OT: Stop or You'll Go Blind! (Solar Eclipse Planning Thread)
First things first: be safe everyone---please don't end up going blind for lack of proper eye protection. DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE ECLIPSE UNLESS YOU ARE WEARING ECLIPSE GLASSES (or, if you're fortunate enough to be somewhere that's in the path of totality, ONLY look while the sun is 100% covered).
That warning ⚠️ given, is anyone else (besides me) excited enough about Monday's total solar eclipse to have travel plans in the next few days?
I experienced my first total eclipse in 2017 in the small northern Georgia town of Helen GA, which is located some 85 miles NE of Atlanta. At that particular location the totality phase lasted less than 2 minutes but wow, what an awe-inspiring 2 minutes! This time around, unless you're along the edges of the path of totality, most people will have 4 to 4:25 minutes to enjoy it. I vowed seven years ago to see this eclipse and now it's just two days away.
Simply put, and I can't recommend this enough: this is a must-see event. Metro Detroit including Ann Arbor are close but no cigar. 99.5- 99.9% coverage just doesn't cut it. Neither does the appropriately 17 seconds of totality those in the Luna Pier area will be seeing.
I'm closely focused today and Sunday on the weather forecasts for Monday and planning on doing most of my drive either Sunday evening or well before dawn Monday. It's gonna be gridlock out there folks, especially if you wait until daylight Monday to travel.
I’m driving to Texas from AZ, but the cloud cover forecast looks very crappy.
FWIW, I suspect the gridlock will be much worse after the eclipse - be prepared to be stuck somewhere. Like a football game, people will show up all morning but everyone wants to leave at the same time.
Yes, traffic is much worse afterwards. It took us nearly two hours by freeway to travel 25 miles back in 2017. Once we got that behind us, traffic was still extremely heavy but we finally made it back to Atlanta for an outdoor concert for which we already had tickets: Edgar Winter Group, Alice Cooper, and Deep Purple. We unfortunately missed about the first 20 minutes of Edgar but still did much better than a lot of concertgoers for that show.
My plans include an early drive primarily because the uncertainty of the weather forecast. Much of what I'm seeing from forecasters is that much of the south has lousy weather coming for Monday while the northeast has a relatively sunny day predicted. I want to do everything I can to avoid ohio, so much of my planning has been for the NE portions of Indiana (rather than heading beyond Cleveland). I'm cautiously optimistic that I will be able to see it as planned from NE Indiana, with southern Illinois or SW Indiana being in my backup plans.
In the path of totality here for 4:17. People have been tripping here for over a year. Monday is my birthday. Was out all day today at my kids Track meet. No crazy traffic yet, but all kinds of events around here Monday. Stay tuned…
We live in Frisco, TX, a northern burb of the Dallas metroplex. We get 4+ minutes of total eclipse but a weather forecast that calls for partly cloudy in the morning and then thundershowers in the afternoon. Fingers crossed!
We have 8 million people in this region - can't imagine what traffic will be like surrounding this event.
Good luck. I learned the hard way not to underestimate Texas thunderstorms, as my flight from Dallas to Houston for the NCG got cancelled...
That's a big bummer that you missed the game due to weather. We drove to Houston from Dallas the morning of the game and hit a little rain but it wasn't until game time that a serious storm blew in. It was nice most of the afternoon.
Thunderstorms in Texas are not for the faint of heart. Between the hail, wind and possibility tornados you have to take them seriously. My biggest concern is hail. Homeowners policies here typically have a 1% deductible for hail.
Part of me hopes that the fact the metroplexes themselves are getting totality means less people traveling - no sense fighting traffic if you can see it from your backyard.
In 2017 we drove from Denver to Casper, WY, stayed overnight and allowed more than 10 hours to make the 4 hour drive back. Didn't make it (see longer story below).
Travel to Ohio? That’s gonna be a no from me, dawg.
We're open for business in Indiana. ;)
We have friends who have traveled from LA to Indianapolis (the wife has family there) with three kids in tow just to see it.
Woot! Indy representing! I’ll be in my backyard in a northern suburb of Indy staring at my toddler to make sure he doesn’t blind himself before or after totality.
Have tickets for the event at Cedar Point. In my defense, I feel Cedar Point juts into the lake, and pretty much all of the Great Lakes should be considered part of Michigan proper. I don't recognize a day at Cedar Point as actually spending a day in Ohio,. Taking the back roads to get there, from Luna Pier, as mentioned by the OP.
Wrong.
Cedar Point is ever and always entirely Ohio.
Come to grips with it. ;-)
Best thrill ride parks at each end of the state! I’ll be finding country roads to get to totality. Very forecast-dependent given normal propensity for clouds in Ohio.
Got some space-themed ice cream at Jeni’s with free pair of glasses this morning. Purple Star Born highly recommended.
Jeni's is right up there with Charles Woodson on the short list of good things to come out of Columbus.
