A captivating eclipse story!

Here's a good article featuring a total Solar eclipse. SEED is a science magazine- but the author of this article (Jake Silverstein) had never experienced one before. Silverstein is describing his experience at the March 29, 2006 eclipse in southern Turkey.

In my opinion, it's worth reading the whole article, but if you want to skip to the eclipse itself, scroll down to page 64. (The page numbers are at the top center of each page). Look for a big "B", which starts the sentence "Brown had scheduled...." (There's a graphic of the Earth, Sun and Moon on that page as well.) (It's page 7 on the PDF.)

Read from there until the big "I" on page 66 (page 9 on the PDF). That takes you from the night before the eclipse, through the eclipse itself:

http://nicmosis.as.arizona.edu:8000/ECLIPSE_WEB/ECLIPSE_06/SeedMagazine.pdf

Notice:

• how the author is absolutely transfixed by the eclipse.
• how all the things he had learned about eclipses still did not prepare him for how truly awesome it was.
• how he understood (after he witnessed totality) why people chase total solar eclipses all over the world.

It's such a magical, powerful experience. It's something that you could experience for yourself on August 21, 2017- if you make it to the path of totality.

 Thanks to Glenn Schneider (featured in the article) for scanning the article and posting it on his site- and thank you for reading it!

My thoughts for this blog

So, what am I hoping for with this blog? Why am I announcing this eclipse so early?

My intention- at this point- is to try and get all of you excited about the vacation part of all of this. I am hoping that you all will take a look at the path of totality in the first post. Look at areas in the totality path, as well as areas close to it. Make a note of areas that you find interesting. Ideally, pick several. You're not making non-refundable financial commitments here; you're just picking areas you might be interested in visiting. Even if you have very little or no interest in astronomy or eclipses, it's worth taking a look at your options- even this early. Remember, the eclipse only takes place for a few hours. 

Some thoughts:

1. This is an opportunity to have a great vacation, and to see what is arguably nature's most incredible spectacle. Take advantage of this! 

2. Of course, if you are going to travel for this, you have to be within the path of totality for the eclipse itself. Close doesn't count! You may find a region that's in the path of totality that you are possibly interested in visiting. 

3. You don't have to be within the shadow path on the days when the eclipse is not happening. If you can't find anyplace within the path of totality that strikes your interest, then you can consider visiting locations that are outside of the totality path (for the vacation). You could actually spend most of your vacation outside of the totality path. I would suggest looking at locations that are fairly close to the path of totality. The reason for that is because you would still need to access the path of totality for the eclipse (ideally, the day before the eclipse to get into position). Therefore, places such as Miami, Los Angeles, and Boston may be a bit far from the eclipse path to consider spending the majority of your vacation. But places like Portland (Oregon), St. Louis, and Atlanta may be good places to spend your vacation, because those locations give you quick and easy access to the path of totality.

4. It's not my intention to have you spend a lot of time doing research on all these areas. The idea is that you take a look at the eclipse map, and just use the knowledge you may already have about these regions (places you've been to but want to go back again; places you've researched before but never visited; places that friends have recommended, etc.) to pick which ones you may be interested in visiting.

5. If you don't know much about an area, I encourage you to do some research. Don't let lack of knowledge lead to lack of interest. You're not spending hours doing extensive research or making detailed plans. All I'm asking is that, if you're not sure if you're interested in a region, then get on sites like TripAdvisor or similar ones, or do a web search for "things to do in..." and just get a basic idea of what that area has to offer. That should only take a few minutes per region. You may be surprised.

By the way, those of you who are parents with school-age children: that may be a time of year when your kids are back at school. It may be a little more difficult for you to travel to this eclipse with them. In my opinion, though, this event is so spectacular that it may actually be worth pulling your kids out of school for a day or 2. (The eclipse is on a Monday.) All I'm saying at this point is: don't rule anything out, even if it's just a quick trip.

