The Solar Eclipse is Coming!!!!!!!!!!!!!

With all those exclamation points, it sounds as though Bayes is coming.

It all seems a bit over-hyped to me. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a cool event, but I think coverage of it has been a bit over the top, thus all those exclamation points.

Must have caught something awful from Andy Germany....

Whether stamina or a condition. Points given.

Eclipses are fun for all ages...

Seriously, I can imagine the utter disappointment if it is obscured by a heavy cloud cover.

Aside from being a curiosity, can scientists learn much from this event?

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Really?

Well, if no one is else is glad to you back, I am. Glad your still kicking my friend.

And if BC can't get their wild fires under control or out, nobody in the northwest will much of anything. Last week I was in smoke all the way from Saint Helens Oregon into Wyoming. It was only because of the Wyoming Wind I was albe to to see any blue sky. I'm thinking Casper Wy. will have the best veiw in the Western US.

Maybe see you there?

Dan

Thanks.

I'm home for the school year now.

I'll see 69% eclipse according to Sue's link, if the sky is clear here. I'll check to see if my welding helmet is adequate.

It's the hottest year ever, NASA, NOAA Data Show 2016 Warmest Year on Record Globally ...so maybe that is contributing to the wildfires, I don't know.

Illegitimi non carborundum, I'm not.

Thanks to your enthusiastic welcome back, I've decided to alter my plans so that we may spend quality time together every day!

Welcome back buddy! Guess we farm boys need to stick .....

I am glad you are here. It is comforting to be in your company once again.

There will be eclipse viewing parties in Lubbock, although we are only set for 78% full eclipse.

There used to be a lot of "eclipse" windmills out here on the ranches, maybe still are.

I plan to try viewing with crossed polarizers (not peering directly through them) and projecting an image on a white flat background. Never ever peer directly at eclipse event, as you can have serious eye damage. Normally the full sunlight is enough to make you move your eyes away very quickly, so damage is not so prevalent; however, during an eclipse the light intensity is generally low enough where people have peered directly at the solar corona for extended periods, which is a really bad idea.

At 78% obscuration, along with significant dimming one may reasonably expect shadows cast on the ground to have distinct cusps on them, in shape similar to that of the early waxing and late waning periods of the moon when viewed directly; this was the case with the total/partial eclipse in the UK in 1999.

Can the forum expect some posted photographs, perhaps?

I will try to get myself pulled together for that, especially since you are asking so politely.

It's a trademark.

Turns out we had tightly packed cotton ball clouds. I failed to get things together in time also, as I had a tree split a double tree, such that the north trunk went down in a micro-burst overnight storm early Sunday morning. Then when I went out (part of my own personal worship service) to mow the lawn, I saw my truck had a flat tire. Then the toilet handle broke. What a morning!

I still made it out the 70 miles to the farm, and boy was I winded!

Got the LENR experiment back up and running in spite of finding that one electrode had simply disintegrated during the couple of months of idle standby in alkaline bath.

Got back to town late, only in time to go to bed, then off to work at 07:00 Monday.

I made a pinhole box, with a baby oil soaked piece of printing paper for a screen. Best I could come up with ad hoc. The cotton ball clouds would barely allow a rare glimpse during peak eclipse and the sun was indeed a crescent sliver at 78% obscurity. The image was only about 3-4 mm diameter, and not worth photographing. Sorry. I failed you.

I watched people in our parking lot staring at the eclipse at it fullest (10:21 am). I can't believe people would risk their eyesight for something like this!

I will say that it it was pretty strange to see the eclipse. Looking at the sky, it didn't seem like the sun was mostly covered. The thing that felt funny, was that there was about the same light as there would be at 7:00 pm. The shadows were funny and there was an eerie silence.

I think we had about a 65% coverage of the sun. It must've been pretty cool up north where there was 100% coverage.

The last total solar eclipse I "saw" was overcast. Still, as it got darker and darker, it gave the feeling of impending doom as if a huge storm were coming. After it got light again, it was hard to shake the feeling that it was morning of the next day.

It's definitely worth the experience, cloudy or not.

I don't know what you said, but instead of being so negative, be happy! Clear skies are quite prevalent at this time of the year. Eastern Oregon is my destination, and I have no doubts that it will be clear.

In case of rain, the eclipse will be rescheduled for Aug 22.

Don't even say that!

Local paper has an article with scientists making studies to work on for years.....

Scientists and amateurs will stake out the totality zone, using telescopes, high-altitude balloons, computers and other instruments to capture data and images.

Lazarova is coordinating Nebraska’s part in a national experiment that will focus on the sun’s super-heated atmosphere. The corona, as it’s called, is visible during the brief period when the moon completely blocks the sun’s surface.

