Path of Totality

[Sunshine]

It’s been a long time coming, in 2017 I volunteered my time and H-alpha scope at the Ontario Science Centre where ten thousand gathered for a partial eclipse.  It was stifling hot, and the crowds waiting to look through the few volunteers scopes from the RASC (myself included) were shoulder to shoulder. Nevertheless the experience was something new, I recall looking online right after for the next time a North American eclipse of any type, to my amazement it was 2024, a mere seven year wait and it would be a total eclipse!. Even more amazing was the path of totality would pass just an hour or two drive drive away, I recall thinking so much could happen in seven years but here I am, a bit beside myself when I think of how fast these seven years have passed.
 

This monday morning I will wake with the excitement and anticipation of a child on Christmas morning, my wife has no interest in astronomy but the hype generated in the media and the massive crowds expected in nearby cities like Niagara Falls Ontario where they expect a million visitors has caught her up in the whirlwind. Cross fingers the weather cooperates, so far the forecast calls for mostly sunshine with intermittent clouds, but all it takes is one to spoil the show. Regardless of what happens, I will make the best of it and I fully understand that we are at the mercy of the weather. 

Edited April 7 by Sunshine

[maw lod qan]

Hope you have good weather!

Last October's annular I let some around me look thru my scope.

One of them has become a distant friend, already contacting us about tomorrow's eclipse.

She lives in Texas and said "stay away" crowds are already gathering. 

I'm on the way to Missouri. 

[Andy ES]

Got in my Tardis and went to Dallas tomorrow and saw this, very nice.😊 

good luck with the weather  my American friends.

 

 

[Nigella Bryant]

Happy eclipse chasing tomorrow, hope it's clear for you. On the other side of the pond I'm waiting for 2026 and 2027, lol. 

[shinebug777]

So excited! my whole family is making a day trip. i've been checking noaa's cloud cover predictions since last week lol

[symmetal]

There's a good interactive map at https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/globe/2024-april-8. I can even see it from home. Looking forward to it getting 1.38% darker, three minutes before sunset. 😁 Hope those in America get a good view. 🙂

Alan

[fireballxl5]

I'll be at the Astro Trails observing site,  just NW of Torreón Mexico🙃

[Sunshine]

9 minutes ago, fireballxl5 said:

I'll be at the Astro Trails observing site,  just NW of Torreón Mexico🙃

Nice! your chances of clear skies will be far better.

[maw lod qan]

7 hours ago, fireballxl5 said:

I'll be at the Astro Trails observing site,  just NW of Torreón Mexico🙃

I hope you have a great view!

I'm 3 hours away from the path of totality in Missouri and we've had rain last night. 

My thoughts have been if a weather system did move through, I would have almost 8 hours for it to clear behind it.

Let's see just how strong I am "with the force"!

[jjohnson3803]

Only partial here and I'm working, not traveling.  But it looks to be clear and I have my DIY solar projection box in my car.

 

[maw lod qan]

Looks like the Astro God's have smiled on me again!

[Stu]

2 minutes ago, maw lod qan said:

Looks like the Astro God's have smiled on me again!

Wow, looks beautiful! Good luck, and hope you have great views 👍

[saac]

@maw lod qan - Wow look at that, it's sooo blue! Happy days   You got to come back and tell us poor cloud dwellers what it was like  

Jim 

Edited April 8 by saac

[Nigella Bryant]

Got the partial phase from South West of England just now, sooooo excited. 

[maw lod qan]

When it went total there were several prominence visible.

One so big it was naked eye!!

[Stu]

50 minutes ago, maw lod qan said:

When it went total there were several prominence visible.

One so big it was naked eye!!

Yes, I saw that one on the live feed. Looked amazing!

[fireballxl5]

1 hour ago, maw lod qan said:

When it went total there were several prominence visible.

One so big it was naked eye!!

Yes,  same here in Torreón.  Totality was spell- binding.  Almost forgot to hit the shutter release on the camera!

Clouded out for much of the 1st partial phase, but largely cleared miraculously for totality. The best eclipse I think I've seen, totality was awesome as they say🙃

Found time to view through bins as well. It was beautiful. 

[fireballxl5]

Here's a photo at around 3rd contact showing the proms.  Just a converted JPEG that I've wi-fi'ed over to my phone with some basic editing in Snapseed. Originals are raw on card.  There are several...🙃

Canon R7 / Canon 100-500mm @500mm / f7.1  1/15s  ISO200

Clouds clearly seen as well. 

[CCD-Freak]

Here is a GOES-16 image of the eclipse as it passed over north Texas at 18:46.  It was just about when the Umbra passed over Bonham, TX where I ended up after looking for a hole in the clouds.  It started out mostly cloudy and cleared just before 2nd contact which I understand happens sometime as the shadow cools the air.  If that is what happened I am glad it did.  I just enjoyed the spectacle visually with my little AT60ED.  What a show. (^8

Edited April 8 by CCD-Freak
I can't type 8^P

[shinebug777]

my jaw was agape the whole time. i still don't know what to say!! the corona was just divine. and the solar prominence was so vivid!

[Sunshine]

Well, it was cloudy but not a bust, the clouds were thin enough to see the moon slowly block the sun to the amazement of the crowd I was a part of on the country property of a local mocro brewery where they served a  signature eclipse brew and bbq!. Unfortunately ot was not the show I wished for, the stars being visible and the solar corona was not visible but when totality hit it was amazing, a darkness akin to midnight with twilight visible for 360 degrees around the horizon. Birds fluttered around in circles and the nearby farm animals went silent, it was eerie. The whole experience was well worth the drive to the path of totality even though it was not the full total eclipse experience I had wished for, it was memorable indeed. Below is an image of just how dark it became at 3:22pm, it was awe inspiring, just listening to the crowds amazement and cheers was wonderful.