-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Total Solar Eclipse (US) of 2017
- Thread starter Elandyll
- Start date
Orbis Tabula
Member
Check the nearest library
Wafflecakes
Member
The states that need to worry about traffic/infrastructure are the rural states where totality is coming that border more urban states that will not have it.
I expect Idaho and Wyoming in specific to get crushed.
Well, shit. I bought a solar filter sheet last week that I was going to attach to a UV filter to use with my a5000 and telephoto lens to take pictures. Look for it today to put it all together and can't find it. Pretty sure it got tossed. My fault for not setting it aside earlier. It came in a cardboard sleeve, so it would've been easy to mistake for just a piece of cardboard.
I'll only be able to get pictures of the totality itself, it seems, with my Sony. Might be able to cut the lens out of some solar glasses and put them over my phone camera to at least get something.
I'll only be able to get pictures of the totality itself, it seems, with my Sony. Might be able to cut the lens out of some solar glasses and put them over my phone camera to at least get something.
SiteSeer
Member
i bought a pack of 25 eclipse glasses on the 15th, they came yesterday. i'm trying to offload 15 extra pairs i don't need. i went to like 15 different stores and none of them wanted to buy my extras even though they said they've had people looking for them. finally i get lucky and sell 3 to passersby that over hear me, then 5 more to my neighbors. i don't get it, i've got the supply where's the demand? the stores i visited were in flushing and forest hills ny, btw.
also i'm planning on traveling to nc to witness totality. gonna be a fun road trip!
also i'm planning on traveling to nc to witness totality. gonna be a fun road trip!
newdayrocks
Member
Our tiny town of Philomath, Oregon, is right in the perfect spot for 100% totality. Taking Monday-Wednesday off, picked up glasses today, and should have a great time in our back yard!
We're also estimated to be getting about 400k visitors into our region, so shit's going to be nuts for the next few days.
We're also estimated to be getting about 400k visitors into our region, so shit's going to be nuts for the next few days.
ChoklitReign
Member
I have all of my supplies (except I couldn't find a tripod mount that works with my binoculars), including a telescope with filter and a viewing sheet. I'm driving to Idaho Falls but I could only book a hotel (in April!) in Logan, which is 2.5 hours away on a good day. So I'm going to fall asleep as soon as I check in and start driving at midnight. Traffic could only last 10 hours in the very worst scenario, so if I make it early I'll rest in a truck stop or even driver further to Rigby to get an extra 30 seconds of totality. And then there's the weather - weather.gov is predicting "mostly sunny" - what the hell does that mean in cloud coverage, give me a percentage! I'm doomed, along with everyone else in east Idaho, if the clouds move toward 50 degrees altitude at 11:30 where the sun will be. It could go just fine or it could be a disaster - I wish I was able to pray.
DrForester
Kills Photobucket
Man I hope that cloud forecast for western Nebraska/eastern Wyoming clears up. Tons of good rural roads away from the interstate there.
In spite of weird Amazon shenanigans, the pack of 12 glasses arrived tonight.
So now I'm left with a tough choice.
In spite of the Amazon warning, the glasses appear to be legit...
The ISO label is not only there (but can be counterfeit), but the lenses are completely black with no haze of light showing whatsoever, and when using a cell phone led flashight right in my face all I could see was the filament.
Sigh.
I hope the film I ordered Thursday makes it Sunday.
So now I'm left with a tough choice.
In spite of the Amazon warning, the glasses appear to be legit...
The ISO label is not only there (but can be counterfeit), but the lenses are completely black with no haze of light showing whatsoever, and when using a cell phone led flashight right in my face all I could see was the filament.
Sigh.
I hope the film I ordered Thursday makes it Sunday.
My sister's in-laws waited to the last minute and couldn't find any glasses. My order from Rainbow Symphony came with two extra, so I gave them to them. I'm not worried about my glasses. Rainbow Symphony is NASA and ASA approved and I got the glasses from their website and not Amazon.
Didn't get a notice from Amazon about the glasses I ordered at the end of July being defective. However, they were delayed repeatedly and Amazon is now telling me they won't arrive until August 23rd.
That's fine. I'm sure if I ask nicely NASA will delay the eclipse a few days. Central NJ, btw. Gonna check around a few local libraries and some stores in the morning.
That's fine. I'm sure if I ask nicely NASA will delay the eclipse a few days. Central NJ, btw. Gonna check around a few local libraries and some stores in the morning.
titiklabingapat
Member
Better this than some other Kardashian nonsense
I'm not saying it's a bad thing and that's certainly true and preferable.
But I also feel like stuff like this is why people don't truly give a shit about science.
It gets super hyped up and people think it's going to be the most mind blowing thing ever and then it's a "oh that was neat" kind of thing and it all fades away.
I agree.
Doesn't this happen every few years?
It's not like the...aurora borealis or something crazy. The sun is partially blocked for a minute. Why are people losing their minds over this?
