What are your plans to watch the total eclipse of the sun on August 21st?

If the let us outside at the camps, then yes.

Supposedly the best viewing will be around my old stomping grounds in Southern Illinois, so I’ll probably head down there.

I don’t have any plans, but I would choose Madras, Prairie City, or Salem, Oregon.

@Darth_Algar You’ll have to go a bit further south than that. South St. Louis is at just the edge of totality. Go further South to Festus.

@Brian1946 Salem you run the risk of coastal clouds. Madras has the best weather predicted, but everybody and their cousin is going to Madras. It is booked solid and the roads will be packed. Prairie City will be a bit north of the total eclipse line, you’ll need to go farther South.

I want to go up to Bend Oregon.

I will travel to get a view of it. Retirement has its perks.

@Rarebear

According to this source, observers in Prairie City, will see a total eclipse for 2m 6s, starting at 10:22:50.

I’m sad I live in the wrong latitude and longitude. It was snowing here yesterday so I also missed the red moon lunar eclipse.

I suppose for those determined to participate in optimal viewing of the event, preparations 6 months in advance might be prudent. Other concerns have higher priority for me. Questions such as: might Trump somehow manage to witness the vanishing of the sun while still President of the United States?
It isn’t the sun alone which is faced with assured and predictable eclipse.

@brian1946. So it is. I was looking at Prarie City Iowa.

My family is travelling to Wyoming.

Well, I plan to sort of, kinda watch it. And take a picture at a point where it won’t burn my camera lens.

Eclipses are just cooler than hell. When I was subbing in the 90’s I walked into this one class room, and rapidly made a lesson plan to cover the eclipse that was happening that day. I told the kids to observe, and take notes of everything around them. At one point it threw double shadows, which we discussed back in the room. One kid noted that it was like a really bad thunderstorm / tornado was about to hit. It was exactly like that, too. Eerie, muted and yellow.

I want to be about 6 miles south of Crane Creek reservoir, in Idaho.

@Mariah Seeing the Grand Tetons is on my bucket list, so if you go to Wyoming and you get to see them, please take many pix and share them here.

@Rarebear

I didn’t say anything about South St. Louis. I said Southern Illinois. The longest duration of totality is going to be near Carbondale, in Southern Illinois.

@stanleybmanly “I suppose for those determined to participate in optimal viewing of the event, preparations 6 months in advance might be prudent. Other concerns have higher priority for me.”

Fortunately it coincides well for me, personally speaking, as I can wrap it in with my semi-annual visit to the old hometown to visit friends and family.

@Darth_Algar

What’s the expected duration of totality for your destination?

LOL!

@darth sorry. I don’t know the geography. Carbondale will be an excellent location.

At that location totality starts at 13:20:06 and ends at 13:22:43 for a total duration of 2:37

Is that some sort of record for you duration of totality, @Rarebear? ~

Nobody is flying their Lear jet up to Nova Scotia?

None of us are so vain to think the earth would change its axis, because we don’t think the eclipse is about us.

@Dutchess_III

It’s far from a record, but it’s the longest duration of totality this particular solar eclipse is gonna see.

—Holy smokes! I looked up the lyrics and the line is “You had one eye in the mirror as
You watched yourself gavotte.” That’s why I could never quite understand it! I heard, “As you watched yourself go by” only different.—

I’m driving about an hour to see the full eclipse. The map has me just out of the full path. Can’t wait.

@ARE_you_kidding_me Where are you going to go?

@Rarebear I live in Southern Utah. How can I learn whether it will be visible here? Or how far to travel for good viewing?

@si3tech You will have to go north
http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2017_GoogleMapFull.html

The path goes right between knoxville and chattanooga. That’s where I’ll be.

This is my plan.

Peaked out here in CA. a few minutes ago. @ 10:30 a.m. a 75% eclipse. Eerily darkish, like forest fire light and the temps are much cooler. I wish 75% of the sun was blocked out every day in the summer. haha

Funny how we compare it to what we know. I compared it to the eerie color the air turns when it’s tornado weather,or a bad storm is brewing.
But the temp did drop, which was nice. It got SUPER hot.

Okay that was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.

Dang it..

Have any of you seen an eclipse before? I’ve seen a few.

@Stinley You’ve seen total eclipses before? Cool! When?

1999 but there was cloud cover. Also a partial a couple of years ago which was good. I also saw a moon eclipse in 2010 which was amazing as the moon was low and we could watch it out of the window. It happened about 7–8am so we had breakfast at the window!

If anybody wants to experience it, Veritasium has a great video. It somewhat captures what it was like.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G10m2ZZRH4U&feature=em-subs_digest

I’ve seen 2 now but not total eclipses. One in 94 or so and the recent one. I have to have experienced more than that in 59 years, right?