• 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

Wish I had heard about DIY solar filters for camera lenses a week or two ago, ah well, I can try in 7 years

I don't think I'd be able to find any stores selling the solar filter paper or whatever tomorrow
 
As long as they are shade 12 or higher.

Yep. I bought a shade 13 welding mask so I could pop the shield out and use it. I saw some goggles that were shade five. That'd be a blinding.

In my town they were giving out eclipse glasses, but they turned out to be the fake ones and the place giving them out had an article in the paper telling people not use them. Some pretty shady shit going on in the eclipse viewing industry, pun intended.
 

Biske

Member
Yep. I bought a shade 13 welding mask so I could pop the shield out and use it. I saw some goggles that were shade five. That'd be a blinding.

In my town they were giving out eclipse glasses, but they turned out to be the fake ones and the place giving them out had an article in the paper telling people not use them. Some pretty shady shit going on in the eclipse viewing industry, pun intended.

I thought it was 14 that you needed.
 

Peccavi

Member
Saw this on twitter. Relevant with the eclipse AND the current world situations...

DHfI8OyVwAEher0.jpg


DHfI8O1VYAIeOPM.jpg
But I'm not 38 and I remember a solar eclipse in Grade School...
 
I remember one in 4th grade.

We did the pinhole in a piece of paper trick.

Of course, we were dumb and looked up at the sun through the pinhole lol.

Your supposed to look at the shadow of the pinhole on the ground.

I'm not blind though. Thank goodness.

(41 here)
 
It's very rare.

21stcenturynorthamericaneclipses.png


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.

So if I live to 88 I'll be able to see one directly over MA? That will be nice if I live that long.
 

ag-my001

Member
So if I live to 88 I'll be able to see one directly over MA? That will be nice if I live that long.
Looks like that will be a sunrise eclipse for you.

The 2045 one should be impressive. Another cross country path, but thanks to the moon being even closer to Earth, the path is about twice as wide as tomorrow's event. Six minute totality from Alabama to Florida.
 
But I'm not 38 and I remember a solar eclipse in Grade School...

The talking head probably meant it was the last total solar eclipse of the twentieth century over the (continental) United States. There were some that were only partial and one or two that were only total over Hawaii. In my country I've only ever seen a partial eclipse, and schools and the BBC do make an educational event of them.
 

pantsmith

Member
Leaving PA tonight around 7 and driving all the way to NC to see it with a friend.

We are planning on going to Gorges State Park, any recommendations for other places worth looking into? I have no knowledge of North Carolina beyond Asheville and the Outer Banks.
 
I'm in Ohio. It will be 80% eclipse. What kind of glasses do I need?

Is there something I can make at home? I don't think I have access to the specific eclipse glasses :/

How about two pairs of sunglasses at once? Haha. I had thought this whole time I wouldn't be able to see it at all so I didn't bother to hunt down the eclipse glasses ...
 
I'm in Ohio. It will be 80% eclipse. What kind of glasses do I need?

Is there something I can make at home? I don't think I have access to the specific eclipse glasses :/

How about two pairs of sunglasses at once? Haha. I had thought this whole time I wouldn't be able to see it at all so I didn't bother to hunt down the eclipse glasses ...

Two pairs of sunglasses is a really bad idea.
 
Why are there people on my Facebook and Twitter telling folks that we don't need to wear any protective glasses due to the melanin in our eyes? What's going on lmao?
 
I'm fortunate enough to live somewhere where I can just walk outside and see the 100% eclipse. My only worries are if it's going to be cloudy tomorrow and that I have no tools to look at it. I didn't want to make a shoebox or look at tree shadows - I know what a circle looks like! I want to look at the sun!

Hopefully some other folks nearby have some glasses.
 

KyleCross

Member
Can't find any glasses here in Nashville. Been trying for weeks but everyone sells out the moment they get them, and now rumors are starting too where places are being bombarded by people after hearing they had them and they never had them or will have them.

Guess I'm going to just have to do the best I can with naked eyes.
 

Mortemis

Banned
Can't find any glasses here in Nashville. Been trying for weeks but everyone sells out the moment they get them, and now rumors are starting too where places are being bombarded by people after hearing they had them and they never had them or will have them.

Guess I'm going to just have to do the best I can with naked eyes.

Look for some viewing parties at libraries or colleges around you. There's one a few blocks from my house that are giving out eclipse glasses the day of.
 

Milly79

Member
Can't find any glasses here in Nashville. Been trying for weeks but everyone sells out the moment they get them, and now rumors are starting too where places are being bombarded by people after hearing they had them and they never had them or will have them.

Guess I'm going to just have to do the best I can with naked eyes.

Try going south to Spring Hill, Columbia, etc. I've heard the Vandy clinics have them.
 

MIMIC

Banned
Was goofing around on my phone reading random eclipse info and I came across a really cool website. I've known of it before, but didn't know they provided info about visable astronomical events.

