Sun on an infrequent basis that is visible somewhere on the planet.    Travel agencies routinely book total eclipse trips/cruises.  More of the world regularly experiences "partiality".

If by understanding the phenomenon you mean the hype and social aspects of the shared totality experience with human senses (darkness, temperature drop, solar/lunar visuals, animal behaviours, etc.), then nothing can compare to being in the totality path.  

I watched and photographed the partial eclipse (88%) with a telescope & filter before the cloud deck obscured the eclipse at the midway point.    A planned drive for totality in Nebraska was cancelled because of poor weather prospects.   NASA and CBS provided live feeds from totality path locations across the U.S., with idiot reporters bugging people as they tried to observe the precious few minutes of totality and Sun's corona.

Lunar and solar eclipses are certainly interesting, but I find solar transits of Mercury and Venus to be more rare/rewarding because of Nikolaus Copernicus.

 

[DogOnPorch]

A convenient fog bank blocked most of the Sun's light allowing direct observation of the disc at about 85%.

Better than an inconvenient smoke plume from the many fires....

[Bonam]

I went out to Idaho to watch the total eclipse. Perfect weather. Amazing sight! 

Here's some cool photos. The first two are at Smith Rock, Oregon. I didn't take them but I have climbed those routes so that was pretty cool to see. Last one, is identical to one my friend took while we were watching it. 

 

Edited August 24, 2017 by Bonam

[Goddess]

Really cool, Bonam. 

[August1991]

On 8/24/2017 at 3:08 PM, Bonam said:

I went out to Idaho to watch the total eclipse. Perfect weather. Amazing sight! 

Here's some cool photos. The first two are at Smith Rock, Oregon. I didn't take them...

You "didn't take them"? Enough said, as the kids say.

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The whole point of a total solar eclipse is not the sun, or pictures of the sun.

It's being in totality, for a few minutes, with many other people. One can experience this even in cloudy weather. It's weird. (The advantage of a cloudless sky is that you can see also stars. In Nashville, I only saw two bright planets.)

Edited August 28, 2017 by August1991

[August1991]

On 8/24/2017 at 2:13 AM, bush_cheney2004 said:

....

I watched and photographed the partial eclipse (88%) with a telescope & filter before the cloud deck obscured the eclipse at the midway point.    A planned drive for totality in Nebraska was cancelled because of poor weather prospects.

...

A partial solar eclipse - even at 88%, heck even a sliver at 95% or a few minutes before totalility the world still seems normal - is absolutely nothing like a total solar eclipse.

And a total solar eclipse, even in cloud cover, is still truly weird. I reckon that you have to be within the few kilometers of totality to understand.

In totality, by simple natural amazement, ordinary people clap/cheer when the darkness starts. With thankfulness, they clap/cheer again when the sun/light comes back.

b_c, you should have driven to Nebraska; it has nothing to do with cloud cover, or pictures of the sun. 

Edited August 28, 2017 by August1991

[bush_cheney2004]

23 minutes ago, August1991 said:

And a total solar eclipse, even in cloud cover, is still truly weird. You have to be in totality to understand.

By amazement, people clap/cheer when the darkness starts.

 

It is not hard to understand....we watched the crowd reactions to cheap entertainment across the United States.

[Stan]

On 24/08/2017 at 1:40 AM, August1991 said:

I reckon that if you were not inside totality, you cannot understand this phenomenon.

 

I mean, im a bit of a nerd, but it's only a shadow, its not much different than when the side of the earth opposite yours faces the sun and puts you in shadow, otherwise known as night time.

[Bonam]

58 minutes ago, Stan said:

I mean, im a bit of a nerd, but it's only a shadow, its not much different than when the side of the earth opposite yours faces the sun and puts you in shadow, otherwise known as night time.

See the photos I posted above. You don't get those at night time. The special thing about the total solar eclipse isn't that it gets dark (though that's kind of cool too, how quickly it happens), but seeing the Sun blocked by the Moon. Additionally, you get to see the corona (the only time it can ever be seen with the naked eye). Also, there are other interesting visual effects such as the "diamond ring" effect and shadow bands playing over the terrain around you as if it was all at the bottom of the pool (due to same atmospheric effects that cause stars to twinkle). 

 

[August1991]

On 8/29/2017 at 9:10 PM, Stan said:

I mean, im a bit of a nerd, but it's only a shadow, its not much different than when the side of the earth opposite yours faces the sun and puts you in shadow, otherwise known as night time.

Stan,  not all people are nerds. For most people, in the middle of the day, to be pushed into a shadow is remarkable.

[August1991]

On 8/29/2017 at 10:11 PM, Bonam said:

See the photos I posted above. You don't get those at night time. The special thing about the total solar eclipse isn't that it gets dark (though that's kind of cool too, how quickly it happens), but seeing the Sun blocked by the Moon. Additionally, you get to see the corona (the only time it can ever be seen with the naked eye). Also, there are other interesting visual effects such as the "diamond ring" effect and shadow bands playing over the terrain around you as if it was all at the bottom of the pool (due to same atmospheric effects that cause stars to twinkle). 

