Space Weather Discussion

[eekuasepinniW]

55 minutes ago, Typhoon Tip said:

Yeah ...in his defense, I was just trying to propose a base-line idea that a Kp 5  was probably not likely to be seen - but he spun off on some validation crusade where he's smarter than me, which may very well be the case (  ) BUT, interestingly enough, was the ONLY aspect of that conversation that was truly irrelevant  ..   

The Kp is basically just when the geo-magnetometers detects at given latitudes the ovular ring is assessed based on real-time detection - but it's an interesting secondary question re the "vibrant" intensity of it .. 

The guy who has insulted the intellect of more people here than anyone else, even attacked Dave, has the balls to suggest he be responded to with more tact, haha.

The only crusade was from you. You have a flimsy understanding of the Kp index and used it to suggest we weren't missing anything when the realtime data made it quite clear that we were.  There is literally nothing else to discuss about this.

[Typhoon Tip]

3 minutes ago, eekuasepinniW said:

The guy who has insulted the intellect of more people here than anyone else, even attacked Dave, has the balls to suggest he be responded to with more tact, haha.

The only crusade was from you. You have a flimsy understanding of the Kp index and used it to suggest we weren't missing anything when the realtime data made it quite clear that we were.  There is literally nothing else to discuss about this.

How do you come by that assessment exactly - 

No, unfortunately... neither clause in that bold sentence is true.   

The only thing here you said worth reading is 'there is literally nothing else to be discussed'    

With your vast superior frame of reference on matters, you finally did come to startlingly undeniable conclusion.  Congrats!

and who the f is Dave ...  You child. This site and it's antics mean nothing ... get over this and your self, will ya?   holy crap.

 

[wxeyeNH]

3 hours ago, eyewall said:

Yeah it was a dud either way. Here is to hoping for better luck when I venture south for next month's solar eclipse.

 Great your heading south for the solar eclipse next month.  I know a fair amount about them.  Always wanted to see a total solar  so we headed to Aruba years ago to view one.  Wow, mind blowing, awesome experience!  For that eclipse the moon was a bit closer to earth so it was a longer total eclipse with a wider path.  Thus a bit darker at center line.  You want to be as close to the center line as possible.  Of course I know you will be watching the weather to try to alter your path to stay away from any clouds.  Afternoon eclipse down south so pop up storms always a possibility.  One Cu at the wrong moment kills everything.  Aruba is a small island.  We were staying at the north end.  The south end had about a 30 second longer eclipse so that morning everyone headed south. We stayed at our hotel on the north side.  LOL, about 45 minutes before totality some Cu developed down south and there was a massive traffic jam as thousands of people tried to get back north where there was clear skies.  Stay away from cities where you can't be mobile.

The eclipse starts slowly.  Not even noticeable till around 50% sun coverage.  Need the cheapo eclipse glasses to view the sun until totality.  Right around 98 or 99% coverage a great wall of shadow darkness raced in.  An amazing sight to see it overtake the island.  Within seconds as the last sunlight disappears the stars come out and it becomes night.  Because this eclipse is not as long and the path of totality is narrower than the one I saw the sky will still be bright to the south and north so don't expect midnight darkness.  More like late twilight.  As the sun disappeared the outer atmosphere of it became visible.  Amazing.  We watched from the beach.  It was a mid day eclipse.  People were literally crying it was so beautiful.  Landscape was eerie.  All the island lights came on and everyone set off fireworks.  As it ends the shadow raced down the island and everyone cheered.  

Here in New England for this eclipse sun coverage is only 65-70%.  Barely noticeable.  Will need eclipse glasses to view it.  

As luck has it there will be another solar eclipse in the US in only 7 more years.  An even better one, length wise.  Path is from Texas to NY state to N VT/NH.  April 8 2024.  Of course that time of year we can be socked in with clouds and precip, so who knows?

August 21 2017 falls on a Monday.  Eclipse time is mid afternoon.  If the weather looks good in the day or two leading up to it, get into a car, call in sick  and drive down to West NC or East Tennessee and view it.  DEFINITELY worth it if the weather is good.