You may also wonder why I'm announcing this eclipse to all of you so early. There are numerous reasons for this: 

1. This will be a VERY popular event. Total eclipses of the Sun typically draw thousands of people- even to remote regions. The experience is that incredible! 

2. This one is easily within reach of millions of people. It's passing over regions that are easy and relatively inexpensive to reach (even for those who do not live in the United States). This is an opportunity for people who already have experienced the wonder of totality to share it with their families and friends. It's also an opportunity for people who have never experienced a total eclipse before to see what the excitement is all about.

3. It is the first total Solar eclipse to hit any part of the continental United States since 1979- and that one was only visible in the Pacific Northwest. This one is the first one that crosses the country from the Pacific to the Atlantic since 1918. 

4. It's already making the news in the general media. 

5. Not only is the word spreading for this in the astronomical and eclipse- chasing communities, it's also being discussed in groups that have nothing to do with astronomy.

6. The idea is for you to narrow your search to the places you may want to go BEFORE most places fill up for it. Beat the rush! 

7. Any area that is already popular with tourists that is within or near the eclipse path is likely to fill up first- you don't want to wait too long to research where to go, then decide to go to one of these popular areas, and find out that it is very difficult to book a room there. 

8. Some places are already filling up for this (I'm not sure if these are non-refundable financial commitments, or just names being put on waiting lists, but this does mean that people are making serious inquiries about it this early, and some hotels/ lodging areas are taking reservations this far in advance).

9. Many places can't take reservations more than 1 year in advance- does this possibly mean that many places in and very close to the path of totality will fill up in the late summer and fall of 2016? 

10. Some places may start raising their prices, require multi-night minimum stays, or both- once they start to realize the popularity of this event (if they get numerous requests, for example.) 

11. Some tour groups are ALREADY filling up for this eclipse- if you'd like to join a tour for this eclipse (especially one that has experience with eclipses), you may want to act soon! 

12. A total Solar eclipse does take place somewhere in the world every 1.5 to 2 years. The next ones in the United States are in 2024, 2044, 2045, and 2052. Unless you're willing to travel overseas to see one, these are your best chances. 

There are some places that already have begun preparations for this eclipse. Others have not caught on just yet- but I am quite sure they eventually will, once they realize how big of an economic opportunity this is for them. I don't know if interest for this eclipse will grow gradually, or if something or some things will happen that will cause a sudden surge in interest for this.

I know I may seem a bit obsessive about this. I know it may seem strange to be thinking about a vacation this far in advance. But I hope this post makes it clear that all I'm really hoping for at this point is to start the discussion, and to generate some interest in taking a vacation to one of these places, as well as - hopefully, eventually, through future posts here on this blog- in the eclipse itself. And that this eclipse- though it may not seem this way now- will be a REALLY big event. 

I'm here to help. Any questions that you may have- feel free to post it here as a comment on one of the blog posts, or on the Facebook page (if you would feel that it would benefit the group) or email me at eclipseaugust2017@gmail.com if you'd rather keep it private.

Thanks so much for reading this long post!

An amazing eclipse story!

So this is a "special edition" post. I wanted to share this story with you, since I find it so interesting. You may have seen in the news this week that there was a total eclipse of the Sun over parts of Indonesia and the Pacific on March 8/9. While many people went to Indonesia for it, Joe Rao had a different idea. Joe works as a meteorologist for News12 in New York. He is also very much into astronomy, and especially total solar eclipses. He did some research, and noticed that an Alaska Airlines flight between Anchorage and Honolulu would fly through the path of totality- but the timing was off. So he contacted the airline, and after much persistence (over several months!), he convinced Alaska Airlines to change the departure time of the flight on March 9 from the usual 1:35 local time to 2:00 local time, so that the aircraft could be in the narrow shadow of the Moon at just the right time. Yes, you read that right. And here is the stunning result:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBoa81xEvNA

Watch the shadow of the Moon move across the clouds!

