Total solar eclipse 8/21

[NEJeremy]

I decided to create a thread for what could be a once in a lifetime event for some of us.

Who's going to the path of totality? I know a lot of us on the forum live a fair distance away, but I know there are some Nebraska and Iowa posters here as well who are closer.

 

Here in Omaha, we are only about an hour away from the path of totality and about an hour and a half to the center line.

I will be there, wherever I need to go. I've told my wife that if I have to leave Sunday to drive somewhere I will(within reason of course)!

 

Last weekend, I went out south/southwest of Lincoln to try and scope out some good spots. I want a flat treeless area where I can see a long ways away on the horizon as I've been told and read one of the most amazing things to happen with the eclipse is being able to see the shadow of the moon race across the surface at 1500 mph. Surprisingly in Nebraska, a relatively flat area with a great line of sight is pretty hard to find, especially in the area where I was. However, I did find a pretty nice spot I think.

I will have my camera with a 300mm lens, and two camcorders, one to record the eclipse and the other focused on the horizon to the west to catch the shadow. I need to be very careful though to not be messing so much with my equipment that I miss the eclipse since it only lasts 2m 36s in this area!

Leading up to totality will be easy and relaxing to take pictures and record video, but the instant where totality starts and I'm needing to remove solar filters and change settings is where it could get dicey!

 

I'm hoping the weather holds, but with this current pattern we're in, I'm a bit worried about clouds/rain. Of course, we're still about 2 weeks away so I am hoping like hell we get back into a more normal August pattern.

My concerns are also traffic. I've heard predictions of traffic jams on the interstates, but also heard people say they haven't heard very much chatter about it among their friends and coworkers.

I'm dropping my little one off at daycare at 830, so I have a good 4+ hours to get to my initial target area before totality a little after 1pm. If it looks cloudy in southeast Nebraska, than I will leave Sunday for some other location.

What's everyone else's thoughts or plans?!

 

[jaster220]

Not sure, but I think there was a total eclipse back in 1977? Don't remember it being much tbh, but can't say that SMI was in the "totality" swath or not. All my kids want to see it, but we can't get away on that Monday so hope you do and have a successful chase!

[NEJeremy]

Not sure, but I think there was a total eclipse back in 1977? Don't remember it being much tbh, but can't say that SMI was in the "totality" swath or not. All my kids want to see it, but we can't get away on that Monday so hope you do and have a successful chase!

There was one back in 1979, but the path of totality was only in the northwest before it moved across Canada. This is the first one to go coast to coast in 99 years!

There is another one coming on 2024, that goes from Texas to the northeast US and just clips southeast Michigan. I've heard the totality is supposed to last over 4 minutes for that one versus this one where the longest duration is a little over 2 1/2 minutes. It's close enough to me in 2024, that I plan on going to that one as well.

[Minny_Weather]

There was one back in 1979, but the path of totality was only in the northwest before it moved across Canada. This is the first one to go coast to coast in 99 years!

There is another one coming on 2024, that goes from Texas to the northeast US and just clips southeast Michigan. I've heard the totality is supposed to last over 4 minutes for that one versus this one where the longest duration is a little over 2 1/2 minutes. It's close enough to me in 2024, that I plan on going to that one as well.

I am so mad. I am finally leaving TX for Lincoln again... THREE DAYS AFTER THIS ECLIPSE! I'll be working in law enforcement by the 2024 one, so hopefully I am fortunate enough to have a day off to drive down to Kansas and see it.

 

At least this one isn't a complete bust in Houston. It'll still be covered enough to make it noticeable, just not dark.

[Jaycee]

The timing of this scares me. The prediction as it currently stands is saying that we're going to be in the clear for the timing of the eclipse, but it's supposed to storm both Sunday Night and Monday Night. It's going to be close, and I'm nervous I'm going to miss it. I'm trying to figure out if it's worth taking work off for, just to make sure I can experience this thing fully. Starting to lean towards that, I might head a tad south or west to see if I can get a better view. Also nervous about traffic around here, have a feeling it's going to get pretty wild.

[bud2380]

I looked into buying some glasses for it, but they are quite expensive.  I saw some that were cheaper and certified, but you had to buy them in packs of 50 or so.  The ones I saw on Amazon were around $80, and may others that are certified are sold out.  I haven't searched locally though yet.

 

I think we are about 92% totality on the eclipse near Cedar Rapids.  I'm planning on taking lunch around 1 or so, so that I can watch experience it.  I remember a partial eclipse when I was in high school, that would have been in the mid 90s.  

