So far, most of the posts on this blog have intended to be
inspirational- I've been sharing some of the best stories and videos from past
total solar eclipses that I have come across. The goal has been to inspire you
to go see this eclipse from the path of totality (or at least make plans to see
another one someday) and for you to spread the word to your family and friends
that might live in or near the totality path. Starting with this post, I am
planning to share tips about this eclipse with all of you- choosing a viewing
location, dealing with the weather, a checklist for eclipse day, and more. Remember,
I have been a member of an eclipse chasers discussion group for almost 20 years
now, so much of this advice is passed on to you from them.
Today, I'll be covering the topic of choosing an observing location within the path of totality. You don't necessarily
have to plan well in advance which exact location from which you'll watch the
eclipse, but it might be a good idea to consider which factors are most
important to you.
Here are some things that you may want to think about:
Most
Important
1. (obviously!) The observing location must be
within the zone of totality. If you're outside the main shadow path (even by a
short distance!) you won't see the sun completely blocked, and you'll wonder
what the excitement was about. See my previous blog posts about this! As a reminder, the totality path is in between
the red lines on this map, courtesy Xavier Jubier: http://xjubier.free.fr/tse2017map
2. (obviously!) Make sure the location that you pick
does not have something (hills, trees, tall buildings) that may block the Sun
at eclipse time. Fortunately, the Sun will be 1/2 to 2/3 of the way up in the
sky from all areas in the totality path. During
totality, the sun will be visible in the SE from Oregon through Nebraska, in
the S in Missouri and Illinois, and in the SW from Kentucky through South
Carolina. Still, it's important to scout the
location just to make sure. Remember, you're concerned about where the sun will
be at eclipse time- not when you're scouting the location! Do note that you
could physically scout locations in the days leading up to the eclipse, or you
could “scout” them by looking at pictures of the location online.
3. (not as
obvious): it's a good idea to be able to see close to the horizon in all directions.
You can possibly watch the shadow of the Moon rush in from the west, and recede
to the east if conditions are right. I speak from experience: seeing the
darkness build in the west in the last few minutes before totality can be both
amazing and spine-tingling! You can also see a 360 degree ring of sunset-like
colors all around the horizon during totality- if your horizon is relatively
flat. Yes, a flat, 360 degree horizon would be ideal- but a location like that
may not be available in the area that you've chosen. Even if it is, that
location may not have some of the other characteristics that are important to
you. That being said, if you do have things blocking your horizon, it's good to
have spaces in between those things that allow you to see close to the horizon,
at least in a few directions.
Practical features
4. Surroundings: Do you
want to watch it from within a large city? From the suburbs? From a moderate
sized town? From a small town? Out in the countryside? If it's the last one: do
you want to watch it from a beach? From the mountains? From a grass field? Next
to a lake? It's really a matter of personal preference. Of course, some of
these things may not apply in the area that you've chosen. And, of course, make
sure you stay in the zone of totality!
5. Restrooms: Does the location need to
have a restroom? Remember, you might be there for a few hours. From the
beginning of the eclipse until totality is usually about 75-90 minutes. After
totality, the eclipse is VERY anticlimactic, but people usually do stay for a
while- hopefully to celebrate! Also, you'd likely want to arrive before the
eclipse begins to find a good spot. You could potentially go to the restroom
before you travel to the observing site- then having one at the site itself may
not be as important to you. If having restrooms there is important to you, then
you'll have to decide how clean they need to be (are port-a-potties good
enough?) and how many there need to be. (consider the size of the crowd at the
site; see more below). Also: how far away from the restroom are you willing to
be?
6. Shade, or the possibly to go inside: It might be very hot outside, and some people
might want to go to a location that gives them access to shade with a short
walk- either trees or covered areas. Some people may even want a building to go
into- for relief from the heat, or to pass the time before the eclipse starts.
Of course, you’ll still want to watch the eclipse itself from an open area, as
mentioned above. This is ESPECIALLY true in the final 15 minutes before
totality. (If it's especially hot as the eclipse is in progress, then you could stay in the shade or air conditioning for that part (coming out for the occasional peek)- but I would DEFINITELY be out in the open no later than 15 minutes before totality.)
7. Other amenities: would you like to observe from a location that has
a playground for the kids, for example? Or perhaps, a lake to go fishing?
8.
Crowds: Do you want to observe it from a large crowd, a small crowd, or off on
your own? Realize, of course, that any place that has amenities- such as the
above- is likely to draw a bigger crowd, especially if it's in or near a city
or town. Crowds can add to the excitement- the cheering leading into totality
can be very memorable. There is also the chance to meet that many more people.
