The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse Thread

[skategal]

At 87%, you might not have noticed anything if you didn't know! It was so interesting to watch the light even without looking at the actual eclipse.

It definitely got noticeably darker here but more like if the sun clouded over.

 

[Frau Muller]

Watched on TV. Seemed most interesting in Texas & Indiana.

 

[ilovepaydays]

USA Today has this interactive for you to enter your zip code and calculate the time and expected totality in your area.

Apparently, where I’m at (DC area), I’m expected to see 87.4% totality at ~3:20pm ET.

Just got back from watching it from the roof of my apartment. Yep, it was about 85-90%. It looked like the moon was trying to take over the sun!

So……when does the apocalypse start?

 

[Cachoo]

Watched on TV. Seemed most interesting in Texas & Indiana.

I think the best I saw on the NASA feed was in Maine...a stunning corona...heavenly.

 

[Lara]

It’s pretty amazing how light it still was with just a tiny sliver of sun left (on both ends of the eclipse). That was my most surprising takeaway.

But the totality was awesome. We got some hazy clouds in the end but not to the point of interfering. Agree it was like twilight only 4 hours too early. Cool to see the streetlights turn on. And the corona was truly impressive. I can see why it’d be worth making the trek to get 2-3 extra minutes (90 seconds max here).

 

[Frau Muller]

I knew that Al Roker would go wild:

'Just amazing!': Solar eclipse watchers go wild as the moment of totality passes over Dallas

NBC's Al Roker and a crowd of excited onlookers are thrilled as the solar eclipse darkens Dallas.» Subscribe to NBC News: https://www.youtube.com/user/NBCNew...

www.youtube.com

 

[skategal]

Just got back from watching it from the roof of my apartment. Yep, it was about 85-90%. It looked like the moon was trying to take over the sun!

So……when does the apocalypse start?

Today according to my son’s classmate whose parents must be affiliated with a weird group.

They even kept him home from school today even though regular dismissal time is 1.5 hours before the eclipse started.

 

[Badams]

Now the sun is out.

 

[Prancer]

Almost missed it here because I had to go to the bathroom. Didn't get any of those glasses so I just looked out the windows at work. And it kinda ... liked like 6p on a winter night. So anyone at home with their furbabies ... did the pets freak out or anything? Like they say animals can sense strange things like earthquakes and such? My kitty probably sleepin' anyways.

We watched from the backyard--perfect, clear sky and mid-70s temps (until totality, when it dropped 11 degrees ). Because we had 100% totality here, lots of people were home (we were all advised to stay home if we could; schools were closed, etc.) to keep traffic down and so all the neighborhood dogs were out. Since we are surrounded by dogs, the dogs were all barking and running around, but that's what they normally do when they are all out, and I don't think they even noticed when it got dark. Some birds were flying around in what seemed to be some confusion, but that was about it. One of the biggest butterflies I have ever seen flapped by, which was a nice little surprise.

But--as soon as it got dark, some of the younger kids in the neighborhood started screaming and they screamed until the light came back.

And about three minutes after totality, what sounded like every emergency vehicle in the county was screaming toward something not too far from me. It could be a lot of things; I haven't seen anything in the news yet.

This was my second full eclipse; the last one was more memorable, but this one was much easier to watch.

 

[skategal]

My rabbits didn’t notice a thing but they don’t usually notice storms either.

 

[Cachoo]

We didn't get totality here but the birds went silent and they are still quiet.

 

[kedrin]

Just got back from watching. The place where I volunteer gave out glasses. Lot's of people in the park watching. Very cool. Totality is a bucket list item for me- this is as close as I've gotten. So far.

 

[rfisher]

My dog didn't pay any attention. Just the finches. They went to roost than came back. Probably thinking, "How is it time to get up so soon?"

I haven't watched the news, but I suspect the interstate bridges across the Arkansas River were at a standstill as they made a perfect place from which to watch. I hope all those people who rented highly inflated hotel and AirBnBs got their money's worth. And, I wish I'd rented out my house.

 

[her grace]

It was amazing! Clouds gave us a break at just the right time.

 

[MacMadame]

I am LOLing though at the news anchors saying this is a "once in a lifetime event." This will be my second time. And I plan to still be here in 2044.

On the NASA show, they said "once in a generation" which, okay, but then they kept talking about 2017 which was definitely not a a generation ago.

It was about 35% here and Mr Mac found our glasses from 2017. So I went out and looked and it was fun and in some ways, it was prettier than in 2017 even though it was 100% here then. But the sun seemed bigger and orange.

Please don't use eclipse glasses from 2017. They go bad after 3 years, you could do some damage.

They do not. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article287432450.html

Yes, an audio version of an eclipse must be thrilling. I did watch a NOVA special and what the people who study the sun are recording and hoping to analyze is really interesting. It explained in detail exactly what we should see during the total blockage by the moon which is quite a lot including moon topography in shadow.

NASA is also asking "citizen scientists" to record stuff. I wish I had known that beforehand. By the time I found out, it was too late as it was over here.

90% of their programming is coming from Niagara Falls and Toronto and it is cloudy.

NASA followed the eclipse across the country including Niagra Falls and that was the only place that was completely cloudy. Though apparently the clouds moved a few times for a few seconds because every once in a while you'd hear cheers.

But--as soon as it got dark, some of the younger kids in the neighborhood started screaming and they screamed until the light came back.

Clearly, the apocalypse was starting.

This was my second full eclipse; the last one was more memorable, but this one was much easier to watch.