[Minny_Weather]

The timing of this scares me. The prediction as it currently stands is saying that we're going to be in the clear for the timing of the eclipse, but it's supposed to storm both Sunday Night and Monday Night. It's going to be close, and I'm nervous I'm going to miss it. I'm trying to figure out if it's worth taking work off for, just to make sure I can experience this thing fully. Starting to lean towards that, I might head a tad south or west to see if I can get a better view. Also nervous about traffic around here, have a feeling it's going to get pretty wild.

It'll definitely be a tight one, but I think overall Lincoln should be good. Definitely lucky it is at the time it is.

[NEJeremy]

I'm optimistic for clear skies on Monday and am heading southwest of Lincoln still. Looking at forecast cloud cover I'm sure it won't be totally cloudy, and most models are showing more high level clouds which hopefully would mean it's still visible. Unfortunately this would cut down on picture and video quality of the eclipse. Also there doesn't really seem to be an area that is guaranteed to be free of clouds unless you head to Wyoming or Oregon it seems. I'm getting super anxious!

[westMJim]

We are now in Kokomo, Indiana on our  way to Bowling Green Kentucky. Once we got in southern Michigan the sun was out ant the temperatures were in the upper 70's, At this time there are some showers to the west of Kokomo.  If the weather is good (not too cloudy) we have a spot for me and my wife in the small town of Franklin Kentucky. The spot is just inside of Kentucky just north of the Tennessee state line (less than 500 feet that is how close)
On this post I am going to over some of the effects that the eclipse could have on the weather where the eclipse is total and to a lesser effect here in Michigan where it will be a partial eclipse. With this eclipse happing during the mid-day time frame one of the biggest effects will be a midday drop in temperatures I would expect a 12 to 15° drop where I will be at (could be up to 20°) and maybe a 5° or more drop here in Grand Rapids. A lot depends on what the DP and wind speed are. Where the eclipse is total there should be a drop in wind speeds and a change in the wind direction as well. There have been some reports of a outflow boundary setting up that will be one of the events I will be look for. (that should not happen here) There is some research from a partial eclipse in England on March 20th 2015. In that partial eclipse the temperatures dropped around 5°C While I estimated a rather large drop in temperatures it may not be that great as it will be more humid here than it was in England in March. As for the wind we shall see. I would not expect much wind here in Michigan nor in Kentucky and for the outflow that may more likely in the total area than here in Michigan. During this eclipse, the University of Missouri will use grants from NASA to study the sudden temperature shifts. And I will let you know what if any changes I see,  I have a thermometer in the car and will also take one with me, but remember I will be in the sun so the readings will be on the high side before the eclipse becomes total. At this time the guess for Franklin for Monday is partly cloudy and a 20% chance of showers with a high in the low 90's

[OKwx2k4]

There was one back in 1979, but the path of totality was only in the northwest before it moved across Canada. This is the first one to go coast to coast in 99 years!

There is another one coming on 2024, that goes from Texas to the northeast US and just clips southeast Michigan. I've heard the totality is supposed to last over 4 minutes for that one versus this one where the longest duration is a little over 2 1/2 minutes. It's close enough to me in 2024, that I plan on going to that one as well.

Thought I posted on this but must've posted in a different thread. I will get .9 magnitude here for this one but in 2024 I will be 55 mins away from the eclipse of a lifetime so I will wait for that one and be ready for it.

[Tom]

06z NAM3km trying to clear up the skies in the Midwest around Noon on Monday...

 

 

 

1:00pm...

 

[Tom]

I thought this was interesting as the Solar Eclipse is approaching.  It turns out, the sun awakens and a large sunspot has grown over the last couple days.
 

AS THE ECLIPSE NEARS, SOLAR ACTIVITY INCREASES: Only a few weeks ago, it seemed that the sun would be quiet and featureless when the Moon eclipsed it on Aug. 21st. Solar Minimum was in full swing. This weekend, however, the sun is welcoming the eclipse with a burst of renewed activity. "As the Moon approaches the sun, our nearest star is extending a friendly hand towards it," says Dave Eagle  who sends this picture from Higham Ferrers, England:

http://www.spaceweather.com/images2017/19aug17/prom_strip.jpg

"There is a huge prominence on the sun's eastern limb. If you are in the total eclipse path set your clock to greet this awesome spectacle on Monday," he says.

