6 ms·

2017 Solar Eclipse Path of Totality

114 points by rootbear 10y ago

rootbear 10y ago
The NASA Scientific Visualization Studio, where I used to work, has published the most accurate map ever produced of a solar eclipse totality track. This animation combines Lunar geographic data from the LRO spacecraft with Earth geographic data to correctly model the edges of totality. I'm in luck, the path of totality basically runs over my sister's house in East Tennessee! I hope the Great Smoky Mountains aren't so smoky on that day, August 21, 2017.
credit_guy 10y ago
If anyone is wondering about the somewhat polygonal shape of the lunar umbra, apparently it's not a rendering error, it really is a bit polygonal. The edges correspond to some lunar valleys, as this nasa link explains: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/details.cgi?aid=4517&button=recent http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/details.cgi?aid=4517&button... The Earth relief has quite an impact on the umbra shape too, in some cases I would say it can change the diameter of the umbra by a few percent (check 00:26 in the nasa animation)
eganist 10y ago
366,357.1 km at its closest approach. That's the information everyone wanted from the video, right? 2:19 through, right over Carbondale, IL
- exDM69 10y ago
  Weather statistics are more important for choosing viewing locations. The duration of totality doesn't change that much with location. I looked into this, and Oregon has best chance of clear skies.
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
ars 10y ago
Best price on Eclipse Glasses that I've found is these: https://smile.amazon.com/Rainbow-Symphony-Eclipse-Glasses-Viewers/dp/B00KVVHS2G https://smile.amazon.com/Rainbow-Symphony-Eclipse-Glasses-Vi...
- cjensen 10y ago
  Update: this first sentence is Wrong: Those are pretty expensive at the moment. You can use Welder's Goggles with a #14 shade [1]. Most welding supplies stores will not have anything that dark, but if you get a set which allows insertion of extra lenses, you can get it dark enough. As a bonus, googles like these will fit over prescription glasses, and also block light from the sides. Try it out before the eclipse! If you think "this is a bit bright but it's tolerable" then you need something darker. You don't need the sun to look bright at all through the glass -- it just needs to be visible so you can see the shape. [1] https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhelp/safety.html https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhelp/safety.html
  - crazydoggers 10y ago
    That price is for a pack of 25. I have two of the same brand I bought at the Boston Science museum last summer. I don't know if they still have them, but they were a couple bucks each at the time. I'm sure other museum type stores must carry them. I can also attest that they work great even for just observing the sun.
- comboy 10y ago
  Does no one watch it through good old floppies anymore? ;) (you do need some IR protection on top of that)
- return0 10y ago
  cheapest observatory ever https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FkDYVPjNvg0/hqdefault.jpg https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FkDYVPjNvg0/hqdefault.jpg
  - joezydeco 10y ago
boxcardavin 10y ago
I tried to schedule my wedding for the Saturday before the (Monday) eclipse in my GF's rural Idaho hometown so that my science friends would have a reason to make the 800 mile trip from Seattle. Unfortunately, all hotels in the path of totality have been sold out for months. ALL OF THEM. AirBNBs in an area of Idaho with 3bdrms renting for $650/m are going for $1000/night.
- zzleeper 10y ago
  Damn! And I was just thinking about looking for a spot in Yellowstone or Jackson for that day :(
- exDM69 10y ago
  I was planning a trip too, but all the hotels I looked at were totally booked more than a year ago. Happens with every total solar eclipse. By the time the general public gets interested, all hotels have been booked by space geeks. I scrapped the idea of traveling 9000 miles because I don't want to watch a partial eclipse from a truck stop somewhere in rural Idaho because hotels are booked and roads will be crowded.
- leejo 10y ago
  Maybe you could try to schedule a flight that will give you an even better view: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBoa81xEvNA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBoa81xEvNA
  - gmiller123456 10y ago
    Not a better view, just a longer totality and you won't have to worry about clouds. I attended a lecture by Fred Espenak a couple months ago and he said a crappy view from the ground is better than one from a plane.
- joezydeco 10y ago
  If you're in the midwest, St Louis hotels seem to have rooms. Nobody has figured it out here yet. I just booked mine, the totality zone is about 50 km southwest of downtown. Carbondale is about 100 miles to the southeast if you really want that extra 10 seconds of totality.
Raphmedia 10y ago
I would love to be able to pilot a plane in such a way that I end up in the moon's shadow for the entire day!
- koolba 10y ago
  Sounds like movie plot. "The only way to avoid detection from $BAD_THING is to hide behind the moon ... but for how long?"
novaleaf 10y ago
is Gravity Falls in the center of that thumbnail?
sveit 10y ago
I'll be able to view over 1 minute of totality from my backyard. Check out http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/every_community.htm http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/every_community.htm for totality times for any town along the path.