Catcha lata 

Gene

 

[eyewall]

 Great your heading south for the solar eclipse next month.  I know a fair amount about them.  Always wanted to see a total solar  so we headed to Aruba years ago to view one.  Wow, mind blowing, awesome experience!  For that eclipse the moon was a bit closer to earth so it was a longer total eclipse with a wider path.  Thus a bit darker at center line.  You want to be as close to the center line as possible.  Of course I know you will be watching the weather to try to alter your path to stay away from any clouds.  Afternoon eclipse down south so pop up storms always a possibility.  One Cu at the wrong moment kills everything.  Aruba is a small island.  We were staying at the north end.  The south end had about a 30 second longer eclipse so that morning everyone headed south. We stayed at our hotel on the north side.  LOL, about 45 minutes before totality some Cu developed down south and there was a massive traffic jam as thousands of people tried to get back north where there was clear skies.  Stay away from cities where you can't be mobile.

The eclipse starts slowly.  Not even noticeable till around 50% sun coverage.  Need the cheapo eclipse glasses to view the sun until totality.  Right around 98 or 99% coverage a great wall of shadow darkness raced in.  An amazing sight to see it overtake the island.  Within seconds as the last sunlight disappears the stars come out and it becomes night.  Because this eclipse is not as long and the path of totality is narrower than the one I saw the sky will still be bright to the south and north so don't expect midnight darkness.  More like late twilight.  As the sun disappeared the outer atmosphere of it became visible.  Amazing.  We watched from the beach.  It was a mid day eclipse.  People were literally crying it was so beautiful.  Landscape was eerie.  All the island lights came on and everyone set off fireworks.  As it ends the shadow raced down the island and everyone cheered.  

Here in New England for this eclipse sun coverage is only 65-70%.  Barely noticeable.  Will need eclipse glasses to view it.  

As luck has it there will be another solar eclipse in the US in only 7 more years.  An even better one, length wise.  Path is from Texas to NY state to N VT/NH.  April 8 2024.  Of course that time of year we can be socked in with clouds and precip, so who knows?

August 21 2017 falls on a Monday.  Eclipse time is mid afternoon.  If the weather looks good in the day or two leading up to it, get into a car, call in sick  and drive down to West NC or East Tennessee and view it.  DEFINITELY worth it if the weather is good.

Catcha lata 

Gene

 

Thank you for the tips for sure. So much can go wrong for sure so it makes me nervous. I have eclipse glasses ordered and I was debating an attempt at flying but not sure how many people I will be surrounded by. As for ground shots I would be doing more landscape during totality. Where I plan on being is near the center line but not exact. Still over 2 min 30 seconds of totality. How long was the eclipse you saw?

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

[Tom12309]

When I was a kid we went up to the Gaspe Peninsula and being on the south shore of the St Lawrence watching that wall of dark come down the river is in the top half dozen or so coolest things I have ever seen.  Imagine seven people in a Pontiac station wagon driven by my 18 year old brother with seven heads stuck out the windows alternately all looking at the sky trying to find a hole in the clouds and our unsynchronized watches until we as one yelled "STOP NOW", screeched to a halt and jumped out of the car maybe five minutes in front of it.  

Also the silence as all the birds stopped singing.  

[wxeyeNH]

1 hour ago, eyewall said:

 

Thank you for the tips for sure. So much can go wrong for sure so it makes me nervous. I have eclipse glasses ordered and I was debating an attempt at flying but not sure how many people I will be surrounded by. As for ground shots I would be doing more landscape during totality. Where I plan on being is near the center line but not exact. Still over 2 min 30 seconds of totality. How long was the eclipse you saw?

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk
 

 

The eclipse I saw was Feb 26 1998.  I planned it years in advance.  An winter Aruba vacation and a midday eclipse.  It was a 3 minute 45 second eclipse at centerline.  I was north of that and I just checked.  3 minutes and 4 seconds at my location.  https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle1951/SE1998Feb26Tgoogle.html

Actually,  I am like you.  Watching the moon cover the sun was fantastic but the sky, the light the environment was so strange and eerie.  Everything was changing so fast.  Enjoy the photography but don't get too wrapped up that you don't enjoy watching with your eyes.  It goes by fast!  So many little things I remembered.  One thing was  was the birds at the resort.  We were staying at a nice hotel on the beach.  One with  all these tropical bird cages.  Big Parrots etc.  Of course usually they bring in the birds at night or cover the cages to get them settled before hand.  Of course the staff was not thinking of things like that.  The birds just were screaming.  They didn't know what was happening when it became dark so quick!  I also remember the cruise ships parked out in the ocean.  One minute its daylight, the next nightime.  All the lights just came on.  I don't know how the island had so many fireworks.  It seemed like every house had them all go off at once during the eclipse. The cheering on the beach was amazing.  Thousands and thousands of people on the beach.  It was like watching a great ball game that the winning team just won.  As the eclipse ended just thousand of people cheering, like the end of a great game or show.

