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The Great American Eclipse

olbriar

olbriar

 
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Billed as the Great American Eclipse, the USA is in for a real treat April 8th 2024. A total solar eclipse will pass through the states starting in Texas and ending as it's shadow crosses the New England states. It's path of totality will last around four minutes and will be a wow experience for anybody that is in that path.

For many years I planned to be in the path of the 2017 total eclipse. It was a bucket list item. I talked my buddies and my grown children to meet me in Nebraska to witness the eclipse. Little did I know just how rewarding and awe striking the experience would be. We all vowed to do the next total solar eclipse which will happen next year. The ideal spot to witness the eclipse is in Texas. As the shadow moves NE, the angle of the sun and moon cross the states in an ever increasing rate, making your time of the experience shorter the further NE you are. I tried last night to put a hold on a lodge on Tawakoni Lake last night that accommodates 12 guests with cool amenities and found the place was already booked for the 7th, 8th, and 9th. That's a Sunday through Tuesday booking. Obviously it is booked for the eclipse and I didn't plan ahead as soon as I should have. The point is, the eclipse is that cool of an experience and I'm not the only person that must be in that shadow.

Do yourself a great service and try to witness totality. It is just incredible. Here is a link to a moving map showing the path and times of the eclipse as well as the Annular eclipse happening October 14 2023.
 
It's amazing how far in advance scientists can predict so many of these outerspace pheomenon. Are there any resources where you can input your location and it lists the top "events" to watch for in the night sky? Or top global sky "events" in the world by calendar year?

I'm always doing last-second reading of news articles about upcoming things to watch for in the night sky, but I have a feeling most of these articles are auto-written and scheduled far in advance.

Looks like we'll miss it in Maryland... booking a cabin/camping trip in the ideal path (this far in advance) is a brilliant idea!

Any chance you'll look for alternatives to Lake Tawakoni?
 
So, there was a partial eclipse in the Northeast that I purchased my "eclipse glasses" for. (Cardboard, basically) They worked great. I bought them with the intent to use them and save them for next year's extravaganza! I got em. I'm ready!
 
Rob said:
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Any chance you'll look for alternatives to Lake Tawakoni?
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Oh for sure. It would be far more fun to party hearty in some cool digs the night before, enjoy the eclipse the day of, relax and unwind that evening, and then drive back home the day following. I'll find a place. It's a bit too far to drive back and forth for a one day eclipse experience for me and my buddies. Family is scattered so they'll have to suck it up with whatever accommodations I find and plan their trip around it.

I viewed the 2017 eclipse dead center of the totality. It's called the umbra. As the shadow passed, you could look 360° and see the sun lit landscape. It was freaky.. mind blowing... and incredible awe inspiring event. It gave me chills... There really is no way to share the experience. It sounds like a neat and fun thing to experience but it goes far beyond that.
2017:
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Actually, I did not take the pic Rob. The grown son of one of my buddies that was there took that picture. I was probably rocking a S8+ in 2017 and I took some pics but they were not good. If I was to guess, the camera he used was part of the iPhone family. My pics of our party turned out great but into the sun obscured by the moon... lacked near that sort of definition.
 
My son and I managed to get our digs for eclipse. We ended up booking a cabin for three nights. It is outside Broken Bow Oklahoma and very near the center of totality. I believe we ended up with a spot that will enjoy four minutes and seven seconds of totality. The further South you travel you gain a few more seconds of totality but choice places are already booked.
There is some topography around Broken Bow and Broken Bow lake that will be fun to see and being around the lake there will be fun night life as well. We will go down Saturday and relax at the cabin. Sunday will be the day to see the sights and do the town. Monday will be eclipse day and we'll unwind following and likely cook out. We then have all day Tuesday to find our way home.
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Two bedrooms both with king size beds and their own baths. Outdoor kitchen and outdoor living with fire pit, hot tub, horseshoe courts, frisbee golf course, ring toss, and cornhole court. All on seven acres of private wooded property. I like the looks of the place and the spot we found. I'm excited! Even if the sky is overcast, we'll have fun.
 
My daughter that lives in California is going to join us. She was part of the group that was in the umbra of the last total solar eclipse. Her husband can't make it but she said she will make it happen.. no matter what. I thought she would be there. She and I spent countless nights watching the sky through our telescope. Not to mention the many nights that we would head out to a dark sky area to watch a meteorite shower. So.. we both are crazy.. but in a good way. The magic of the universe is incredible to observe.
 
I had to look and sure enough my eclipse glasses from the last eclipse were still in the glove compartment of my truck. They allow the wearer to view the moon sliding across the sun without damaging your eyes. Everyone else had paper glasses like you wore when you were a kid watching a 3D movie at the theater. Mine are like cheap sunglasses but have the protection. I ordered a five pack of similar glasses for the family while they are available. If you are in the eclipse path or plan to be, the glasses are a must. The paper glasses have all the protection needed. They are a bit difficult to keep on your face however.
 
