If you're planning to watch a solar eclipse, soon, learn from somebody who got it wrong.
Don't make my mistake (technically, the mistake of our local guide): When you're looking for a place to watch, anything less than 100% totality is NOT GOOD ENOUGH! Even 99%, which might sound fine, is not good enough.
Anything less than around 95%, it'll feel a bit dim, like you lost track of time and it's now late afternoon. If you're actually looking directly at the Sun with eclipse glasses, you'll see the classic "Sun with a bite taken out of it" view, which is cool, but you're missing the full experience.
At 99% (where I was), it'll suddenly go dark, like just after sunset. The birds freak out because it's suddenly song time, and then woops no it's suddenly bedtime... And that's kinda cool, but you're STILL missing the cool bit.
100%? That's where you'll see the view you see on TV, the black sun with a halo, the stars shining in the middle of the day, all that jazz.
Drive the extra distance. You NEED 100% coverage.
Finally: If you're right on the edge of 100%, it'll last a few seconds. Keep driving, get to the middle of the path, and it'll last a few minutes - long enough to really enjoy it, long enough to talk about it with your friends, long enough that you can afford to blink without missing it!
@uastronomer My house (well, precise to a few neighborhoods, i.e. by zipcode). Very excited. Weather looks a bit iffy, but will keep a close eye on it, and see if we have to drive anywhere (reasonable) to get a cloudless view.
@uastronomer Getting closer now, and the cloud models are stabilizing..... With predictions that my area and several hours either side of me in the path of totality is going to be predominantly (or fully) cloudy Monday. 😭😭😭
Hey listen though... if the clouds don't break and you don't get to see it, you'll still get the atmosphere when the world goes dark and the birds and animals freak out... it'll still be a good memory, ask me how I know 😔
@uastronomer My atheist-ass realized that religion aint gonna cut it. So we’ve decided to drive 8 hrs to Missouri where the forecast looks clear. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
@uastronomer it was FUCKING AMAZING!!!! The eerie light change, happening faster & faster towards totality. Then suddenly a black moon with a white surround. You can see the sun’s corona. The magnetic field. The bright red Baily’s Beads around the edge of the moon. Stars. A 360° sunset view toward every horizon. 3m35 of totality. FUCKING SPECTACULAR. WOW! WOW! WOW! You can NOT accurately describe this to anyone who has not experienced it. 🤯🤯🤯
@uastronomer Given how freaking awesome the experience was yesterday, I can't guarantee to not use 2030’s eclipse as a reason to bring the fam to SA to visit our families there -- and make a pilgrimage to the path of totality with the inlaws (who live in Johies). Last time we've all been was in 2016. My kids will all be adults, some just finished with college, and some just starting, so will have to see whether they can join us. OR maybe a vacation to Aus (where totality also goes)! 🤔😂
(My vagueness on what it's like to see the corona? I'm pretending it's about spoilers, but actually I've never seen it, and I don't want to wax lyrical about stuff I don't understand yet)
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