Make your plans for August 2017. Total solar eclipse

Did you get a pair of super secret eclipse specs? I understand they are almost impossible to get right now. Not sure if I would even trust them. Better just to watch it on TV.
If you cannot locate 'reputable' 'eclipse glasses' or a #14 welder's shade you may 'cascade' welder's shades as described by @Aleph(0) (quoted below) -- Hence any combination totaling 15 is equivalent to a #14 shade. Please note that #10s and #5s are available from most 'bricks and mortar' hardware retailers (as are #8s - A pair of #8s (#15 equivalent) will be a little dark but quite acceptable...

Welder's glass shade numbers aren't the same as optical density and don't add like most ppl think when cascaded!
So minimum optical density for safe solar observation at sea level=5
So for welder's glass OD=(3/7)*(Shade_number-1)
So minimum shade number for sea level solar observation ≈ #12.666667
So #14 gives good safety margin for higher altitude or in case of slightly out of spec filter.
So u can see from formula that shade numbers cascade like this: SN(cascade)=(SN1+SN2)-1

So why is NASA spending all of this money just to study the sun's corona? I thought they have been doing this for more than a century without the aide of a natural eclipse by using a chronograph?
Why not? It's our dime:rolleyes:;)

Best regards
HP:)
 
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Glenn Holland

Joined Dec 26, 2014
703
During the last eclipse that was visible here in San Francisco, I noticed the sun light passed through a tree and produced bright spots on a building that had multiple images of the solar disk. Sort of eerie and fascinating! o_O
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,976
Originally we had planned to make a family camping trip timed so that we would be along the path of totality. That way we would have the flexibility of moving east/west the day before based on the weather forecast and even if we got clouded out we still would have had our family camping trip for a vacation. But then my wife wanted to send our daughter to visit her cousin (wife's sister's family) in Minnesota, so I got the bright idea of use driving up there to pick her up and time that so that we would be on the road coming back, which crosses the path of totality, and we could adjust based on the weather forecast. But then it turned out that classes start the day of the eclipse (and my daughter started classes this past Wednesday). So all of those plans went for naught.

But it also turns out that Colorado Springs will have 89% coverage, so that should be pretty good. Plus, I'm going to be very glad that I am not fighting the "eclipse traffic jams" that are already starting to build up even here on I-25 this afternoon. We have some cheap (but legitimate) eclipse glasses. The guy that got them knows this stuff well, so he made sure they are safe. Since we aren't going anywhere, if it gets clouded out we aren't out anything except the few minutes of enjoyment.

I must admit that, after hearing so much about all the people that are spending thousands of dollars to do nothing except see the eclipse, part of me hopes that it DOES get clouded out along the entire path of totality. For instance, our neighbors that grew up in Casper, Wyoming are going home for the event and making a vacation of it but they said that the Casper airport has 116 private jets from around the world scheduled to come in the morning and leave in the afternoon. Phrases like "fools and their money" come to mind.
 

Aleph(0)

Joined Mar 14, 2015
597
I'll report back on the psychological impact.
Gophert you can laugh but I've heard other ppl than HP tell abt that too:) So it's like ppl are conditioned that day turns into night slowly so when it happens vry fast it can be jarring even though they know what's happening.

Gophert also I've never seen total eclipse but even in the partial eclipse I experianced, the cold feeling from a lot less IR heating when visible daylight is still just like on a cloudy day is totally uncanny cuz life experience says standing in given daylight intensity is supposed to feel a certain way so when it doesn't you just notice absence of something you learned to take for granted! So I say unless you've already seen major eclipse maybe you'll be surprised how powerful experience contrary to subconscious expectations can be:cool:!

So anyhow eclipse is going to be a total dud here cuz it's less that 40%:(

Sadly, I'll have to settle for the Ca. 80% totality observable from my lawns
HP I say don't have your hopes too high cuz where you are if it's not clouds it'll be ground fog off the lake but maybe 80% will be enough to really notice dark:cool:?
 

Aleph(0)

Joined Mar 14, 2015
597
I must admit that, after hearing so much about all the people that are spending thousands of dollars to do nothing except see the eclipse, part of me hopes that it DOES get clouded out along the entire path of totality. For instance, our neighbors that grew up in Casper, Wyoming are going home for the event and making a vacation of it but they said that the Casper airport has 116 private jets from around the world scheduled to come in the morning and leave in the afternoon. Phrases like "fools and their money" come to mind
Wbahn I totally agree! I say it's funny how, sophisticated as we've become, a lot of us are still just like sun worshiping pagans at heart:D
 

Thread Starter

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
I must admit that, after hearing so much about all the people that are spending thousands of dollars to do nothing except see the eclipse, part of me hopes that it DOES get clouded out along the entire path of totality.
I'm assuming your wishes for bad weather don't apply to me since we are making a vacation of it. For example, yesterday we toured the Weston Insane Asylum. The second largest hand-cut sandstone building in the world (amazing what gets turned into a tourist attraction ). Anyhow, it is nice to know that spending my hard-earned cash on stupid things along the way proves I am doing "more" than seeing the eclipse and am, therefore except from your hopes for clouds. Well worth the stop, @WBahn, while driving through MN, you should stop and see the Worlds Largest Ball of Twine Museum in Darwin, MN - that would turn your kid shuttle trip into more than a kid shuttle trip.
 

Thread Starter

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
Gophert you can laugh but I've heard other ppl than HP tell abt that too:) So it's like ppl are conditioned that day turns into nigh
I wasn't joking or laughing. Nope, no evidence of that. I know the psych effects are real - I skipped school and convinced a group of friends to drive 300 miles to Winnipeg for the 1979 eclipse. It was even moving for a group of stupid teenagers.