I think it's my third. There have been others that I didn't pay attention to as they weren't even close to 100% where I was but I definitely watched one as a kid with my dad's telescope, plus 2017 and today. Though does it count? 35% is not very much of an eclipse. No birds or bats thought it was nighttime, for example.

 

[Prancer]

I think it's my third. There have been others that I didn't pay attention to as they weren't even close to 100% where I was but I definitely watched one as a kid with my dad's telescope, plus 2017 and today. Though does it count? 35% is not very much of an eclipse. No birds or bats thought it was nighttime, for example.

I've seen other partial ones, but this was only my second full eclipse. I was in South Carolina for the one in 2017.

I remember one when I was a kid for which my mom made pinhole viewing boxes for us. I remember only that I was singularly unimpressed .

 

[Simone411]

We watched from the backyard--perfect, clear sky and mid-70s temps (until totality, when it dropped 11 degrees ). Because we had 100% totality here, lots of people were home (we were all advised to stay home if we could; schools were closed, etc.) to keep traffic down and so all the neighborhood dogs were out. Since we are surrounded by dogs, the dogs were all barking and running around, but that's what they normally do when they are all out, and I don't think they even noticed when it got dark. Some birds were flying around in what seemed to be some confusion, but that was about it. One of the biggest butterflies I have ever seen flapped by, which was a nice little surprise.

But--as soon as it got dark, some of the younger kids in the neighborhood started screaming and they screamed until the light came back.

And about three minutes after totality, what sounded like every emergency vehicle in the county was screaming toward something not too far from me. It could be a lot of things; I haven't seen anything in the news yet.

This was my second full eclipse; the last one was more memorable, but this one was much easier to watch.

There was 97% totality where I live. That was at 1:46 p.m. A first for me. My brother had sent me a pic at 1:24 p.m. It was beginning to get a little darker, and it confused the deer. They usually don't come out until late in the evening right before it's dark to his deer corn feeder. So the deer were definitely confused.

Deer-Soloar-Eclipse-Day hosted at ImgBB

Image Deer-Soloar-Eclipse-Day in Angie1998a's images album

ibb.co

 

[Karen-W]

There was 97% totality where I live. That was at 1:46 p.m. A first for me. My brother had sent me a pic at 1:24 p.m. It was beginning to get a little darker, and it confused the deer. They usually don't come out until late in the evening right before it's dark to his deer corn feeder. So the deer were definitely confused.

Deer-Soloar-Eclipse-Day hosted at ImgBB

Image Deer-Soloar-Eclipse-Day in Angie1998a's images album

ibb.co

I laughed at this. For multiple reasons. One, it's kind of amazing. But then, I remembered deer really are very dumb animals and it's maybe not so amazing after all that they were confused, lol.

 

[ChelleC]

We have over 90% totality here. I got to see a little before it became cloud covered. What I saw was amazing.

The funniest thing was seeing the parking lot lights come on. So it was like dusk or just before a storm.

 

[Spikefan]

I laughed at this. For multiple reasons. One, it's kind of amazing. But then, I remembered deer really are very dumb animals and it's maybe not so amazing after all that they were confused, lol.

DH went for a bike ride during it at a lake near us. I warned him to watch out for deer. He didn’t see any but heard tons of frogs.

 

[skatingguy]

Excuse me, we don't need that stuck in our heads!

 

[floridaice]

Here in Orlando we had around 60% and perfect clear skys. Not as spectacular as 2017, but still amazing. I had NASA TV on and I do wish I had gone to a totality area.

My sister in Northern Mississippi was in a 95% area but it was rainy with total cloud cover. Glad I didn't go there

 

[sk8pics]

I watched in my backyard and tried to get some pictures. Of course, the pictures I took without any filter or anything just look like there is a very bright object in the sky! I managed to take a picture with an eclipse glasses lens over my camera lens but it just showed a red dot, and at that time we were close to the max coverage.

It was very cool though! Just looked like a sliver of the sun showing. It was sunny enough for the first half and then the clouds came out. I’d seen enough by then anyway.

Bradley was napping in the living room and was totally oblivious. The birds kept right on singing throughout the eclipse here.

 

[MacMadame]

We especially don't need the Glee version!!

 

[Aussie Willy]

Hope everyone on the other side of the world is enjoying their eclipse.

So the Rapture hasn't happened?

 

[TOADS]

Just got back from watching it from the roof of my apartment. Yep, it was about 85-90%. It looked like the moon was trying to take over the sun!

So……when does the apocalypse start?

Frogs and toads show up Wednesday morning…

 

[skatingguy]

Hope everyone on the other side of the world is enjoying their eclipse.

So the Rapture hasn't happened?

Maybe it did, and there wasn't anyone who was worthy.

 

[skatingguy]

We especially don't need the Glee version!!

Come on. That's one of the worst Glee covers they did. It's practically in the so bad it's good territory, particularly when you include the overly dramatic music video that goes with the cover.

 

[ilovepaydays]

Frogs and toads show up Wednesday morning…

Well, we are supposed to be hit with the cicadas at some point this spring - and here in the Mid-Atlantic, we are supposed to get the 13 AND 17 year breeds.

 

[Amy L]

I didn't take this, but someone on a Houston subreddit did and this is pretty much what I saw:

https://imgur.com/iSegn6U

My mil and one of her daughters were in Dallas for the eclipse. I wonder what the new excuse will be why the apocalypse didn't start today. Houston is in a tornado warning until tomorrow night so maybe I'll wait at least 24 hours before I start needling.