And that's just for starters. In addition, a remarkably-long sunspot group is sprawling across the solar disk. AR2671 stretches 140,000 miles from end to end, almost twice as wide as the planet Jupiter. Amateur astronomers watching the eclipse through safe solar telescopes will have no trouble seeing the rugged edge of the Moon cut across this impressive sunspot, eclipsing one dark core after another.  If we're really lucky, the sunspot will explode. AR2671 has a 'beta-gamma' magnetic field that harbors energy for M-class solar flares.

[Tom]

Another cloud forecast model...

 

[Tom]

Looking ideal for WestJim!

 

 

 

NWS WPC‏

Verified account @NWSWPC  46m46 minutes ago

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Here is our latest sky cover forecast for the upcoming solar eclipse. The Pacific Northwest and Tennessee have the best sky conditions.

[NEJeremy]

I went outside to test out my camera and video camera this afternoon. My video camera has great zoom, better than my lens on my camera, and I was able to capture some of the sunspots. it looks like there are three of them. I will try to post a video that I took if I can!

 

I thought this was interesting as the Solar Eclipse is approaching. It turns out, the sun awakens and a large sunspot has grown over the last couple days.

AS THE ECLIPSE NEARS, SOLAR ACTIVITY INCREASES: Only a few weeks ago, it seemed that the sun would be quiet and featureless when the Moon eclipsed it on Aug. 21st. Solar Minimum was in full swing. This weekend, however, the sun is welcoming the eclipse with a burst of renewed activity. "As the Moon approaches the sun, our nearest star is extending a friendly hand towards it," says Dave Eagle who sends this picture from Higham Ferrers, England:

 

http://www.spaceweather.com/images2017/19aug17/prom_strip.jpg

"There is a huge prominence on the sun's eastern limb. If you are in the total eclipse path set your clock to greet this awesome spectacle on Monday," he says.

And that's just for starters. In addition, a remarkably-long sunspot group is sprawling across the solar disk. AR2671 stretches 140,000 miles from end to end, almost twice as wide as the planet Jupiter. Amateur astronomers watching the eclipse through safe solar telescopes will have no trouble seeing the rugged edge of the Moon cut across this impressive sunspot, eclipsing one dark core after another. If we're really lucky, the sunspot will explode. AR2671 has a 'beta-gamma' magnetic field that harbors energy for M-class solar flares.

[Tom]

I went outside to test out my camera and video camera this afternoon. My video camera has great zoom, better than my lens on my camera, and I was able to capture some of the sunspots. it looks like there are three of them. I will try to post a video that I took if I can!

 

 

Excellent! Looking forward to seeing your vids/pics from the event. Good luck!

[NEJeremy]

Here's the video I took of the sun earlier this afternoon. God, I hope clouds don't ruin the show on Monday!

https://youtu.be/ZEVQ6OdLk3c

[Niko]

Looking forward to the Solar Total Eclipse, especially, seeing "Totality". Unfortunately, my area sees a "Partial Eclipse"

 

Solar Eclipse Computer U.S. Naval Observatory
Astronomical Applications Department Solar Eclipse of 2017 Aug. 21 Sun in Partial Eclipse at this Location

Detroit, Michigan (Longitude W 83° 5' 24.0", Latitude N 42° 22' 48.0", Height 42m)

August 21, 2017   Universal Time (UT1) Delta T: 69.4s Phenomenon Day Time (UT1) Sun's Altitude (°) Sun's Azimuth (°) Position Angle (°) Vertex Angle (°) Eclipse Begins 21 17:03:22.4 58.7 164.8 281.9 293.4 Maximum Eclipse 21 18:27:24.3 57.4 204.2     Eclipse Ends 21 19:47:38.9 48.1 233.1 123.9 86.9

Duration 2h 44m 16.6s Magnitude 0.830 Obscuration 79.2%

[NEJeremy]

I have changed my target from southwest of Lincoln to somewhere near grand island. It's a little disappointing to not see model agreement yet for tomorrow on cloud cover. The Nam and GFS are the most pessimistic on clouds, but the HRRR looks pretty promising for mainly clear skies or just a few high clouds especially further west so that is where I am heading. I just wish I had any idea of how the traffic is going to be!

[Tom]

Man, the cloud forecast is not looking good for a lot of us here in the Midwest.  NE is looking real good with sinking air and clearing skies.  Good luck to those near the track of totality!

 

Edit: Can't forget about our guy Skilling down in Carbondale!

[VMB443]

Lots of clouds here but what is startling is how quiet it got since the eclipse started - no birds singing, even the crickets and cicadas have stopped - maybe I'm imagining things but wonder if there is a correlation?