114 points by rootbear 10y ago

The NASA Scientific Visualization Studio, where I used to work, has published the most accurate map ever produced of a solar eclipse totality track. This animation combines Lunar geographic data from the LRO spacecraft with Earth geographic data to correctly model the edges of totality. I'm in luck, the path of totality basically runs over my sister's house in East Tennessee! I hope the Great Smoky Mountains aren't so smoky on that day, August 21, 2017.

credit_guy 10y ago

If anyone is wondering about the somewhat polygonal shape of the lunar umbra, apparently it's not a rendering error, it really is a bit polygonal. The edges correspond to some lunar valleys, as this nasa link explains: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/details.cgi?aid=4517&button=recent http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/details.cgi?aid=4517&button... The Earth relief has quite an impact on the umbra shape too, in some cases I would say it can change the diameter of the umbra by a few percent (check 00:26 in the nasa animation)

eganist 10y ago

366,357.1 km at its closest approach. That's the information everyone wanted from the video, right? 2:19 through, right over Carbondale, IL

exDM69 10y ago
Weather statistics are more important for choosing viewing locations. The duration of totality doesn't change that much with location. I looked into this, and Oregon has best chance of clear skies.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]

ars 10y ago

Best price on Eclipse Glasses that I've found is these: https://smile.amazon.com/Rainbow-Symphony-Eclipse-Glasses-Viewers/dp/B00KVVHS2G https://smile.amazon.com/Rainbow-Symphony-Eclipse-Glasses-Vi...

cjensen 10y ago
Update: this first sentence is Wrong: Those are pretty expensive at the moment. You can use Welder's Goggles with a #14 shade [1]. Most welding supplies stores will not have anything that dark, but if you get a set which allows insertion of extra lenses, you can get it dark enough. As a bonus, googles like these will fit over prescription glasses, and also block light from the sides. Try it out before the eclipse! If you think "this is a bit bright but it's tolerable" then you need something darker. You don't need the sun to look bright at all through the glass -- it just needs to be visible so you can see the shape. [1] https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhelp/safety.html https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhelp/safety.html
- crazydoggers 10y ago
  That price is for a pack of 25. I have two of the same brand I bought at the Boston Science museum last summer. I don't know if they still have them, but they were a couple bucks each at the time. I'm sure other museum type stores must carry them. I can also attest that they work great even for just observing the sun.
comboy 10y ago
Does no one watch it through good old floppies anymore? ;) (you do need some IR protection on top of that)
return0 10y ago
cheapest observatory ever https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FkDYVPjNvg0/hqdefault.jpg https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FkDYVPjNvg0/hqdefault.jpg
- joezydeco 10y ago

boxcardavin 10y ago

I tried to schedule my wedding for the Saturday before the (Monday) eclipse in my GF's rural Idaho hometown so that my science friends would have a reason to make the 800 mile trip from Seattle. Unfortunately, all hotels in the path of totality have been sold out for months. ALL OF THEM. AirBNBs in an area of Idaho with 3bdrms renting for $650/m are going for $1000/night.

zzleeper 10y ago
Damn! And I was just thinking about looking for a spot in Yellowstone or Jackson for that day :(
exDM69 10y ago
I was planning a trip too, but all the hotels I looked at were totally booked more than a year ago. Happens with every total solar eclipse. By the time the general public gets interested, all hotels have been booked by space geeks. I scrapped the idea of traveling 9000 miles because I don't want to watch a partial eclipse from a truck stop somewhere in rural Idaho because hotels are booked and roads will be crowded.
leejo 10y ago
Maybe you could try to schedule a flight that will give you an even better view: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBoa81xEvNA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBoa81xEvNA
- gmiller123456 10y ago
  Not a better view, just a longer totality and you won't have to worry about clouds. I attended a lecture by Fred Espenak a couple months ago and he said a crappy view from the ground is better than one from a plane.
joezydeco 10y ago
If you're in the midwest, St Louis hotels seem to have rooms. Nobody has figured it out here yet. I just booked mine, the totality zone is about 50 km southwest of downtown. Carbondale is about 100 miles to the southeast if you really want that extra 10 seconds of totality.

Raphmedia 10y ago

I would love to be able to pilot a plane in such a way that I end up in the moon's shadow for the entire day!

koolba 10y ago
Sounds like movie plot. "The only way to avoid detection from $BAD_THING is to hide behind the moon ... but for how long?"

novaleaf 10y ago

is Gravity Falls in the center of that thumbnail?

sveit 10y ago

I'll be able to view over 1 minute of totality from my backyard. Check out http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/every_community.htm http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/every_community.htm for totality times for any town along the path.