I would think once the national media picks up on this next month is will become a big deal.  Cities like Nashville, Kansas City will come to a stop as the eclipse passes.  People will not work that day or empty out of office buildings at totality.  It is that good.

Up here in New England we had a nice annular eclipse on May 10 1994. https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle1951/SE1994May10Agoogle.html  My house in Central NH was close to centerline.  About 90-95% coverage.  It really was not that great. Didn't compare at all to the total.  People think that if you are in the path of the partial and 99% of the sun is covered its not worth traveling to see 100% coverage.  The sun is so bright that even if 1% of the sunlight that doesn't get covered kills everything.  Some astronomer once said its like almost being dead and being dead! SO true.  You need to be under the path of totality!

I think the only thing that could match an eclipse is being close to a major tornado and watch it pass by.  Perhaps go through an eyewall of a major hurricane.  Ranks right up there!

 

 

[weathafella]

On 7/17/2017 at 3:28 PM, wxeyeNH said:

The eclipse I saw was Feb 26 1998.  I planned it years in advance.  An winter Aruba vacation and a midday eclipse.  It was a 3 minute 45 second eclipse at centerline.  I was north of that and I just checked.  3 minutes and 4 seconds at my location.  https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle1951/SE1998Feb26Tgoogle.html

Actually,  I am like you.  Watching the moon cover the sun was fantastic but the sky, the light the environment was so strange and eerie.  Everything was changing so fast.  Enjoy the photography but don't get too wrapped up that you don't enjoy watching with your eyes.  It goes by fast!  So many little things I remembered.  One thing was  was the birds at the resort.  We were staying at a nice hotel on the beach.  One with  all these tropical bird cages.  Big Parrots etc.  Of course usually they bring in the birds at night or cover the cages to get them settled before hand.  Of course the staff was not thinking of things like that.  The birds just were screaming.  They didn't know what was happening when it became dark so quick!  I also remember the cruise ships parked out in the ocean.  One minute its daylight, the next nightime.  All the lights just came on.  I don't know how the island had so many fireworks.  It seemed like every house had them all go off at once during the eclipse. The cheering on the beach was amazing.  Thousands and thousands of people on the beach.  It was like watching a great ball game that the winning team just won.  As the eclipse ended just thousand of people cheering, like the end of a great game or show.

I would think once the national media picks up on this next month is will become a big deal.  Cities like Nashville, Kansas City will come to a stop as the eclipse passes.  People will not work that day or empty out of office buildings at totality.  It is that good.

Up here in New England we had a nice annular eclipse on May 10 1994. https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle1951/SE1994May10Agoogle.html  My house in Central NH was close to centerline.  About 90-95% coverage.  It really was not that great. Didn't compare at all to the total.  People think that if you are in the path of the partial and 99% of the sun is covered its not worth traveling to see 100% coverage.  The sun is so bright that even if 1% of the sunlight that doesn't get covered kills everything.  Some astronomer once said its like almost being dead and being dead! SO true.  You need to be under the path of totality!

I think the only thing that could match an eclipse is being close to a major tornado and watch it pass by.  Perhaps go through an eyewall of a major hurricane.  Ranks right up there!

 

 

Great description Gene!   I'm booked in Nashville for the eclipse and may drive north to expand the time of totality.   Totally psyched!

[wxeyeNH]

5 hours ago, weathafella said:

Great description Gene!   I'm booked in Nashville for the eclipse and may drive north to expand the time of totality.   Totally psyched!

Hi Jerry,

I just typed up this long message and was going to send it to you privately but AMWX says you can't receive messages.  I just realized that there is a whole eclipse thread. I'll go read it.  I'll post what I wrote here in case any info benefits others.

Enjoy the eclipse!

Hi Jerry,

You'll love the eclipse.  Nature wise it has been the  highlight of my life. Far better than any weather event.  Perhaps the only thing that could top it is a tornado chase where a strong tornado would pass fairly close by.  