[Tom]

Lots of clouds here but what is startling is how quiet it got since the eclipse started - no birds singing, even the crickets and cicadas have stopped - maybe I'm imagining things but wonder if there is a correlation?

I've always believed the connection animals have with nature.  Interesting...

 

Watching the Eclipse on TV and seeing how dark it gets is quite fascinating.  What an event.

[bud2380]

Suns is just slightly visible through the clouds in Cedar Rapids.  Can I assume it's still dangerous to look at the sun even through mostly cloudy skies?  

[VMB443]

Suns is just slightly visible through the clouds in Cedar Rapids.  Can I assume it's still dangerous to look at the sun even through mostly cloudy skies?

 

Something I read this morning said that it's still dangerous even if the sun is obscured by the clouds.

[james1976]

Sun is still peaking thru. I caught just a glimpse of it being eclipsed. Pretty awesome. Cant wait to see how dark it gets! Suppsed to be 92% covered.

[james1976]

Getting pretty dark! And calm. Its like evening time.

[OKwx2k4]

I'll be near 90 percent totality so I should get about the same as you. It's really dark and eerie looking right now. Much cooler outside also.

[OKwx2k4]

The crescent-shaped shadows are really awesome too.

[OKwx2k4]

The wind is literally dead. Had been blowing all morning here.

[VMB443]

Just got a glimpse through the cloud cover - pretty cool, but thought with 85% coverage it would have been darker than it is.

[Tom]

"When the Earth stood still"...is the feeling I'm getting ATM as I drive to the gym. It's getting darker by the minute! Shadows cast by trees are def looking dimmer.

 

Took a peak through the clouds and the crest shape carved out on the sun is pretty neat. Don't see this everyday! Wish I could have experienced totality but 87% is better than nothing.

[jaster220]

"When the Earth stood still"...is the feeling I'm getting ATM as I drive to the gym. It's getting darker by the minute! Shadows cast by trees are def looking dimmer.

 

Took a peak through the clouds and the crest shape carved out on the sun is pretty neat. Don't see this everyday! Wish I could have experienced totality but 87% is better than nothing.

 

Yes! It was cool. Stepped outside here in St. Joe and same thing, the clouds broke just enough to catch a brief glimpse of the tiny crest of the sun not covered up. You could clearly see the moon outline.

[jaster220]

"When the Earth stood still"...is the feeling I'm getting ATM as I drive to the gym. It's getting darker by the minute! Shadows cast by trees are def looking dimmer.

 

Took a peak through the clouds and the crest shape carved out on the sun is pretty neat. Don't see this everyday! Wish I could have experienced totality but 87% is better than nothing.

 

That only happens when we see a conjunction of the planets. Trust me, we'll be glad if we never witness that!

[bud2380]

Sadly it was a total bust in Cedar Rapids.  With all the cloud cover you could barely tell that it got darker.  It was just like a gloomy day.  We were at 92% coverage, so I would've thought it would get pretty dark, but it didn't.  Maybe in 2024 I'll drive somewhere to see it.  I had a friend who went down by St. Louis and he thought it was awesome.  

[james1976]

The clouds broke up enough for me to catch a glimpse. Pretty cool stuff. Got pretty dark and calm. Temp dropped a couple degrees.

[Minny_Weather]

Was stuck in Houston without eclipse glasses. Quickly peeked at the sun with sunglasses a couple times and obviously saw no difference. However, the shadows were noticeably sharper and it was also darker under the shadows.

[NEJeremy]

What an AMAZING DAY!! Hands down the coolest thing I have ever witnessed in nature! Picked out the perfect target as we went near the town of Cairo west of Grand Island. Had almost blue skies. I attached a quick picture. Will work on more as I get a chance over the next couple of days.

[jaster220]

The clouds broke up enough for me to catch a glimpse. Pretty cool stuff. Got pretty dark and calm. Temp dropped a couple degrees.

 

My wife said the night time bugs started chirping when it dimmed!

[Niko]

Here it felt like a strong t'stm was about to hit the area. Then, it brightened up again. Lasted for an hour or so. Hey, better than nothing.

[Niko]

What an AMAZING DAY!! Hands down the coolest thing I have ever witnessed in nature! Picked out the perfect target as we went near the town of Cairo west of Grand Island. Had almost blue skies. I attached a quick picture. Will work on more as I get a chance over the next couple of days.

Nice pic!