I was living in Columbus in the late 90s and I have fond memories of going to Jeni's original stall (I think it was called "Scream") in the North Market. She would make flavors using ingredients from other stalls in the building--wine from a little wine distributor, spices from the Indian grocer, etc. I was served ice cream by Jeni herself many times. It feels kind of like being into a band before they blew up.
Chuck, would you say that Cedar Point is “the best of Ohio”?
You mean other than what goes on in the Shoe? ;-)
Michigan beating OSU at the 'Shoe--truly, that is the Best of Ohio.
hey look buddy, you seem alright and stuff, but i really don't want to hear about the stuff you shoot into your shoe
I'm in the path of the totality and got some eclipse glasses, so I'm good to go. This will be my first total eclipse, at least that I recall, so I'm pumped.
Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn! Ph'nglui mglw'nfah Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!
Yes, no special reason though.
+1 to fellow Lovecraft fan. :)
We are getting very lucky with the weather —- considering it’s early April.
Should be good and it’s worth going - I saw the 2017 eclipse from Beatrice, Nebraska - even with clouds it was cool.
Beatrice Nebraska--is that Cayman's mom?
54% eclipse where I live, will do a barefoot beach run to experience the unique light.
Not to be a downer, but at 54% you won’t notice a difference in lighting (other than some cool shadows). Worth looking at through eclipse glasses though.
If there are no clouds I guarantee I'll be able to tell a difference during my run.
I saw the annular eclipse in the fall, ~90% coverage in Utah. It was still bright enough that you needed sunglasses outside (not to look at the sun, to stand outside). I guess you could tell there was something a little different about the quality of the light, but it was perceptibly much brighter than a cloudy day or twilight.
A total eclipse is a must do at least once in your life. Try to watch it in a dry region, because there you can actually feel the temperature drop while the sun is getting covered up, and long before totality.
And seeing the actual total eclipse is more or less unexplainable. In a way it can be terrifying, like looking directly into the eye of the devil. In another way, its serene and you are surrounded by a 360 degree sunset.
Just do it, words don't do this particular experience justice.
I cannot agree with this enough! I saw the one several years ago. Anything less than totality just looks like a regular, somewhat hazy day. Totality is SPECTACULAR. While in it, I said, "This is the most amazing thing I've ever seen." My wife said, "What about the birth of your children?" I said, "Uhh. Nah, this."
I work in Toledo so once it starts I’m sure we will watch it. Can’t wait for Tuesday.
We are planning to go down to OH on Monday. Aiming for Findlay or somewhere west of there. Really hoping it's not totally nuts, but prepared for it to be a mess.
There's a Walmart parking lot right off exit 159. Am thinking that will be a good spot with available parking spots. It is on the SE side of the clover leaf exit.
Good spot. Now that I'm looking at a map there's a Meijer on the NE side of the intersection at the Bowling Green exit. Parking spots and bathrooms sounds like a win.
How long is the totality in BG? In Perrysburg, a little north of BG, it's nearly a minute and a half shorter (~2:20) than it is in Findlay (just under 4:00)...
Looks like about 230 in BG, so probably worth it to try for Findlay if possible.
Chicago is supposed to be 94% obscured. I got some glasses and plan to see whatever that looks like but I really want the religious 100% experience. There's an article in the NYT by a physicist who couldn't adequately describe the experience, which was the whole point of the article. Otherworldly.
"Otherworldly" is about the best one-word description possible.
Until someone has had the experience of witnessing a total solar eclipse, there's really nothing in this world to prepare one for the total awesomeness of the moment.
If there's any possibility of getting to that 120-mile wide path of totality, do yourself a favor and go for it.
I'd have about 7 hours to drive to get to an area, then god knows how long to get back. So nope, can't do it. Kid needs schooling, anyway! Virginia will be 90-some % covered, so it'll have to be close enough for what is probably the last eclipse I'll ever see. I might be around for the next one in 2044, but I'll be 78 by then and probably be stuck in a home by the kid. LOL!
Transcendental is another word i would use to describe it. Had the blessing of experiencing the 2017 eclipse. Been excited for this one since the drive home back then! FWIW theres another eclipse that comes over jackson county in 2099. I plan to be here to enjoy it from my property. 108 years old...no problem!
Meh...I already watched the past Michigan Basketball season and looked at the net.
Always remember to stop short of going blind:
I’ll just use my weld helmet !!! Time to buy up all the TP !!!
Not sure if serious here, but to be clear: using a welding helmet is a very bad idea. The glass doesn't block all the necessary wavelengths and you can still damage your eyes permanently. Get the eclipse glasses.
As a lifelong welder/fabricator/machine builder I will say that a welding helmet will work just fine as long as you use the proper lens. Shade 14 or darker, with the newer blue coating or gold coating. Welding lenses are designed to block exactly the type of ultraviolet light that will harm your eyes when looking directly at the Sun. In many cases, the arc from welding is brighter than looking at the sun, and the ultraviolet rays are stronger, especially in the TIG process.
Eclipse glasses are very cheap. Also works if you have a welding mask