 People are just so clueless as to how great they are.  Anyone within a day's driving distance from  totality is crazy not to get into it.   I may catch a plane and fly to Charlotte and then drive into SC if the weather looks good.  Have to see what is going weather wise  but we will have a pretty good idea 48 hours in advance.  Lets hope there is not  some type of large synoptic  system  coming north out of the Gulf to screw the whole area up.  That's the tough part.  One cloud, one shower at the wrong 2 minutes and your screwed. Late August afternoons down south are notorious for pop up storms.  Watch out in Metro Nashville. South of the city misses out and the whole city will close that Monday.  Possibility of huge  traffic jams as people try to relocate.  Getting away from the city by 50 miles might help staying mobile with less traffic. 

The eclipse I saw in Aruba was a bit longer.  Depending on where the moon is  in relation to the sun makes the eclipse longer or shorter.  The longer the eclipse the wider the totality path and the darker the sky is towards the center.  This path is only 65 miles wide so the sky will still be bright to the south and north of centerline.  It will not matter much as far as what you see looking at the sun but close to centerline makes the whole landscape darker and adds to the experience.  Up here in NH we had an annular eclipse.  May 1994 I believe.  Sun was about 90% covered.  Even with that amount of coverage it didn't  get that dark.  As the eclipse starts and the sun is slowly getting covered your eyes are adjusting at a similar rate  so it seems barely  noticeable.  Around 90% you'll start really noticing it.  Very weird.  The sun is shinning but it still is just dark.  It's a hard thing for the brain to comprehend.  Everything happens so fast at totality.  Because I am a weather weenie I really watched the whole sky too, not just the disk of the sun.

Back in 1998 Todd Gross was the on air met. on Ch 7 with Harv.  I knew him somewhat.  I use to go down to Ch 7 and visit him and Harvey.  Todd was the one who first introduced me to the web.  He and his family ended up staying at the same beach hotel as us.  Todd wanted to get every extra second out of the eclipse so he like many other people traveled down to the south part of the island to get closer to centerline.  We opted to just stay at our hotel and the beach.  It was an early afternoon eclipse.  Cu started forming on the south side and everyone down there raced back up.  Todd got back about 5 minutes before totality.  I remember he was a wreck trying to get his cameras setup.  Yelling at his wife and kids.  So funny.  I actually brought my big VHS webcam down.  Have it all on tape. Now without a VHS player I can't go back and easily watch it  Anyhow it was just epic!

 

Catcha lata!   

 

 

 

[weathafella]

2 hours ago, wxeyeNH said:

Hi Jerry,

I just typed up this long message and was going to send it to you privately but AMWX says you can't receive messages.  I just realized that there is a whole eclipse thread. I'll go read it.  I'll post what I wrote here in case any info benefits others.

Enjoy the eclipse!

Hi Jerry,

You'll love the eclipse.  Nature wise it has been the  highlight of my life. Far better than any weather event.  Perhaps the only thing that could top it is a tornado chase where a strong tornado would pass fairly close by.  

 People are just so clueless as to how great they are.  Anyone within a day's driving distance from  totality is crazy not to get into it.   I may catch a plane and fly to Charlotte and then drive into SC if the weather looks good.  Have to see what is going weather wise  but we will have a pretty good idea 48 hours in advance.  Lets hope there is not  some type of large synoptic  system  coming north out of the Gulf to screw the whole area up.  That's the tough part.  One cloud, one shower at the wrong 2 minutes and your screwed. Late August afternoons down south are notorious for pop up storms.  Watch out in Metro Nashville. South of the city misses out and the whole city will close that Monday.  Possibility of huge  traffic jams as people try to relocate.  Getting away from the city by 50 miles might help staying mobile with less traffic. 

The eclipse I saw in Aruba was a bit longer.  Depending on where the moon is  in relation to the sun makes the eclipse longer or shorter.  The longer the eclipse the wider the totality path and the darker the sky is towards the center.  This path is only 65 miles wide so the sky will still be bright to the south and north of centerline.  It will not matter much as far as what you see looking at the sun but close to centerline makes the whole landscape darker and adds to the experience.  Up here in NH we had an annular eclipse.  May 1994 I believe.  Sun was about 90% covered.  Even with that amount of coverage it didn't  get that dark.  As the eclipse starts and the sun is slowly getting covered your eyes are adjusting at a similar rate  so it seems barely  noticeable.  Around 90% you'll start really noticing it.  Very weird.  The sun is shinning but it still is just dark.  It's a hard thing for the brain to comprehend.  Everything happens so fast at totality.  Because I am a weather weenie I really watched the whole sky too, not just the disk of the sun.