On the other hand, a small group may be a more intimate experience, and a
larger crowd does increase the chances of someone getting in the way at just
the wrong time.
9. Parties and festivals: this is related to the above 2
factors: if you would like to attend one, that's just fine- be aware what the
event will have to offer (and apply to your own situation):
- Does it offer activities for the kids?
- Are you into music? Perhaps there's one with a concert there.
- Will there be alcohol served? (this could potentially lead to overly rowdy people, be careful)
- If you see a festival advertised that claims that an astronomy group will be there with telescopes, be aware that it is very likely that there will not be enough telescopes for the number of people there. The chance of you viewing through one of those telescopes is almost impossible, and you really shouldn't be standing in a long line during the partial phases waiting for your turn at a telescope. My advice on that would be to attend that particular festival for other reasons, and if the line is short at one of the telescopes, then go up to that person and ask for a view (of course, make sure they have a proper solar filter on the FRONT of their telescope.)
10. Traffic: Do note that choosing a location that has a large crowd (or one that is near another one that has a large crowd) will increase the traffic getting to and from your eclipse viewing location.
11. Wildlife:
There's not much you can do about mosquitoes and other bugs- other than
bringing bug spray or other preventative measures. I will say this: it may be a
good idea to avoid any areas where the bugs are going to be swarming in large
numbers. As for other wildlife, birds could potentially be an issue- if they
tend to swarm in large numbers in certain areas that time of year. Then there
is the issue of potentially dangerous wildlife, such as bears and wolves. If
you decide to observe the eclipse in an area that has potentially dangerous
wildlife, just be sure to be aware of your surroundings. Do note that you're
most concerned about the time leading into totality- that's when the bugs and
birds may swarm, for example. You could always call local people for more
information on this.
12. Light glare: You don't need to go far from city or town
lights to see this eclipse- you can see it just fine from locations that have a
lot of lighting (you may prefer to watch it from a city or town anyway). That
being said, you may not want any bright lights glaring directly in your face.
Here's where it gets tricky: the sky won't get dark enough for the lights to
come on until about 1 or 2 minutes before totality. That's certainly not enough
time to move locations if you have a bright light glaring in your face! When you arrive at your eclipse site, look for unshielded lights that
might be visible in the direction of where the sun will be during totality (see my earlier reference to that).
Ideally, there are none between you and the Sun- but if there is one, hopefully
it is far enough away from you that the glare is not significant.
13. Cost: is
there a cost to get access to the location that you wish to go? Do you need to
buy tickets or passes in advance? Likely, there will be some cost- some places
may be significantly higher than others.
An important tip: Be open to the
possibility of the weather being cloudy in the area that you originally plan to
go, and having to drive a few hours east or west along the shadow path to
escape from the clouds. If you end up spending a large amount of money to be at
an eclipse festival with activities and crowds, are the tickets refundable if
you don’t show up? (The priority on eclipse day should be to escape from the
clouds (within reason)- so I’d be cautious about spending significant amounts
of money to go to an eclipse event (unless the tickets are refundable- up to
and including the day of the event)
Eclipse Factors
14. Duration of
Totality: Once you pick the general region that you're interested in visiting,
click on the map of the path of totality in that area using the map above.
You'll notice that the longest duration for that area happens on or very close
to the center of the shadow path. Many serious eclipse chasers will go to a
location that is on or very close to the centerline to get the longest possible
totality for that area.But, a location on or very close to the centerline may
not have some of the other features that are important to you. That being said,
any place in the path of totality should provide an excellent experience- and,
actually, viewing close to the edge of the path has some interesting
advantages- I’ll have a separate post on that later. As I will mention later in
another post, finding clear skies is most important: a location that's fairly
close to the edge that sees 1 minute 10 seconds of totality in a clear sky is
certainly better than one on or close to the centerline that's under the
clouds!
15. Weather/ Topography factors: I will be posting some tips on dealing
with the weather soon. There may be some local topographic features that MAY
affect the weather in your immediate vicinity. For example, I can say that
viewing from within a mountain range (or even high rolling hills) may sound
beautiful, but there MAY be some localized cloud cover there. On certain days,
setting up next to large bodies of water may give a patch of clear skies in
that immediate vicinity. It all has to do with the wind direction and humidity
levels in your area. Ultimately, the thing to do would be to read my posts
regarding the weather, and to just watch the weather very carefully that day.
So,
hopefully that gives you some things to think about. I would certainly
recommend a location that meets the first 3 factors. It's up to you- and the
other people traveling with you- to decide how important the other factors are. Are
there any other factors that you would like to add?
I hope everyone who goes has
a fantastic experience!