And a story about it for more details:

http://www.space.com/32214-total-solar-eclipse-airline-flight-video.html

By the way, as far as I know, the video was filmed by Mike Kentrianakis, another eclipse enthusiast. You may read the comments on both the YouTube page, as well as on the Space.com story about how the audio on the video is annoying. (Actually, some of the comments on the YouTube video are NSFW and inappropriate!) Well, apparently these people commenting have never seen a total Solar eclipse before! Indeed, totality is so spectacular that it can cause people to babble excitedly, like Mike was doing!

I'll put it this way- let's say you were a sportscaster for a baseball team. This is your hometown team, and you've followed them all your life, and you've been broadcasting for them for over 20 years. This team has never made it to the World Series before. But now, they've made it. It's game 7, bottom of the 9th, down by 3. A player on your hometown team hits a grand slam to win the championship. Certainly a sportscaster in that position would be very excited! THAT'S the kind of mindset Mr. Kentrianakis would have been in.

An amazing story, for sure!

The Impact of Totality- Some Teasers

So I got challenged to "convince" one of you this week. I'm certainly up for that! Of course, I don't think that one post alone is going to convince any of you to go see this eclipse. The purpose of this blog is to hopefully convince at least some of you over time to at least consider taking a vacation to see it.
 

One of the ways I hope to do that is by sharing some eclipse stories and videos that I feel best express the reactions from eclipse chasers, both first timers and experienced ones, as well as some of the more amazing characteristics of totality.

I'll start with the following video, filmed by Dave Kodama at the March 29, 2006 eclipse in Libya. As you watch the video, note several things:

1. The amazing drop in light level. This is not a time lapse video. THIS IS IN REAL TIME. I can speak from experience- the drop in light level that leads into totality is truly astonishing! Remember, you're watching this video on a computer or phone screen. You have the opportunity to have the entire world around you- the sky and the land- go dark that quickly. I should mention to you that it does not get as dark during a real total eclipse as it does in the video. Dave may have had the camera set to automatic exposure, which must have underexposed the scene. The average darkness of totality is similar to deep twilight.

2. As the eclipse becomes total, notice that a white glow starts to surround the disc of the Moon. That's the Sun's corona- its outer atmosphere. Well, the corona is actually MUCH more detailed than that! Cameras can't capture the range of brightness that the human eye sees. The corona is intricate and delicate.

3. Listen to the reactions! It is an exciting, incredible, and- for some- an overwhelming experience.

Here's the video (note that you don't have to watch the whole thing; it becomes pretty static after the 3:30 point. But a real total eclipse is anything but static!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffBYVQ7j8M

Pretty amazing, wouldn't you say? Since that was in 2006, I had already developed a strong interest to total Solar eclipses. You may wonder- what got ME interested in total eclipses? Of course, the interest grew over time, but one of the first things that really caught my eye appeared in the December 1991 issue of Sky and Telescope Magazine. I had only been into astronomy a few months when I picked up the magazine. There had been a total eclipse over parts of Hawaii, Mexico, Central and South America that past July 11. Sky and Telescope published an article in that issue summarizing eclipse reports from all along the shadow path. This was the introduction to that article, written by Barry Slavin, who had witnessed the eclipse from Baja California: 

"The shadow came down on us over the ridge of mountains to the west enveloping everything in a single in-drawn breath. The diamond ring flashed, followed by unbelievably delicate and gossamer coronal streamers stretching, stretching outward. Now everyone was yelling, hollering, screaming, pointing. "Look at that!" "Look at this!" "Look here!" "Look there!" Just look! Look! Video and audio tape spooled in and out of cassettes. Stopwatches clicked. Film wound in countless cameras gathering images. I hardly know what I did. My so-carefully laid plans were in ruins. I could not take my eyes off that terrible, wonderful thing in the sky over our heads. No grammatical gymnastics of mine can begin to describe what I saw in those precious, fleeting minutes. It was every artist's conception of totality, but more brilliant, delicate, and finely etched than I could have ever imagined. Were the waves still breaking on the shore of the Sea of Cortez? I do not know. I did not hear them.
The diamond ring flashed again, unbelievably more incandescent than the first. The shadow ripped away, out and over the sea, heading toward mainland Mexico and beyond. The light returned. The wind off the sea returned. Insects buzzed again. Everything was as it was before, only everything had changed. Maybe I had changed." 