Back in 1998 Todd Gross was the on air met. on Ch 7 with Harv.  I knew him somewhat.  I use to go down to Ch 7 and visit him and Harvey.  Todd was the one who first introduced me to the web.  He and his family ended up staying at the same beach hotel as us.  Todd wanted to get every extra second out of the eclipse so he like many other people traveled down to the south part of the island to get closer to centerline.  We opted to just stay at our hotel and the beach.  It was an early afternoon eclipse.  Cu started forming on the south side and everyone down there raced back up.  Todd got back about 5 minutes before totality.  I remember he was a wreck trying to get his cameras setup.  Yelling at his wife and kids.  So funny.  I actually brought my big VHS webcam down.  Have it all on tape. Now without a VHS player I can't go back and easily watch it  Anyhow it was just epic!

 

Catcha lata!   

 

 

 

Yeah Gene it's going to be spectacular provided the sky is clear.   My plan is to leave from my hotel around 5-6AM and drive up to Gallitin near the center line.  It's only a drive of an hour or less but I anticipate traffic will be pretty intense so getting their early to me makes sense.

[wxmanmitch]

I too have an eclipse chase booked. Flying to Denver and then renting a car to drive up into Wyoming where totality is as I like their 85-90% odds of clear skies. The fact that totality is just before noon local time helps as well.

My hotel is a bit north of Denver as I waited until last week to book and pretty much in Wyoming is sold out and probably has been for a long time. Inventory is pretty low in such a rural state, so I was pretty much limited to metro Denver. 

One thing to consider if chasing the eclipse by car is traffic, both heading to it and then returning. I will likely be leaving my hotel in the middle of night to make the 200+ mile trek up to totality in Wyoming. Ordinarily it's about 3.5 hour drive from where my hotel is to Casper, but I will likely allow double time (maybe more) and make adjustments as necessary based on traffic conditions which can be monitored on Google maps. Plus, Casper will likely be crowded so I need to get there with plenty of time to find parking and a viewing location.

If for some reason there looks to be clouds or wildfire smoke, I may head east toward Nebraska as an alternative. Denver gives me options in the off chance that the weather looks iffy. 

This website uses population statistics and GIS to try and predict where traffic might be bad. Hint: avoid Santee, SC. https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/statistics/

Wyoming has a low population density so hopefully traffic won't be a big problem. I actually might be more concerned about return traffic as everyone is more likely to leave their eclipse location en masse as opposed to beforehand when people will likely be going there over the course of a couple of days. Have extra food, water, and patience on hand. Keeping the gas tanked topped off just in case might be a good idea too. 

I saw the 1994 eclipse from SW CT and it got slightly darker, even though it was just partial there. From that day forward, I've been looking forward to this eclipse. The Christmas Day 2000 partial eclipse didn't cause any darkness but I remember glancing up at the sun instantaneously a few times an noting that part of it was obscured. I have glasses for this chase. I'm both anxious and excited for this.

[Juliancolton]

23 minutes ago, wxmanmitch said:

Hint: avoid Santee, SC. 

I'll be getting in early on the 20th, so hopefully it won't be too crazy yet. 

[weathafella]

12 hours ago, wxmanmitch said:

I too have an eclipse chase booked. Flying to Denver and then renting a car to drive up into Wyoming where totality is as I like their 85-90% odds of clear skies. The fact that totality is just before noon local time helps as well.

My hotel is a bit north of Denver as I waited until last week to book and pretty much in Wyoming is sold out and probably has been for a long time. Inventory is pretty low in such a rural state, so I was pretty much limited to metro Denver. 

One thing to consider if chasing the eclipse by car is traffic, both heading to it and then returning. I will likely be leaving my hotel in the middle of night to make the 200+ mile trek up to totality in Wyoming. Ordinarily it's about 3.5 hour drive from where my hotel is to Casper, but I will likely allow double time (maybe more) and make adjustments as necessary based on traffic conditions which can be monitored on Google maps. Plus, Casper will likely be crowded so I need to get there with plenty of time to find parking and a viewing location.