The rest of the time it’s too faint to see. Although scientists can simulate eclipses to see it, they get a better view during a real one.

The physics of the corona is still somewhat of a puzzle, she said.

It will still go dark, cloud cover or not.

I was in Tacoma Wa. last time a total happened. Could not see a thing due to the endless clouds.

...man, I didn't know you had returned...so I was going through your posts to see what was up in the world of municipal parking...and I see that it didn't take long to get your first admin nasty-gram.

Congratulations!

You would have to be dead not to know. They have been hyping it on TV for weeks. Frankly, I wish they wouldn't. I live within a few hours drive (on a normal day) from the totality path, so I will go see it (wouldn't miss it), but I hate the thought of the traffic mess. I bought a sun filter for my camera a year ago.

Relax, it is not going to be a big deal.

Engineering 360 has been talking about this for a while, as if solar power would drop and the combustion power plants would not be capable to handle the power they need to provide and other nonsense.

Even if I was living in the USA, I probably would not care. After all, what are you supposed to do? Take the day off and wait all day long in the garden to see if something happens?

When I was little we had those special glasses which you could use to watch directly at the sun. But I do not think people are still into it. Maybe kids.

Oh, you are so jaded?

Relax, it is not going to be a big deal.

It is a lifetime event for the average human. It will be a unique experience.

Engineering 360 has been talking about this for a while, as if solar power would drop and the combustion power plants would not be capable to handle the power they need to provide and other nonsense.

Of course. It will complete its path across the US in just a few hours. Why would it? That doesn't mean it's not going to happen!

Even if I was living in the USA, I probably would not care. After all, what are you supposed to do? Take the day off and wait all day long in the garden to see if something happens?

To see if something happens? What are you, in the dark ages? The world is flat and the center of the solar system? It is going to happen, and I took a day of vacation to see it!

When I was little we had those special glasses which you could use to watch directly at the sun. But I do not think people are still into it. Maybe kids.

I have special equipment to monitor this. You sound so ignorant.

For you guys who have a lot of free time on your hands to literally watch the world turn here's a link the live feed from the Himawari-8 weather satellite.

Himawari-8 Geostationary satellite live video feed.

No eclipses to watch but still being it uses a 38 megapixel camera system the resolution is rather impressive given its orbiting distance of ~ 22,245 miles (35,800 KM)!

It's a big deal to me. I've never seen one and I've been interested in this stuff forever. And the triple bonus is that in addition to it actually happening, I'm right in the middle of it. Where it happens, in the mid-day (max duration) and in the totality path. And guess what else? It's happening on my birthday. I wouldn't miss this for the world. I'm going to try to take pictures of it. I'm not a photographer, but I hope something good comes from it.

I have a good friend/co-worker from Southern California who has been planning his vacation to Northern Wyoming for well over three years just to see this. If I were around, I'd love to see the event from Carhenge!!! http://carhengesolareclipse2017.com/

Not too often something like this crosses the entire US!! Certainly reason to celebrate!

How many have been or would be excited to see Halley's Comet?? Pretty much once in a lifetime, eh?

I'm very close to the path, but just quite jealous I will be on an airplane to the northeast as this hits my area!!! :-(

One thing I haven't seen much is--wear sunscreen. All the talk is about filters/glasses, but if you turn your face toward the sun for much accumulated time, you risk ordinary sunburn as well.

I would love to see the full eclipse, but I can't take the day off to travel where it'll be. Here are things that I've heard about the full eclipse. There will be an odd darkness that makes people and animals feel uneasy. I heard you can see planets and stars. I heard that you can see the "green flash" as the sun gets covered fully. I heard you can see solar flares.

I think the people who are in the path are lucky - it's a rare phenomenon. The last time we had one cross the US from coast to coast was in 1918. The next full eclipse in the US isn't until 2024. Here's a graphic showing the future full eclipses. https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/future/

Awesome! 2024 comes right near me. Now I really don't have to care about this one. The way time has been passing for me lately, 2024 will be here in no time.

That was an interesting site. Lots of good stuff there. Thanks.

Yeah, I'm aware.

Some information we all need to heed: NASA - Eye Safety During Solar Eclipses

Eye safety during a total solar eclipse

I plan to use my auto-darkening welder's helmet set at the highest filter setting which is 13, although the NASA site suggests 14. Other sites I visited suggest 12-14 with 13 being the "best" setting for viewing.

I will also have a shoe box "pinhole" viewer for use as well.

If you have children, MAKE SURE that they understand the danger of looking directly at the sun, especially on eclipse day.

Well said.

Only on the northern island the other side of the pond. It won't be visible here.