Time and Date.com

In addition to really detailed information, you can search for visible astronomical events in your city and you can get all the dates as well. They show all of the lunar/solar eclipses (all the different types) and planet transits of most cities from 1900 - 2199. You can see the events by decade. So when I put in 2010 - 2019 for my location (Cleveland, OH):

JDrOfhM.png


And if you click on the event, you can get an animation of what you will see. This is what the upcoming eclipse looks like from Cleveland:

eG3WzTb.png


GqOp9Kp.png


Very cool website.
 

Chris R

Member
Finally in the Portland area.

Hoping the cloud cover isn't like this tomorrow.

Also, still need to try to find some backup glasses.
 

Biske

Member
Have you tried local sellers people on facebook market place and such?

Tons of people in my area were stocked up, one guy had hundreds.
 

DoomGyver

Member
For those of you that can't find any eclipse glasses you can use a welders helmet with the correct shade. I have 2 helmets, one is an auto shade 9-13 and a fixed shade 11. You might have a family member or friend with a helmet hanging in their garage, just make sure it has a dark enough shade. Anything 12 or higher should be fine, if it's 9-11 wear a pair of quality sunglasses along with the helmet.

*use at your own risk I am not a professional.
 
Guess I'll watch through my phone.

If you do that, it might be a good idea to have a hand mirror with you so you won't be forced to hold the phone at an uncomfortable angle. Essentially, either put the mirror on a flat surface and aim your phone camera downwards at the reflection of the sun, or else face away from the sun and hold the mirror tilted at a suitable angle that allows you to capture the sun's reflection at a comfortable viewing angle.

Beware of using binoculars or other light-intensifying optics in front of your camera. It would likely melt.
 

blado

Member
I'm in an area where it will be about a ~90% partial eclipse. Is it worth the 2 and a half hour drive to see the total eclipse?
 

DrForester

Kills Photobucket
So I drove up I-25 to Wheatland, Wyoming.

Roads weren't crowded at all. Was going 80 mph from Cheyenne up here and made great time.


If you are driving, DO NOT SPEED! Can only speak for what I saw in Wyoming, but there were TONS of Highway Patrol cars out and I saw a good dozen people pulled over on the way up here.
 

fallout

Member
Nebraska weather continues to look pretty shitty. Likely an early morning decision tomorrow as to whether to book it west, or not. Even then, might be too late, depending on the clouds and traffic.
 

ChRoNiTe

Member
Flew into Seattle yesterday afternoon and rented a car. Just made it to Salem, OR. Pulled into a Walmart to buy a pillow and a blanket and I'm thinking about just sleeping in my car for the night. Anyone else doing something similar?

Hoping tomorrow's forecast of "Sunny" holds up!
 

Agentnibs

Member
On my way to Nashville and managed to book a last minute hotel in the path of totality!

Lots of clouds now but hopefully that clears up tomorrow
 

Smiley90

Stop shitting on my team. Start shitting on my finger.
Finally in the Portland area.

Hoping the cloud cover isn't like this tomorrow.

Also, still need to try to find some backup glasses.

The forecast is amazing for tomorrow..
But then so it was for today. We'll see!
 

noquarter

Member
Damnit, I want to see. Is there anyway to get a cheap DIY thing? fast.
Me and my daughter did the cereal box projector. Took probably 20 mins, but was a fun little project.

Just take a cereal box, put a piece of paper that is cut to the bottom on the inside with tape. Cut two holes out of the flaps, cover one with aluminum foil and leave the other open. Poke a pinhole in the foil, done.

Videos on YouTube, like this one. We are not in the totality path, so didn't see any glasses being given out.
 

BradC00

Member
Me and my daughter did the cereal box projector. Took probably 20 mins, but was a fun little project.

Just take a cereal box, put a piece of paper that is cut to the bottom on the inside with tape. Cut two holes out of the flaps, cover one with aluminum foil and leave the other open. Poke a pinhole in the foil, done.

Videos on YouTube, like this one. We are not in the totality path, so didn't see any glasses being given out.

how does this display the solar eclipse? do you just see a shadow or something?
 

Downhome

Member
We live right in the line. Our totality time with me 2 minutes and 35 seconds. I'm cutting work short tomorrow to come home before 1pm to be here with my wife. I cant wait!

Our town is already crazy busy.
 

Damaniel

Banned
Flew into Seattle yesterday afternoon and rented a car. Just made it to Salem, OR. Pulled into a Walmart to buy a pillow and a blanket and I'm thinking about just sleeping in my car for the night. Anyone else doing something similar?

Hoping tomorrow's forecast of "Sunny" holds up!

The roads down to Salem and Madras from Portland both look clear (still). I don't really expect it to get bad until sometime really early in the AM tomorrow, but perhaps some people have been scared off by the threat of Carmageddon.
 

ironmang

Member
Surprised that glasses around me up here in PA have been sold out without restocks for over a week now. Going to call the local libraries tomorrow but I'm not too hopeful that they'll have a few spares for the day-of. Not even seeing many posts on craigslist. Expecting the one in 2024 to be flooded with glasses.
 
Top Bottom