If for some reason there looks to be clouds or wildfire smoke, I may head east toward Nebraska as an alternative. Denver gives me options in the off chance that the weather looks iffy. 

This website uses population statistics and GIS to try and predict where traffic might be bad. Hint: avoid Santee, SC. https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/statistics/

Wyoming has a low population density so hopefully traffic won't be a big problem. I actually might be more concerned about return traffic as everyone is more likely to leave their eclipse location en masse as opposed to beforehand when people will likely be going there over the course of a couple of days. Have extra food, water, and patience on hand. Keeping the gas tanked topped off just in case might be a good idea too. 

I saw the 1994 eclipse from SW CT and it got slightly darker, even though it was just partial there. From that day forward, I've been looking forward to this eclipse. The Christmas Day 2000 partial eclipse didn't cause any darkness but I remember glancing up at the sun instantaneously a few times an noting that part of it was obscured. I have glasses for this chase. I'm both anxious and excited for this.

Interior Oregon has the best chance of clear skies.   I'm still planning on Nashville but am prepared to change at the last minute if it becomes clear that Nashville will have a high chance of clouds.

[wxeyeNH]

My 80 year old Mother lives in Bend.  So does my sister, brother in law and niece.  They will be about 20 miles south of totality.  Bend/Redman/Madras traffic jams are going to be crazy.  No highway systems out there.  If it looks like coastal  Oregon will be fogged in (its a morning eclipse) then all those people will want to come over the Cascades to the east side.  My family keeps telling me that 99% coverage is good enough and they are not dealing with traffic.  They are driving me crazy cause they could find the local gravel back roads and get 30 miles north.  Has to be scouted out before hand. Even sitting in a car for 20 hours and using the dessert for a pee is worth this..

One more musing.  Watch the sky during the partial phase.  Normally at sunset the lower atmosphere is shadowed while above is in the sunlight.  So the sky slowly darkens.  Because during the eclipse the lower and upper atmosphere is shadowed at the same time the sky turns a deep, deep blue around the 80% plus partial.  I don't think that wildfire or summer haze will make too much of a difference.  The particles are all in shadow.  As I keep saying being close to centerline is very important but cloudiness is the most important.  Watching weather satellites in the hours before will show what is upstream.  If it looks like Anvil blowoffs etc. could cross toward centerline then opt for a shorter eclipse and go north or south.  Wyoming is great because there is such low population that like a tornado chase you can stay mobile!  Oh, bring binoculars.  Spectacular during totality to look at the sun's atmosphere close up.  Of course you need totality!

[weathafella]

Yeah plan B is fly to Denver, check in somewhere and sleep till midnight then get up and allow enough time to get to Casper-normally a drive under 4 hours but leaving midnight allows for nearly 10.  

Incidentally the car rentals are also expensive but Costco at least keeps it within some reason.  I just booked a car for $150 for 2 days out of BNA.

[wxmanmitch]

On 7/23/2017 at 2:47 PM, weathafella said:

Yeah plan B is fly to Denver, check in somewhere and sleep till midnight then get up and allow enough time to get to Casper-normally a drive under 4 hours but leaving midnight allows for nearly 10.  

Incidentally the car rentals are also expensive but Costco at least keeps it within some reason.  I just booked a car for $150 for 2 days out of BNA.

You might want to make this plan A if it's not too costly to do so. Flight to DEN is may be more than flight to BNA, but odds of clear weather is worth it for me. I chose my location based on climatology, road network, and trip cost. Eastern Oregon doesn't have as good a road network and would be much more costly to fly and drive to.

April 8, 2024 is a long time to wait. Lots can happen between now and then. Besides early April weather is iffy at best around these parts. Next totality in this country after 2024 is August 23, 2044 and then August 12, 2045. The 2044 eclipse will only be visible from MT and ND near sunset. The 2045 eclipse will be an absolute beast with over 6 minutes of totality and a ~170 mile wide totality path, meaning near total darkness near path center.

 

[eekuasepinniW]

That disappointing sunspot from a few days ago decided to really rub salt in the wounds.  This backside CME looks straight out of 2003.