That gave me goosebumps the first time I read it, and each time since- now that I have experienced a total eclipse.

There was one other thing that got me interested. I was visiting a telescope store in a suburb of Houston, and was chatting with the owner. Somehow the topic of the total eclipse that past July came up. He said that he had led a group to Mexico to go see it. He told me that a couple came up to him after the eclipse, and they told him that it was one of the best experiences of their lives, second only to witnessing the birth of their children. Yes, a total Solar eclipse REALLY. IS. THAT. AWESOME.

I plan to post more stories and videos in future posts. Next time I post (in a week or two): What am I really hoping for and- why so early?? Thanks for reading, and have a great week!

A truly awesome natural event

Imagine a natural event that you look around and see a twilight- colored sky with an orange glow on the horizon in every direction- like a 360-degree sunset. A few bright stars are visible- and this is during the day! The air has a strange calmness to it- unlike anything you've ever felt before. But dominating the scene is a black hole in the sky, surrounded by a stunningly beautiful, pearl-colored glow that has fine lines, loops, and details that no artist could ever recreate. You and people around you are transfixed at what is happening. Are you on another planet? No, you're experiencing a total eclipse of the Sun right here on Earth- arguably the most incredible natural event that humans can experience. On August 21, 2017, people in parts of the United States have the opportunity to witness this stunning celestial spectacle.

Welcome to my blog dedicated to the total eclipse of the Sun on August 21, 2017! Thank you for visiting!

Many people have seen a partial eclipse of the Sun- or know someone who has. Indeed, this eclipse can be seen as a partial eclipse over all of North and Central America, parts of South America, and Europe. However, the scene described above can only be seen in the approximately 70-mile-wide path shown on the map below:

http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2017Aug21Tgoogle.html 

(The path of totality is the space between the blue lines. Map courtesy of NASA)

 It's my goal here to help you learn more about this eclipse, and to try to convince you to consider going to see it from the path of totality. I saw one near Munich in August 1999. I can't express to you enough how STUNNING of an experience a total eclipse of the sun is. Here are some topics that will be covered:

-Why is it so important to travel to the path of totality? Can't we just stay home and watch the partial eclipse?
-Why am I announcing this so early?
-How have other people reacted to seeing a total solar eclipse?
-What are some other good sources for information?
-How can we view the eclipse safely?
-How do we choose which region to visit?
-How do we choose an eclipse viewing location?

and more. 

Many of you reading this may not have an interest in astronomy or eclipses. But a total eclipse of the Sun is such a glorious, amazing event that everyone should see one in their lifetimes. Total solar eclipses do take place every 1.5 to 2 years- somewhere in the world. But since the path of totality at each eclipse is so narrow, traveling to see one usually requires traveling thousands of miles, at considerable expense. This one is easily accessible for millions of people.
  
Remember, the eclipse only takes place for a few hours. This is actually an opportunity for you to plan a great vacation- including sightseeing, eating great food, meeting people, and more- and include an unforgettable natural event.

I have been a member of an eclipse chasers' discussion group for over 15 years now. Many of the world's top total Solar eclipse chasers are members. I have learned so much from them. I plan to share that knowledge with all of you.

Thank you for reading this, and thank you for following this blog. As the saying goes- watch this space! 

Contact information: 
eclipseaugust2017@gmail.com (for private messages) or comment on this blog if you're ok with others seeing the message. I'll be creating a facebook page about the eclipse as well. Wishing all of you the best!