Yesterday, while visiting a mow customer, she told me about her recent mini family weekend retreat where she spent the weekend with her two sons and their families in Broken Bow Oklahoma. That's where I have lodgings booked to see the eclipse. Of all the places to hang out... Broken Bow has never entered the equation. In fact, neither of us had ever heard of the place. Small world.... I asked her about the place and she said there isn't much to do there. The eateries were marginal at best but it the country was pretty... for Oklahoma. The eclipse will be our main attraction but it would be nice to have some sort of entertainment values beyond that. After talking to my son, we decided to take our bikes on the trip. At least we can ride around and see some of the million dollar plus private estates that speckle the hills where we are staying.
 
Oklahoma is a strange state

Wife and I were following Route 66 through Oklahoma. We lost Route 66 in a small town. First woman we asked where Route 66 was had no teeth and we couldn't understand her. Next person said he's heard of Route 66 but had no idea where it was.

Bought a coke at a gas station and it came to $2,69. I handed the clerk $3 dollars and 4 pennies. and he said, Now you have totally confused me.

Stopped at a grocery store. They had counter checks from the local bank. Women sign her name and handed the check to the cashier to fill out the store name and dollar amount by hand

Stopped for an overnight at a Campground. Their sign on the expressway said cable TV. I hooked up to their cable connection and got nothing. The office told me they don't have cable TV. I said it's on your sign and they said, "no it isn't" I said the campsite has a F connector for TV. Then the guy was getting up set with me for asking him about the TV and said, "It would cost $16 thousand dollars to get cable TV here. I went back to the campsite.
 
My parents were both born and raised in the panhandle of Oklahoma. We visited their parents on most every holiday when I was growing up. Route 66 was a big deal before I 40. The interstate skirts most every town in Oklahoma and left them out of main stream America. They are good but simple people in Oklahoma. They don't get excited and are in no hurry. I've never visited the Eastern part of the state. It will be an adventure for sure.
 
LOL! My wife totally understands what an eclipse is. I said the eclipse is Saturday, we should have a 50% eclipse. Do you want to see it. My wife said sure as long as it's not at 2 o'clock in the morning. 🤣
 
That's the funniest thing I've heard in a while. Don't let her look directly at the sun unless you have solar glasses. It will cause serious damage and could cause blindness. If you have no certified glasses and she wants to see what the sun looks like with the moon in the way you can always build a pinhole projector. Make a Box Pinhole Projector for a Solar Eclipse
That is how I viewed my first eclipse back in the sixties.
 
Naturally, my sky is overcast for the big eclipse today. Murphy's law! I got lucky the last total solar eclipse. We all met in Nebraska to be in the path of totality only to greeted by an overcast sky. The clouds broke about fifteen minutes before totality and clouded over shortly following. We were lucky.
 
My daughter in California and her husband in Vegas both captured some pics. Neither were in the path to see the ring of fire that's created when the moon is covering the sun all but the outer edges. The pics they took are cool. The sun looks like a crescent moon. At least they both enjoyed a clear sky.

Here is a picture I grabbed from the net taken at Bryce Canyon City
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My wife and I took a road trip in the PNW for a short vacation in 2017, and were on the road (intentionally!) for the period of totality. We were geographically in the middle of the path and pulled over near a closed truck scale before totality so we could get out and enjoy it. We had our dogs with us so that made it extra fun. It truly is an indescribable experience and one you should try to see.
This year’s is especially good because the moon is closer to the earth, so the period of totality will be longer and the path a bit wider.
Here’s a NASA map via YouTube that shows the path for this year’s total eclipse, including a timeline for different areas:
 
I had planned to be in the path of totality in 2017 for years, decades in fact. It had been one of those bucket list items from my high school years. I had dreamed and schemed it so much that by the time the event was drawing near, a lot of people I knew and my family had all planned to share the event with me. We all met in Nebraska and was fortunate to have clear skies at the time of the eclipse. Unless I forgot someone, there were 17 in our party. We had planned to meet at a crossroads but ended up driving just a little bit to the East and saw the eclipse from a cemetery. It was ideal. We had room to park and set up our chairs and coolers etc. We ate sandwiches and chips while we waited. We even had bathroom facilities such as they were. It was perfect viewing for an incredible experience. The only bummer was trying to get back home after the event. The traffic was bumper to bumper on the interstate the entire return trip.

This eclipse we are upgrading our experience. We rented a lodge on seven acres where we will stay a couple of days before and one day following the eclipse. We aren't fighting that traffic again. We booked the VRBO months ago and had some difficulty finding property in totality even though the event was months away. It's that big of a deal and people in the know put their plan in action far in advance. All we need now is clear sky!
 
Glasses are more than important, they are a must. Just a glance at the sun without filters can burn your retina. I bought glasses with plastic frames months ago. I still have my quality glasses from the 2017 eclipse but bought five pairs for the family. The paper frames work but they are a bit difficult to keep on your face. It's hard to beat free and I'd certainly get my two free pairs if I planned to take a look and not purchase glasses. The paper frame glasses are of the quality of the 3d glasses that were popular for cartoons and a few movies back in the last fifties and sixties. They work...
 
The eclipse is just over a month away and I'm getting excited! My daughter confirmed her flights today. I need to get my bike rack assembled and fit to the bikes. I want to get the oil changed in the Jeep before we head out. Man I hope we have clear sky. We'll have a great time no matter what but to enjoy the eclipse, with a totality duration almost twice the time of 2017, should prove to be a fantastic experience.
 
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