[weathafella]

3 hours ago, wxmanmitch said:

You might want to make this plan A if it's not too costly to do so. Flight to DEN is may be more than flight to BNA, but odds of clear weather is worth it for me. I chose my location based on climatology, road network, and trip cost. Eastern Oregon doesn't have as good a road network and would be much more costly to fly and drive to.

April 8, 2024 is a long time to wait. Lots can happen between now and then. Besides early April weather is iffy at best around these parts. Next totality in this country after 2024 is August 23, 2044 and then August 12, 2045. The 2044 eclipse will only be visible from MT and ND near sunset. The 2045 eclipse will be an absolute beast with over 6 minutes of totality and a ~170 mile wide totality path, meaning near total darkness near path center.

 

This is it for me.  I doubt I'm alive on 2044-98th bday would be 12/1.

I think the BNA idea remains viable.  I've been out west in summer a lot and trust me it's not cloud free.  I can buy or change the air ticket on pretty short notice.  Incidentally DEN is cheaper vs BNA but I have miles to use so that's not a big issue.

[Juliancolton]

On 7/24/2017 at 5:22 PM, eekuasepinniW said:

That disappointing sunspot from a few days ago decided to really rub salt in the wounds.  This backside CME looks straight out of 2003.

Oh what could have been (and this wasn't even in the core of the CME as far as I can tell).

[LongBeachSurfFreak]

After reading what you guys have written I do not want to miss this. I'm thinking of driving down to North Carolina Sunday and then heading south. Everything in South Carolina is booked!!! Plus it would be nice to be somehat mobile as others have said. 

[wxeyeNH]

1 hour ago, LongBeachSurfFreak said:

After reading what you guys have written I do not want to miss this. I'm thinking of driving down to North Carolina Sunday and then heading south. Everything in South Carolina is booked!!! Plus it would be nice to be somehat mobile as others have said. 

Long Beach.  Glad your going to try to view this.  This is going to be quite an experiment for the highway system especially if the weather is looking good in the days before the eclipse.  I could see the highways like Rt 85 Rt 95 being bumper to bumper as hundred of thousands of people all travel down at the same time.  Just really nothing to compare this too.  If it were me I would try to drive down a couple of days before. I know that adds to the cost.  Get a hotel outside of the eclipse zone and then travel into the zone during the night time hours of Sunday night.  Perhaps in smaller non interstate roads.  Don't know how this is going to play out.  Maybe not a big traffic deal or maybe like a hurricane watch and everyone wanting to leave the coast all at once.  

Found this interesting website and traffic tips/info..    https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/statistics/

[wxeyeNH]

2 weeks from right now it begins.  The greatest celestial event for the US in 100 years.  As one of a select few that have seen a total eclipse I wish I could transport all you guys into the path of totality.  Words just can't describe how awesome it is.

Starting to watch the weather patterns.  Will monsoon moisture move north into the NW and muck viewing up like it is doing today?  Will a tropical system threaten viewing in the SE?  Fingers crossed...

[WxBlue]

On 8/7/2017 at 0:14 PM, wxeyeNH said:

2 weeks from right now it begins.  The greatest celestial event for the US in 100 years.  As one of a select few that have seen a total eclipse I wish I could transport all you guys into the path of totality.  Words just can't describe how awesome it is.

Starting to watch the weather patterns.  Will monsoon moisture move north into the NW and muck viewing up like it is doing today?  Will a tropical system threaten viewing in the SE?  Fingers crossed...

I'm praying a sea breeze boundary doesn't kick in until later in the afternoon at my viewing location. Usually doesn't happen until 4-7 pm, but we'll see...

[Christina311]

I'm flying into Denver on Saturday, spending the night there, and driving up to Wyoming on Sunday. I have a hotel in Wheatland WY Sunday night, and the plan is to leave really early and head to Casper, a couple of hours northwest. Wheatland is in the path of totality so worst case scenario like bad traffic, I will still see it. But Casper is my goal. My hotel in Wheatland is over $500 for one night. Casper had a couple of one star motels going for $1500!

[Juliancolton]

On 8/7/2017 at 0:14 PM, wxeyeNH said:

2 weeks from right now it begins.  The greatest celestial event for the US in 100 years.  As one of a select few that have seen a total eclipse I wish I could transport all you guys into the path of totality.  Words just can't describe how awesome it is.

Starting to watch the weather patterns.  Will monsoon moisture move north into the NW and muck viewing up like it is doing today?  Will a tropical system threaten viewing in the SE?  Fingers crossed...