I'm driving 9-hours just for the psychological effects. Everything else - the photos of the moon crossing the sun are better viewed on TV. I don't have a camera that can do that.

On that trip, we made it to the edge of the city and pulled into the first park we found. The place was empty but about 10 other carloads of people arrived before the eclipse. We were all just standing around freezing our asses off when a retired guy from across the street brought his 9" Black and white tv with rabbit ears to the picnic table and plugged it into an outlet on the gazebo so we could watch the progress on the CBC. That old guy was like the welcoming committee for Winnipeg.

There is a 2-hour YouTube video of that CBC broadcast of the 1979 eclipse - the anchormen are clearly moved.

If anybody is within a days drive of an eclipse, I fully recommend seeing it in person.
 

jgessling

Joined Jul 31, 2009
82
I'm currently in Coeur d'Alene Idaho picking up camping supplies. Heading south on highway 395 through Oregon to camp in the Malheur National Forest for the big event. About 30 of us useless retired folks coming from all over. Should be fun. From what I remember from other eclipses the real imapct is the effect on the light through the trees and the animals all getting quiet. BTW my sister in law who manages gas supplies for a major oil company in the Northwest recommends filling up early and often.
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,976
I'm assuming your wishes for bad weather don't apply to me since we are making a vacation of it. For example, yesterday we toured the Weston Insane Asylum. The second largest hand-cut sandstone building in the world (amazing what gets turned into a tourist attraction ). Anyhow, it is nice to know that spending my hard-earned cash on stupid things along the way proves I am doing "more" than seeing the eclipse and am, therefore except from your hopes for clouds. Well worth the stop, @WBahn, while driving through MN, you should stop and see the Worlds Largest Ball of Twine Museum in Darwin, MN - that would turn your kid shuttle trip into more than a kid shuttle trip.
Yep -- hope there's a hole in the clouds above you just right for the eclipse to peer through. Come to think of it -- that would probably make for one hell of a photograph!

My wife picked up the daughter (I couldn't go because I'm stuck here working on these online courses that have turned into a royal nightmare). They swung by Mount Rushmore. The kid just wanted to leave right after they got there because she was anxious to get home to the dog. Well, we tried.
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,976
Boy, wbahn really told those private jet owners! I wonder if he hopes for rain when the private jets fly into to Casper for the Rodeo.
Either you totally missed the point, or (as has so often been the case) you are intentionally trying to pick a fight. Choosing to assume it is the former, I will attempt to explain things more explicitly. If it's the latter, I'm just not interested.

First, notice that I said that "part of me" wanted to wish for clouds. Also notice that the thought stemmed from them spending lots of time, effort, and money on an all-or-nothing fairly high-risk event without buffering it by integrating it into other low-risk plans (and I'm sure that at least some of those flying in have done that, even if they aren't going to stay in Casper for more than a few hours regardless of whether there are clouds or not). Flying in to Casper for one of the many Rodeos they hold each year is hardly a high-risk event. It is extremely unlikely that an entire rodeo is going to be cancelled because of rain. Now, if someone makes plans to fly all the way solely and only to see a specific rider ride a specific bull in the finals, that would be a different story.

I really don't have any problem at all with someone that has the money to fly part way around the world to watch the eclipse doing so or with them making that the only thing on their trip agenda. If they are aware of the real possibility that the weather will make the entire trip a bust and are willing to take the attitude that it was worth the effort for the chance, then so be it. In may ways it is similar to the people that buy lotto tickets every week. And in both cases the phrase, "A fool and their money," comes to mind. If the fool in question gets their money's worth in anticipation, then it is a fair exchange.

What really brings forth such desires on my part are the folks (and you know there are more than a few of them) that blindly expect everything to turn out the way they want it to just because that's what they want. You know that there are almost certainly going to be clouds in the sky that day that are going to ruin the eclipse for many people that have spent a thousand dollars on a hundred dollar motel room and that many of them are going to be highly upset and feel cheated as a result because they didn't really believe that THEIR eclipse experience could possibly not be everything they wanted it to be. I will not be at all surprised to hear of people demanding their money back claiming that they were swindled. It's those people that I will smile at when I hear of their bad fortunes.

I have the same reaction whenever I hear people claiming that something is inevitable. For instance, a long time ago the Broncos were clear favorites to go to the Super Bowl and their first round playoff game was against Jacksonville (IIRC) and all we heard on the radio and the sportscasts were how they shouldn't even play the game because there was no doubt about the outcome and how it only offered the possibility for a Bronco player to get injured. So naturally I wanted Jacksonville to win just to spite all of the people who wouldn't even allow for the possibility that the Broncos could conceivably actually lose the game -- and I was pleased as hell when the Broncos proceeded to lose the game.
 
they said that the Casper airport has 116 private jets from around the world scheduled to come in the morning and leave in the afternoon.
They're so vain. They probably think this thread is about them. Don't they, don't they, don't they?
Boy, wbahn really told those private jet owners! I wonder if he hopes for rain when the private jets fly into to Casper for the Rodeo.
Either you totally missed the point, or (as has so often been the case) you are intentionally trying to pick a fight.
Silly me! - I somehow got hold of the notion that @GopherT's comments were merely by way of 'following up' @spinnaker's play on an old Carly Simon tune:confused:;)

TTFN
HP:D
 
folks (and you know there are more than a few of them) that blindly expect everything to turn out the way they want it to just because that's what they want.
I hear that! -- À la folks who get themselves into trouble spending 'winnings' from forthcoming drawings they 'know' they're going to win:rolleyes:

Best regsrds
HP

PS
How'd ya feel about the Dewey/Truman election?:D
 
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