Norris, South Carolina is still a good bet.

Well, it was great. I watched it from first to last contact. My pictures didn't turn out too well, though. There were two major problems (more later). It didn't get as dark as it was hyped to be. It was interesting to see the moon's silhouette on the sun, but it didn't really start to get interesting until after it was more than half covered. The shadows started to sharpen before the hues/brightness changed. It slowly got darker until closer to totality, then it went quicker & quicker. There were quite a few clouds around, but luckily the view was still good. What happened was that, during totality, there was still enough light from the corona to see the clouds and prevent the dark-as-night thing. I didn't need a flashlight or anything to see what I was doing. Even though it was only partly cloudy, I still didn't see any stars anywhere. It went by too quickly for me to notice if there might have been any light reflected from the clouds outside of the shadow to back inside the shadow to further lighten the place up. You could definitely tell when the sun began to appear again. But, it still brightened up slowly, then quicker & quicker. It was definitely eerie. The "twilight" was not like a regular rising/setting of the sun, where you could make out the difference between the light/dark sides. It was 360 degrees with no light/dark sides. There was a concert/celebration in a nearby town (Carbondale) where Ozzy Osborne (from Black Sabbath) sang Bark At The Moon during totality. I didn't go to it, but some news clips showed some lighting effects that maybe, might have, interfered with the darkness of totality. I would like to see some more clips of it to find out what it was like.

As far as my camera went, it turned out that every time I power it down to save batteries, it loses the zoom setting. The first picture was zoomed in right, but the rest were not. Also, you don't get what you see. Even the filtered camera was overexposed. The moon's silhouette was over-powered by the glare. The only shots that came out decent were the ones of totality, but they weren't zoomed in right. The corona was a lot bigger than the professional pictures showed. Their filter was probably darker than mine. I couldn't adjust the exposure time, so it had to be done by filter only. The best I could do was set it for "daylight" pics. It's a good thing I didn't mess around with it too much or I would have missed the best part of it. It was just too short. The glare from the sun/corona made it hard to see the preview-image, so I had to just guess at it. If I knew it wasn't coming out right, I wouldn't have been able to do anything about it anyway. Maybe next time in 2024. It's coming back this way again.

Great description of what you saw!

Carbondale? Oh my, I remember a good friend who went to Southern and I remember the long drives to visit him. I remember Halloween down there - it was a lot of fun and the streets were packed. I don't remember too much about what happened after it started getting dark, so it must've been a good time.

I also had a good friend that went to Southern in Edwardsville. A much quieter campus and I remember some sort of rock quarry nearby and hanging out and swimming - again, my memory isn't too good about what happened those weekends!

I chuckled to myself while reading about weekend memory losses. Some of my fondest memories at McMurry have been muddied in a similar way, I am sure.

War Hawks! My school is the Scarlet Hawks!

We joked about what the opposing team would think when they heard they were playing us. Ooooh, we're so scared of those Scarlet Hawks!

My High School was the Norsemen (first high school) and the second was the Blue Demons!

McMurry used to be Indians, but we have to be politically correct now, although, I know of not one native American (Indian), that ever complained to McMurry about the team mascot. Not only that, none of the native American (Indian) students every complained about any such thing, but were honored by the traditions, the paintings and statues around campus, that all depicted the native American as (1)noble, (2)courageous, (3)creative, and others.

This has all gone too far in the wrong direction (Just my humble opinion). I love McMurry anyway, and always will Ala Cumba!

There was never a racist bone in any of the faculty there, the President at the time was a man named Thomas K. Kim, a native son of Korea that came to America as a refugee during the Korean UN conflict. By the way, some of the other faculty came from Europe as refugees before, during, and after World War II.

I would not trade my time there as a student for any pile or money, or any stable of fine horse flesh, or any number of luxury yachts, or jewels anyone should care to offer me. A good liberal arts education (not the art of being a liberal, there is a big difference), is a rare jewel itself, please do not waste it.

A co-worker sent this to me since I was on an airplane in the Northeast at the time.

Home being very close to 100% totality, I was a bit upset for the bad timing.

Quite profound I thought!! (tongue firmly in cheek!)

Oh, I dunno. It's kinda hard to keep your tongue in cheek when you're laughing.

I kept clicking on it, hoping to see a picture of the eclipse.

Silly goose, me, for thinking there was more than coal in a ghost eye.

You didn't get the cool 3D graphics when you opened up the picture? It's one of those that you have to hold the mouse stable and then it opens up to this awesome view of the eclipse. You have to try it.

Stop messing with my head! I spent the better part of two hours on that, and nothing...

Try it with a Mac. Right click on the center of the image after hovering over it for a few seconds.