Eh, I'd trade this for the '66 Leonids outburst without a second thought. 

[eyewall]

On 8/7/2017 at 0:14 PM, wxeyeNH said:

2 weeks from right now it begins.  The greatest celestial event for the US in 100 years.  As one of a select few that have seen a total eclipse I wish I could transport all you guys into the path of totality.  Words just can't describe how awesome it is.

Starting to watch the weather patterns.  Will monsoon moisture move north into the NW and muck viewing up like it is doing today?  Will a tropical system threaten viewing in the SE?  Fingers crossed...

I  am going to be near Lake Murray, SC for it but to say I am nervous about a Cu field or showers/storms would be an understatement. Ideally there would be a TC just far enough away to put the area in a subsidence zone surrounding it. I only wish I could go back out west where it is almost guaranteed to be dry along with a stunning landscape.

[CapturedNature]

I just found out that my brother is going to be flight from NYC to LA during the eclipse.  He's wondering what side of the plane he should be on for the best view.  Unfortunately because of the timing of the flight I don't think he will ever be in the totality line.  When I look at the flight path, it looks like the path of totality will be north of his flight path but is looking to the north the best side to be on or is it on the south side so you could see the sun or am I wrong about that?  I'm hoping the collective here can give me some advice to pass on to him.

I'm attaching his flight path along with the eclipse map.  Note that his flight leaves about 10AM ET and will be crossing the totality line around 10:30-11 CT I'm guessing.

 

[wxeyeNH]

Just noticed the KP index is 5 right now.  Clear skies  no moon, any chance of anything up here tonight??

[eyewall]

14 hours ago, wxeyeNH said:

Just noticed the KP index is 5 right now.  Clear skies  no moon, any chance of anything up here tonight??

I got an alert that it went to 6 as I was driving back from the eclipse in SC. Of course I was in NC (still am until Sunday) at the time. It would have been cool to see aurora and totality in the same day but that is asking too much. You were absolutely dead on with the difference totality makes vs. 99%. I am still on a high from the experience. I only wish the duration of totality was a little longer but still that was incredible. I was sure to focus on experiencing the event over taking photos and I am happy I did and still of course came away with a few grabs. The shadow approaching like a wall from the west, the diamond ring, totality/corona, and the end of totality with it looking like someone was raising the lights in a room are moments I won't ever forget. I want to chase one in South America in 2019!

[dendrite]

2 minutes ago, eyewall said:

I got an alert that it went to 6 as I was driving back from the eclipse in SC. Of course I was in NC (still am until Sunday) at the time. It would have been cool to see aurora and totality in the same day but that is asking too much. You were absolutely dead on with the difference totality makes vs. 99%. I am still on a high from the experience. I only wish the duration of totality was a little longer but still that was incredible. I was sure to focus on experiencing the event over taking photos and I am happy I did and still of course came away with a few grabs. The shadow approaching like a wall from the west, the diamond ring, totality/corona, and the end of totality with it looking like someone was raising the lights in a room are moments I won't ever forget. I want to chase one in South America in 2019!

 

 

Jon Gruden?

[wxeyeNH]

Jeremy so glad you got to see this.  Wow, the weather could not have been better across the US.  Sure a few places got clouded out but all and all over 3000 miles the weather was epic.

I guess all could be summed up by this picture I saw and the photographers comments.  I saw this on facebook and it really summed up my experience in 1998.  Now we look forward to April 8 2024.  Only 6 years and 9 months away...

 

  Blake Farnham is with Sam Ridout-Claude.

Yesterday at 5:24am · 

 

For three days and two nights I sat on top this mountain thinking of how I would capture something I'd never seen before. I had two minutes of totality, plenty of time to get all the shots I wanted. Yet when the time finally came and the sun went black, tears began to run down my face. I had never seen anything so beautiful, epic, or surreal in my life. The feeling was so overwhelming. I scrambled to change lenses, re-frame the shot, change settings, all while shaking uncontrollably with eyes full of water. Before I knew it the sun was peaking out the other side, it had felt like the whole thing lasted only seconds. This photo is one of only five I was able to capture. We drove over 2,000 miles to see a total eclipse and bring home this picture. I wish everyone could've been sitting there with me. This moment truly changed my life.