Is anyone planning on viewing the eclipse on Monday 4/8? I’ll be traveling to Ohio, where we have some family. Hoping to get to share the experience with my nieces. Crossing fingers for clear skies; sadly going to Texas simply was not a viable option.
Anyone else making plans?
I’m in North Texas, right in the 100% path. Picked up some eclipse glasses today - school is providing them for the students, which is nice.
Sadly, weather is calling for clouds soooo…might not see anything at all. But you never know!
My partner and now wife, bought a pair of glasses off of Amazon. I let her know that many of these are not approved since they were made offshore.
So this lead to a conversation about what her company is doing for the eclipse.
She got head hunted out of ours to help for a takeover of a bank.
Her company is telling everyone in the path of the eclipse to not come in next Monday, since it will be dangerous for them to do so. They bought all of them glasses in the path so they can view the event and keep safe.
They are telling those on the fringe, like us here in New Hampshire to stay home. All a paid day off.
I have been through a few of these I think, one we could view, the other was cloudy.
I never felt in fear of the event.
Fact is stranger than fiction.
Indeed - and judging from the results of a NSFE search for “Solar Eclipse” (link), Amazon seems determined to prevent the same debacle that occurred in 2017.
I think I will read about it in the NYT.
One of my cousins mentioned having a family gathering to see the eclipse at one of her houses in Chatauqua, NY. I was so glad she didn’t invite me to join her and the family.
We noticed many schools in the Eclipse path won’t be in session(fear of the event seems to be exposing some of the deepest fears in human nature despite our dependence on technology … Like the poor souls in the middle ages…though they thought were experiencing the apocalypse!).
Seems sad-a great cosmologic learning experience and the schools could issue the glasses which some parents of questionable IQ won’t do.
Our schools are releasing for half a day and sending each student home with a pair of glasses. Very grateful!
I think it’s pretty reasonable for businesses in the path (or close) to pay special attention. For one thing, a lot of employees want to see it. In addition, traffic is insane; 10 minutes after C3, you have everyone hopping in their car to drive home. One story I heard is a park south of Dallas; they have 100 parking spaces; they are estimating 200,000 people trying to be at that park. And so far, every total eclipse I’ve tried to see resulted in driving distances with no regard whatsoever to speed limits. So yeah, there are safety concerns.
I got to see the one in 2017 (I was in the path in 1991, but under total clouds). It’s truly one of the most amazing moments of my life. I strongly encourage anyone who can get in the path of totality to do so; a partial eclipse like will be seen in the NYC area (about 80% I think) is cool, but NOTHING compared to being in totality. I would say that the difference is like the difference between being front row center at a concert by your favorite band vs. hearing the concert on a cheap am radio.
This one is kinda special for me. My first eclipse was in March of 1970. I was a little kid, and didn’t know what was going on until that day or maybe the day before. Sadly, my parents didn’t think it a big enough deal to drive 6 hours to be in totality, so only saw partial (through smoked glass or similar; well before the days of ISO certified “eclipse glasses”). Just a few years later, I learned more about them, and about the Saros cycle, which is a cycle of 18 years, 10 or 11 days (depending on leap years) and a bit over 8 hours in which an eclipse will repeat. So despite my newly obtained astronomy books listing eclipses only into the 1980s or 90s, I was able to calculate that there would be a similar eclipse in April of 2024. So it’s not an exaggeration to say I’ve been looking forward to this for 50 years.
Best part will be getting to share it with the nieces; especially the middle one. She wants to be a YouTube sensation when old enough for her mom to let her, and is smart as can be. I think she could end up being a really good science communicator, so anything I can do to guide her that way I’ll do.
And @selg reconsider not going to someplace in the path of totality (same for anyone within a day’s drive). The only experience in my life that comes close to this level is getting a bear hug (from a real bear).
BTW, if all goes well, I’ll have video to post on my new YouTube channel. I’ll let everyone know if that happens.
At our age, we would like to thank Mother Nature for providing us we a 30 minute nap during the day especially since we recently lost an hour of sleep as someone decided to play with the clocks.
We will only be about 90% where we are in Texas …
One last thing I’ll throw out there for those not venturing to the path.
At least go outside during whatever partial phases you get. Check out the shadows, and especially look at the shadows under trees. It can be very surreal.
This is a little public but also funny.
45 plans to just stare directly into it.
Sorry Papy… I had a few too many glasses of wine at Easter dinner
Gotta carry on the tradition! 
I’m in Indianapolis. Yeah it is being hyped up beyond belief since we are in the path of totality. We were only 60% or something for the last one.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is selling tickets to watch from their venue. Schools are closed. Some people are excited and others are worried about people being stupid.
I hope that the midwest weather will cooperate otherwise there will be a lot of disappointed people.
I made an pinhole camera last time out of one of the boxes for 30" plotter paper. It worked really well.
My advice would be to avoid those places selling tickets. Unless there is other stuff going on, you’re gaining nothing other than being in a crowd. And while it’s great to be surrounded by other people to experience such an event, if there are clouds, and you want to try to go somewhere else to get out from under them, then there is nothing worse than being in a crowd that is trying the same.
The digital signs on the Grand Central / Northern State in NY are all warning to take mass transit on the 8th due to the eclipse. Thought that was odd…
As of right now, there’s not a cloud in the sky for the 8th on the 10 day for the NE / NY.
Could change considering it’s been raining pretty much every day since the ball dropped.
17" of rain so far - 4th wettest start of a year on record in NYC
When I was in elementary school, back in the duck and cover days, we were told, “Don’t look at the sun even in an eclipse.”
We all listened and did as we were told.
Times have changed.
A lot.
Most of the east coast is getting rain! I know I am
We are going to the totality area in upstate NY, but we booked a room, so we will not be stuck in the madding crowd.
The good news is that the Clear Sky Projection from NOAA “National Blend Models”, the best data available, says “blue skies”, with lots of buffer room around the eclipse area, except for Texas.
This is well within the NOAA “10 day forecast” threshold, which has good accuracy for “major air mass” predictions, such as “cloudy” vs “clear” for broad areas, less so for “will your specific zip code get rain”.
So, unless you are in Texas, there’s a good chance of clear skies, and good viewing.
The next few eclipses are harder to get to from the northeast coast…
We are in the middle of totality in Rochester NY. Part of me really can’t believe 500,000 will be descending on Monroe county for this.
I have my free glasses from the planetarium, so I will go and check it out. Driving home I am expecting an adventure.
