ice1972 Posted August 22, 2017 Author Share Posted August 22, 2017 1 hour ago, Freshgeek said: To everyone who bailed on Central Nebraska, I guess I need to thank you lowering the traffic congestion, lol. Coming north from Moore, OK, I kept watching the models as they showed my original target, Grand Island, NE being under cloud cover. I considered changing my destination to somewhere in north central Missouri, as it would be about the same driving distance. If it was just me, I wouldn't stress out about this so much, but I was bringing my mom, girlfriend, and a dog with, so I felt so much more pressure. We stopped in a McDonald's parking lot in Wichita, KS and I debated for like 30 minutes as to where to go. One model run showed that Missouri was the better choice, and the next would say Nebraska. Finally, I forced myself to choose and I decided to go to my first choice, Grand Island, NE. The whole way there I was second guessing myself. When I wasn't driving, I was thinking about how terrible I would feel if I blew this, and I couldn't sleep. Even when we got to Grand Island, I never feel asleep as I kept looking at model data to see if we should move further west, and I never got a clear answer. The morning comes and one of my coworkers was also going to Grand Island, but wasn't as willing to move. I could see clouds to our south and southeast, but our southwest was clear, save for a few cirrus. Time kept passing and I finally said that I'm willing to take our chances at the Grand Island Walmart Supercenter parking lot on the south side of town. As the eclipse started, the clouds stayed away and I was paranoid that something would block our view of totality. But as we got closer to 12:58 pm, there was nothing moving into the path of the sun and moon. the lights dimmed around us, and it was a very eerie feeling. Like, if you stepped outside and had no idea what was going on in the sky, you could tell that something was off. The temperature began to drop and we could see the sliver of the sun start to fade through our eclipse glasses. Finally the sun was completely blocked and we got the experience of a lifetime. My girlfriend had her tripod set up and was able to take some great pictures, but this one of the eclipse with Mercury to the left is my favorite. I just sat in the grass and took it all in. The stress of planning, travel, and spending money was all worth it for this moment. If you missed this one, start planning now for the 2024 eclipse. It will be worth it, especially if it's your first one. We got home at 9 pm last night, and I slept like a rock. Damn I was wondering if my choice to bail on NE was the correct one.....seems it would have been fine.....lol.....I was going to target Ravenna which is just a bit further NW OF Grand Island.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wxeyeNH Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 3 hours ago, yak said: in the quality of light even before it got noticeably darker. Did anyone else notice that? Images and shadows become noticeably sharper and everything becomes clearer somehow like your vision has suddenly improved and you've enter into a type of hyper-reality. Everything does become crisper as you get to the thin crescent sun. Usually the shadowed areas are muted in outline since the orb of the sun is not a point. As the last rays come down it is more of a point so shadows on the ground have sharp lines. Many people don't notice but I did. The whole quality of light within 10 minutes is very strange. It's a sunny day but the light is just dim, weird. Something you can't explain to people unless you experience it first hand. Glad it was a success for you! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice1972 Posted August 23, 2017 Author Share Posted August 23, 2017 While I didn't really focus too much on capturing the moment with anything other than my two eyes and brain I did manage to pull off a few shots and a time lapse from my iPad that I set and forget.....here's three shots I managed to pull off with my iPhone.....I didn't have any photo equipment with me so my phone was my only option..... In totality.....I had to edit the original photo and turn up highlights to get the ring.....the photo original just looks like the sun on any normal day..... Looking east at totality..... Looking west at totality..... The time lapse i need to upload to YouTube.....I thought it was cool and it does show how the cu field dissipated as totality approached.....stand by Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Smith Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 Some images from Baker City in eastern Oregon. Looking west towards the approaching "dark spot" -- the hills are already a bit darker than the town. This would be about four minutes before totality, when the western inland counties of Oregon had totality. May have to load these one post at a time, having issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Smith Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 (b) The crowd in a municipal park in Baker City awaits the total spectacle, many using their eclipse glasses. I was thinking of going around the park selling eclipse crackers and eclipse corn chips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackstraw Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 We packed a tent and coolers and headed out Saturday morning with an idea but no plan. I had been watching the forecast and far western KY kept improving. Finally chose to go "somewhere" East of the Shawnee National Forest in IL across the river in KY for a few reasons. It was fairly close for us to drive, 300 or 400 miles. The forecast was giving us a better than 80% chance of no clouds. There's really nothing in that area but hills, farm land and little KY towns pretty spaced apart . There's only a couple of places to cross the Ohio to get into that area and they're about 50 miles apart. So I figured fairly remote, if the