 

Bonam, for lay people, the special thing about a total eclipse is that it gets suddenly dark.

[How do I stop italics... How do I edit the HTML file.]

Your comment about cool, photos, the sun are irrelevant.

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Gawd I hate this forum software....

[Bonam]

16 minutes ago, August1991 said:

Bonam, for lay people, the special thing about a total eclipse is that it gets suddenly dark.

No, it isn't. If you think the cool part is that it gets dark, you haven't seen a total solar eclipse. 

[August1991]

1 hour ago, Bonam said:

No, it isn't. If you think the cool part is that it gets dark, you haven't seen a total solar eclipse. 

Disagree. It gets suddenly dark.

The other cool thing is that you can see stars, or planets.

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Unless you're inside totality, and that's a small range of a few kilometers, the story of an eclipse seems like "faux news".

Later driving home from Tennessee, in Kentucky, I spoke to a woman - an ordinary shop clerk - about the eclipse. She said that her store shut down, and people went outside. Nothing. Then, they went back to work. "Stupid. What's the point?", she asked.

Edited August 31, 2017 by August1991

[Bonam]

1 minute ago, August1991 said:

Disagree. It gets suddenly dark.

Yes, it does. But that's not the special part about it. It gets suddenly dark when you turn off the light switch in your room. People are used to things getting suddenly dark or suddenly light. It's no big deal. The cool thing is seeing this, with your eye:

[August1991]

On 8/31/2017 at 2:56 AM, Bonam said:

Yes, it does. But that's not the special part about it. It gets suddenly dark when you turn off the light switch in your room. People are used to things getting suddenly dark or suddenly light. It's no big deal. The cool thing is seeing this, with your eye:

I strongly disagree.

Being inside totality, during a total solar eclipse, is not about pictures of the sun. (Anyone can see these on YouTube.)

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Rather, it's all about the reactions of ordinary people inside totality to such an event. And it's just weird. In Tennessee or Russia, ordinary people - me included - clap, laugh, sing.

Edited September 2, 2017 by August1991

[?Impact]

On 8/24/2017 at 2:13 AM, bush_cheney2004 said:

Lunar and solar eclipses are certainly interesting, but I find solar transits of Mercury and Venus to be more rare/rewarding because of Nikolaus Copernicus.

Good luck with Venus transits, I've had my fill of them.

[OftenWrong]

3 hours ago, ?Impact said:

Good luck with Venus transits, I've had my fill of them.

As an amateur astronomer I find this comment puzzling. How many have you seen?

"Transits of Venus are among the rarest of predictable astronomical phenomena. They occur in a pattern that generally repeats every 243 years, with pairs of transits eight years apart separated by long gaps of 121.5 years and 105.5 years."

I photographed the transit of 2012, but not the previous transit of 2004. Prior to that you have a transit in 1883, and the next one is 2117. Won't be seeing that one either. I am an avid Venus observer and photographer, and consider myself lucky to have seen a transit in my lifetime.

[?Impact]

45 minutes ago, OftenWrong said:

As an amateur astronomer I find this comment puzzling. How many have you seen?

One, 2004. I was considering traveling out west for 2012, but life got in the way. I didn't have a scope or filter with me for 2012 either. As I don't expect to be around next time, I have had my fill. It was the amateur astronomers that I thought would get my meaning.

Edited November 29, 2017 by ?Impact

[OftenWrong]

1 minute ago, ?Impact said:

One, 2004. I was considering traveling out west for 2012, but life got in the way. I didn't have a scope or filter with me for 2012 either. As I don't expect to be around next time, I have had my fill.

Ah, I see. I thought maybe you had it mixed up with transits of planet Mercury, which occur more frequently.
There's a transit of Jupiter coming up in 2020, looking forward to seeing and photographing that one if I can!

[?Impact]

25 minutes ago, OftenWrong said:

There's a transit of Jupiter coming up in 2020, looking forward to seeing and photographing that one if I can!

Do you mean a transit of Venus across the Sun as seen from Jupiter, and what are you expecting to photograph?

The other thing I thought you might be talking about is a very close conjunction of Venus and Jupiter, but I can't find any in 2020. There is a Mercury and Jupiter one, and a Mars and Jupiter one but I looked at them and they are still significantly far apart.

[OftenWrong]

Jupiter transit seen from Earth is not possible. Just checking on you fella.

You passed

[?Impact]

26 minutes ago, OftenWrong said:

Jupiter transit seen from Earth is not possible.

I wasn't sure about that (not Jupiter transiting Sun, but Venus transiting Jupiter).  The planes of orbit are very close so could there not be a conjunction where they actually crossed? We do see Venus near Jupiter in the sky every now and then, a few weeks back was a perfect example. For that to happen, Jupiter needs to be on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth but Venus can be anywhere in its orbit. That would always put Venus closer to us than Jupiter, so if things were just right could it not transit? Try Nov. 22, 2065 - 7:42am eastern time in you planetarium software.

Do you think I will live to be 105?

Edited November 29, 2017 by ?Impact