28 votes

Monday, April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse: where and when

13 comments

  1. [2]
    cfabbro
    (edited )
    Link
    I don't know why they didn't include their awesome interactive 'Eclipse Explorer' tool on this page like they did for the 2023 one, but you can thankfully still access the Eclipse Explorer...

    I don't know why they didn't include their awesome interactive 'Eclipse Explorer' tool on this page like they did for the 2023 one, but you can thankfully still access the Eclipse Explorer directly, and then just manually change the date to 2024 under the "Compare Eclipse Paths" menu section.

    7 votes
    1. Crespyl
      Link Parent
      That's a nice tool! I also like the timeanddate one, which (at least on mobile) lets you zoom in the map a little more, nice if you're trying to make travel plans. The last one went right next to...

      That's a nice tool! I also like the timeanddate one, which (at least on mobile) lets you zoom in the map a little more, nice if you're trying to make travel plans.

      The last one went right next to where I was living at the time, and this time around, despite having moved across the country, the totality goes just south of my city. I'm looking forward to seeing the full thing this year.

      3 votes
  2. Alphalpha_Particle
    Link
    Watched Smarter Every Day's Video on some interesting things to look for during the eclipse: temp changes pinhole projection wind purkinje effect (color perception changes) shadow bands animal...

    Watched Smarter Every Day's Video on some interesting things to look for during the eclipse:

    1. temp changes
    2. pinhole projection
    3. wind
    4. purkinje effect (color perception changes)
    5. shadow bands
    6. animal behavior
    7. sharpness of shadows

    And check out the recommended solar eclipse timer app to use during the eclipse!

    6 votes
  3. first-must-burn
    Link
    I have been printing parts for an friend whose (97 year old) dad is an astronomy nut. So far we have made the Hadley including a custom adapter for a better focused. From there, we adapted the...

    I have been printing parts for an friend whose (97 year old) dad is an astronomy nut. So far we have made the Hadley including a custom adapter for a better focused. From there, we adapted the Hadley design for a refracting scope with a primary achromatic lens and a secondary stack he wanted to use. He is of course, super excited about the eclipse, so we just finished making a magnetic mount solar filter that should work for both telescopes.

    For my family, I am looking at this safe solar viewer design that projects the solar image onto a screen. I will probably make a 3d printed set of mounts on some kind of rail to make it stable and adjustable.

    If anyone here has any advice for using this (or anything else) for eclipse viewing, I should welcome suggestions.

    3 votes
  4. [8]
    wowbagger
    Link
    So, where is everyone planning to go for this? I've got a campsite reservation in Arkansas but (this being April) I'm worried about cloud cover. Any clouds at all really put a damper on a solar...

    So, where is everyone planning to go for this? I've got a campsite reservation in Arkansas but (this being April) I'm worried about cloud cover. Any clouds at all really put a damper on a solar event. I'll have backpacking gear and be relatively mobile, so I may decide to drive further south into Texas if the weather looks rough. The only problem is that the public lands situation in TX is less ideal.

    2 votes
    1. JRandomHacker
      Link Parent
      I'm going back to Carbondale - I was there for the 2017 total and I've been planning this one since then. SIUC had a whole bunch of stuff going on around the event, including some very cool...

      I'm going back to Carbondale - I was there for the 2017 total and I've been planning this one since then. SIUC had a whole bunch of stuff going on around the event, including some very cool presentations from their astronomy department.

      My only change this year is that I got the extra hotel night so I don't even think about trying to drive home afterwards - undoubtedly the worst traffic I've ever experienced trying to leave Carbondale last time.

      3 votes
    2. [4]
      cfabbro
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      Probably just my backyard. :P I'm only about a 30min drive outside the totality zone here in Canada, so I'm hoping I will still get a nice view. My sister's place is just inside the totality zone...

      So, where is everyone planning to go for this?

      Probably just my backyard. :P I'm only about a 30min drive outside the totality zone here in Canada, so I'm hoping I will still get a nice view. My sister's place is just inside the totality zone though, so we may go there instead and make a family event out of it, which I'm sure my nephew would love.

      Any clouds at all really put a damper on a solar event

      Yeah, it really does. 2023s annular eclipse was supposedly pretty bad for that, with dense cloud cover over most of the US at the time. 🤞 we have better luck this time.

      1 vote
      1. [3]
        blitz
        Link Parent
        If you're only a 30 minute drive outside of the totality zone, please, please see the total eclipse. There is no comparing totality and even 99%. The main difference is that during totality, you...

        If you're only a 30 minute drive outside of the totality zone, please, please see the total eclipse. There is no comparing totality and even 99%. The main difference is that during totality, you can look at the event without any eye protection, which you cannot do outside of totality. I saw the one in 2017 and I will remember it for the rest of my life. I'm driving 15 hours to see the one in April.

        This was the NYT article that convinced me to go see the 2017 eclipse: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/science/eclipse-chasers-first.html?unlocked_article_code=1.RU0.TKaH.HHer_rZjXPn-&smid=url-share

        5 votes
        1. [2]
          cfabbro
          Link Parent
          Welp... You've just convinced me to try to make an event of it with my family at my sister's place. Thanks for the extra push! :P

          Welp... You've just convinced me to try to make an event of it with my family at my sister's place. Thanks for the extra push! :P

          1 vote
          1. [2]
            Comment deleted by author
            Link Parent
            1. Jordan117
              Link Parent
              It really is a once-in-a-lifetime experience -- North America is truly spoiled to get it twice in one decade.

              It really is a once-in-a-lifetime experience -- North America is truly spoiled to get it twice in one decade.

              2 votes
    3. doors_cannot_stop_me
      Link Parent
      My parents' house is in the totality band, so we're visiting them and staying the day after for traffic avoidance.

      My parents' house is in the totality band, so we're visiting them and staying the day after for traffic avoidance.

      1 vote
    4. Turtle42
      Link Parent
      I’ll be seeing it in Rochester NY. My fiancé and I are planning a trip through Western PA before heading up that way to stay with friends who live up there. I’m also worried about cloud cover but...

      I’ll be seeing it in Rochester NY. My fiancé and I are planning a trip through Western PA before heading up that way to stay with friends who live up there. I’m also worried about cloud cover but hoping even if the worst happens that the rest of the trip will make up for it.

      1 vote
  5. Pistos
    Link
    And from our friends at the Canadian Space Agency: https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronomy/eclipses/total-solar-eclipse.asp Looks like a lot of the major population centres in Ontario are in the path.

    And from our friends at the Canadian Space Agency: https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronomy/eclipses/total-solar-eclipse.asp

    Looks like a lot of the major population centres in Ontario are in the path.

    2 votes