clouds role in to the NW in the center of the Carbondale madness, the 2 bridges are going to bottleneck the crazies trying to make a mad dash to find the sun, then that area would be a perfect place to enjoy it and not have the crowds or madness. Military strategy, we had a good defense in that area lol. Question was where to camp? Not knowing the area very well and unbeknownst to me, my girl got on FB and started searching for some folks in that area. Lo and behold she started up a conversation with a wonderful couple who had a big plot of wooded land right in the general area we were targeting.. After she spoke with them on the phone and turned on her charm they said we could camp there under the condition it was just us. They were really concerned about their property and the hype of the tons of people flowing into the Carbondale Hopkinsville corridor. We assured them it was just us and we would gladly pay and take care of their property like it was our own. Still hesitant they wouldn't tell us exactly where it was at, they just said call when we cross the Ohio. When my girl told me I said hey, we either got a place to camp or we're gonna be on one of those real life mystery crime documentary's! So we headed out and along the way we planned our escape for after the eclipse kind of making notes for escape routes if we got stuck in traffic. Regardless it all worked out great when we got down there, the folks were awesomely gracious and we all hit it off and had a blast. Come to find out they wanted to experience it in a similar manner as we did. Alone and reflective with someone you care about. I had targeted the area south of Morganfield KY and thats where we ended up. about 5 miles from the center line. The trip back wasn't bad. It really paid off taking some time to plan escape routes. We didn't spend more than 10 miles on any road with an "I" in front on the way back. Hardest parts of the trip home were the Ohio and Wabash river crossings, definitely bottle necked at both. But as soon as we crossed we hit the secondary's and the thirdendary's and even fourthendaiy's lol. Think storm chasing experience helped, the escape plans, plus two of us sharing the navigating and driving was a plus. It truly was an awe inspiring experience, well worth the minor headaches here and there on the road. I really can't add much more than what other's have already said about the actual event other than as awesome as it was, it was truly humbling at the same time. Really put's you in your place in this vast universe. Oh, and during totality , seeing it in person the pure 3 dimensional view really stood out. Pictures and video cannot reproduce that. Amazing! Besides the Eclipse we really did meet some great new friends and hope to spend some time with them again soon and repay their hospitality. Truly wonderful and memorable all around. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice1972 Posted August 23, 2017 Author Share Posted August 23, 2017 Time lapse...... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyewall Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 I noticed a lot of photos and videos came out too light during totality from what I experienced when showing the landscape. I edited mine to approximate what it looked like in reality as far as that goes. Some of it could also be I was within 3 miles of the center line and it would be a bit lighter toward the edge of the totality zone. Either way I am hooked and want to see another. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wackymann Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 We had an amazing view in Hendersonville, TN! There were some scattered cumulus in the area. One random cloud completely covered the sun for a few minutes (about 20 minutes before totality), but that cloud moved on and we were totally in the clear the rest of the time! It was a very surreal feeling to look up at the sun and see a black disk. And Venus was so bright!! I told myself that I would just soak in the atmosphere and not worry about taking pictures during totality, but about a minute into totality I decided I needed to get a few pictures, so I took some hand-held shots of the corona. I'm glad I did - they actually came out way better than I expected they would! I know i can easily download photos that are way better, but these are MY photos of MY view haha 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosier Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 2 hours ago, eyewall said: I noticed a lot of photos and videos came out too light during totality from what I experienced when showing the landscape. I edited mine to approximate what it looked like in reality as far as that goes. Some of it could also be I was within 3 miles of the center line and it would be a bit lighter toward the edge of the totality zone. Either way I am hooked and want to see another. I had the same issue and I was only about 1 mile north of the center line. Also the camera didn't really pick up on the dimming light prior to totality. Then again, I didn't really put any effort into trying to adjust any camera settings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WxBlue Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 Finally made it back to New Hampshire and what an insane couple of days! We ended up settling on a hilltop field in Vonore, TN. We had no problem with clouds in the valley, with cumulus clouds only appearing over the horizon to west and east. It was insanely awesome to see cumulus clouds dying out to west as moon's shadow approached to us as we got closer to the totality. I don't think I need to explain the rest of what the experience was like, but it was one of coolest sights I ever saw. Up there with McLean tornado earlier this year, but this eclipse has a slight edge over that due to how rare it is in United States. Traffic was horrible the whole trip back to New Hampshire, as I kept running into jams almost every single town on I-81 and I-84. It was awful... but it was still worth seeing the eclipse! So glad I drove south! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wackymann Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 And here is my one and only attempt at the diamond ring photo JUST after totality ended... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wackymann Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 4 hours ago, WxBlue said: Finally made it back to New Hampshire and what an insane couple of days! We ended up settling on a hilltop field in Vonore, TN. We had no problem with clouds in the valley, with cumulus clouds only appearing over the horizon to west and east. It was insanely awesome to see cumulus clouds dying out to west as moon's shadow approached to us as we got closer to the totality. I don't think I need to explain the rest of what the experience was like, but it was one of coolest sights I ever saw. Up there with McLean tornado earlier this year, but this eclipse has a slight edge over that due to how rare it is in United States. Traffic was horrible the whole trip back to New Hampshire, as I kept running into jams almost every single town on I-81 and I-84. It was awful... but it was still worth seeing the eclipse! So glad I drove south! I think the biggest lesson I learned from this eclipse is to just book the hotel room for 1 more night and stay put after the eclipse. It is much easier getting to an eclipse than getting out of it! It took us 6 hours to drive from Nashville to Louisville (about 175 miles). After that the traffic opened up, but we were so tired, we couldn't keep going very long and stopped at a hotel in Lafayette, IN around midnight. Traffic was fine the next morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyclone77 Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 16 hours ago, ice1972 said: Time lapse...... Interesting to see your perspective. I saw those same cu bubbling up, but they were southeast of where I was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyclone77 Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 Posted this in the lakes sub, but guess I'll post it here as well. My time lapse from near Nelson MO, or about 30 miles west of Columbia MO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice1972 Posted August 23, 2017 Author Share Posted August 23, 2017 7 minutes ago, cyclone77 said: Interesting to see your perspective. I saw those same cu bubbling up, but they were southeast of where I was. Whats really interesting is how when I got to the Marshall exit off I-70 to assess my position I felt like I was still not southeast enough......so I headed to Columbia.....turns out maybe it was ok in Marshall......based on your report.....and the cu field didn't get in your way either.......so great it worked out for a lot of folks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosier Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 1 hour ago, wackymann said: I think the biggest lesson I learned from this eclipse is to just book the hotel room for 1 more night and stay put after the eclipse. It is much easier getting to an eclipse than getting out of it! It took us 6 hours to drive from Nashville to Louisville (about 175 miles). After that the traffic opened up, but we were so tired, we couldn't keep going very long and stopped at a hotel in Lafayette, IN around midnight. Traffic was fine the next morning. Yeah, it was much worse getting out than getting in. There were people leaving where I was literally just a minute or two after totality ended, but I stuck around for about a half hour to watch some of the partial phase. Might have helped somewhat to get out immediately but oh well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heavy_wx Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 26 minutes ago, Hoosier said: Yeah, it was much worse getting out than getting in. There were people leaving where I was literally just a minute or two after totality ended, but I stuck around for about a half hour to watch some of the partial phase. Might have helped somewhat to get out immediately but oh well. I left maybe 10 minutes after totality. Traffic was fine on I-40 east until I got to the exit ramp. All of the local roads from Tennessee into Kentucky towards I-75 were bad, and it ended up being a 5-hour drive to I-75 that takes under 3 hours without traffic. After a few miles on I-75 traffic was fine and opened up a lot once I got to I-64 east in Kentucky. That part of the trip was definitely helped by the lower populations of West Virginia, western MD, and central PA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice1972 Posted August 23, 2017 Author Share Posted August 23, 2017 It's funny how the partial phase after totality is so meh after the main show is over......I stuck around until maybe 50% then I bailed too..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice1972 Posted August 23, 2017 Author Share Posted August 23, 2017 1 hour ago, wackymann said: I think the biggest lesson I learned from this eclipse is to just book the hotel room for 1 more night and stay put after the eclipse. It is much easier getting to an eclipse than getting out of it! It took us 6 hours to drive from Nashville to Louisville (about 175 miles). After that the traffic opened up, but we were so tired, we couldn't keep going very long and stopped at a hotel in Lafayette, IN around midnight. Traffic was fine the next morning. I like this idea a lot but for me that would have been impossible since I had to divert so far......maybe an RV is the way to go.....lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heavy_wx Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 4 minutes ago, ice1972 said: It's funny how the partial phase after totality is so meh after the main show is over......I stuck around until maybe 50% then I bailed too..... Yeah, I was kind of planning on doing that beforehand anyway just because I had a long drive back. I probably would have stayed around a bit longer otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice1972 Posted August 23, 2017 Author Share Posted August 23, 2017 10 minutes ago, heavy_wx said: Yeah, I was kind of planning on doing that beforehand anyway just because I had a long drive back. I probably would have stayed around a bit longer otherwise. Legit there were people in the park where I was breaking down their equipment the second the diamond ring effect signifying the end of totality was over....other people chilled and were very much less interested in it......I mean lets face it.....the ending partial phase is like riding the carousel right after you just got off Kingda Ka.