It's very rare.
And if you're bored by it, that's your prerogative. But the sun being blocked out by the moon, the day literally turning into dark night, animals going crazy, is quite appealing to evidently millions of people.
By comparison, auroras are MUCH, MUCH more common.
lol, the Aurora happens any time there is magnetic interference and clear dark skies out up north. Can happen every single night.
I've lived only 31 years, but have NEVER been anywhere near a total eclipse.
Might be more common in certain areas of the world, this is the first I've been able to visit.
There won't be another for at least 8 years? hardly common
Happens every like 18 months. Problem is the planet is mostly water so if it happens over the ocean, well who's gonna see it. So having one happen over your area and being able to see it in primo conditions is rarer.
during the totality, you can safely look at the eclipse without glasses or anything.
Before/after, looking at a partial eclipse is as dangerous as looking at the sun itself. A glance won't kill you or make you go blind (as just looking at the sun briefly during the day also doesn't make you go blind), but don't stare at it. Not like you can see anything except pure brightness if you try, so don't do it.
Ampersands
Member
I find it fascinating that in ancient times an event like this may have been interpreted as apocalyptic but now it's just a run-of-the-mill celestial event.
I'm not going out of my way to see it myself but I do appreciate the coverage for bringing it to my attention.
That's the double edged sword of knowledge. Really ruins the whole "oh fuck we are gonna die" magic of it all.
Yet people don't feel any magic from actual "oh fuck we are actually going to die" events or eventualities. Humans are a trip.
If there was time travel it would be amazing to go back and witness people's reactions to an eclipse or blood red moons and such.
Seeing a supernova would be bad ass.
Though that would be bad ass now too.
Hmm, alright. Don't have the eyewear, I think I might avoid looking over in its direction in general, just in case. Might catch one of those NASA streams though
Without eyewear, you can either use tree leaves
https://petapixel.com/2012/05/21/cr...through-tree-leaves-during-the-solar-eclipse/
or make your own pinhole camera out of everyday items easily
https://www.pcmag.com/news/355646/how-to-make-a-pinhole-camera-to-watch-the-solar-eclipse
Unknown Soldier
Member
It happens every few years....somewhere in the world.
Unless you're willing to travel to an exact spot where it happens, you're likely to maybe have one chance in a lifetime to see one where you live or close to where you live.
Grimm Fandango
Member
Cereal box method looks fun and easy, will try that.
Mihos
Gold Member
The funny part is seeing a supernovae really isn't. You see a star, you see a brighter star, you see no star. Maybe years later a much larger telescope will publish a picture of the remnant
In my 40+ years it goes
Bright comet > total eclipse > meteor shower > annular eclipse > lunar eclipse
Must be total, anything else is a disappointment . Weirdest part to me about total eclipse is that it actually got colder and Venus happened to be near the sun and popped into view along with some other stars. Was damn cool.
tonysidaway
Member
Yes, odds are that, even without making a particular effort, many of us will see more partial eclipses. They are cool and pretty but not as spectacular as an aurora display.
But a total eclipse is very rare in any one locale, and is a chance to see the solar corona (the sun's atmosphere) with the naked eye. If you're viewing the total eclipse in an area with lots of wildlife, you're also likely to see animals behaving oddly because of the sudden switch to nighttime conditions.
Beer Monkey
Member
Lies! I've lived here 50 years and have seen exactly one partial solar eclipse, and that was annular if I drove 4 hours north. How long am I supposed to live?
tonysidaway
Member
My use of the word "many" rather than "most" was not an accident. My intention was to correctly portray the large difference in frequency between partial and total solar eclipses. Far fewer people will ever get another chance to witness a total eclipse of the sun.
I just think seeing a start in broad daylight would be super cool. It still wouldn't be "change me forever" like people talk about solar eclipses, but I'd get hype for it.
Jason's Ultimatum
Member
So you can find a box, poke a hole and you're good?
Beer Monkey
Member
After you put your dick in the box, yeah!
this is some perfect being the enemy of good thinking
As long as you only look at the circle made on the ground from it, yes
Here is a quick test to determine if it will hurt your eyes.
1: go outside
2: look at the sun
3: does it hurt?
FireBeaver
Banned
My small town is being so crowded right now, I can't even go anywhere because of all the traffic. I have never seen this many people at once in this tiny place. Since we're right in the center of the totality plane, basically people from everywhere are coming here and it's really crazy.
tonysidaway
Member
This is dangerously stupid advice. The retina itself is the most vital component susceptible to permanent damage, and has no pain receptors capable of warning you of the danger.
Also, if you go out in broad daylight your irises will fairly rapidly contract and reduce the exposure of your eyes, so even if you stare at the sun you'll get some protection from that. But during an eclipse the light levels will reduce and your irises will dilate to compensate. As a result, if you then stare at the sun you'll get a much bigger dose of energy at all wavelengths.