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weathafella Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 8 hours ago, wackymann said: We had an amazing view in Hendersonville, TN! There were some scattered cumulus in the area. One random cloud completely covered the sun for a few minutes (about 20 minutes before totality), but that cloud moved on and we were totally in the clear the rest of the time! It was a very surreal feeling to look up at the sun and see a black disk. And Venus was so bright!! I told myself that I would just soak in the atmosphere and not worry about taking pictures during totality, but about a minute into totality I decided I needed to get a few pictures, so I took some hand-held shots of the corona. I'm glad I did - they actually came out way better than I expected they would! I know i can easily download photos that are way better, but these are MY photos of MY view haha Great shots! Over in Gallatin the clouds went poof and we had a great show. I talked to somebody at BNA yesterday getting ready to go home who had a cloud interfere north of Nashville somewhere but you and wxsniss and I were lucky. My wife's friend who I had dinner with Sunday evening was at Hendersonville at an eclipse party. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heavy_wx Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 2 minutes ago, ice1972 said: Legit there were people in the park where I was breaking down their equipment the second the diamond ring effect signifying the end of totality was over....other people chilled and were very much less interested in it......I mean lets face it.....the ending partial phase is like riding the carousel right after you just got off Kingda Ka.... Yeah, not a bad analogy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weathafella Posted August 24, 2017 Share Posted August 24, 2017 3 hours ago, wackymann said: I think the biggest lesson I learned from this eclipse is to just book the hotel room for 1 more night and stay put after the eclipse. It is much easier getting to an eclipse than getting out of it! It took us 6 hours to drive from Nashville to Louisville (about 175 miles). After that the traffic opened up, but we were so tired, we couldn't keep going very long and stopped at a hotel in Lafayette, IN around midnight. Traffic was fine the next morning. Exactly what I was thinking when I booked the extra night. Also gives you the chance to savor the experience which I did. Age gives you a little wisdom on this stuff. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice1972 Posted August 24, 2017 Author Share Posted August 24, 2017 I want to chase every total eclipse now......they are very hard to chase even when its right in your own backyard......its part of why it is so amazing once you get yourself in position and all that work pays off.......CHILE!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice1972 Posted August 24, 2017 Author Share Posted August 24, 2017 I was reviewing the evolution of solar eclipses as they advance through the Saros cycle and I didn't know the duration of totality gets longer as the cycle approaches its midpoint and then it slowly decreases in time as it progresses to the end of the cycle....for example the one on Monday was part of Saros 145 and the 2min 30sec of totality is short compared to the max in the cycle of 7min 12sec on June 25, 2522......southern Africa - Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe......that would be awesome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juliancolton Posted August 24, 2017 Share Posted August 24, 2017 Took 16 hours to get home from Greenville and I'm only now getting to process my photos from the event. A couple of my favorites... Outer corona, Regulus, Mercury, and some earthshine on the moon: Gorgeous prominences just after second contact: Wide-angle view of the Reedy River and thousands of spectators at totality: 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosier Posted August 24, 2017 Share Posted August 24, 2017 17 minutes ago, ice1972 said: I was reviewing the evolution of solar eclipses as they advance through the Saros cycle and I didn't know the duration of totality gets longer as the cycle approaches its midpoint and then it slowly decreases in time as it progresses to the end of the cycle....for example the one on Monday was part of Saros 145 and the 2min 30sec of totality is short compared to the max in the cycle of 7min 12sec on June 25, 2522......southern Africa - Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe......that would be awesome Something I never knew is that the moon is very slowly moving away from Earth, which means that total solar eclipses will not be able to occur many millions of years from now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdgwx Posted August 24, 2017 Share Posted August 24, 2017 I just want to reiterate how neat the experience was. Those who weren't in totality had an overwhelmingly "meh" response. But, those in totality always responded with "wow, that was so worth it" or "I'm already planning to do it again in 2024". This is something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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