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An Eclipse Chaser’s Guide to Your First Eclipse

70 points by nature24 9y ago

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
js2 9y ago
I think there are all of four tips in this guide. Mostly it's a profile of eclipse chasers. Tips: 1. Get to somewhere in the path of totality. 2. Get there the day before. (There's already highway signs up near me in NC warning of traffic and I'm five hours away from the path of totality.) 3. Stay mobile if you can to be able to drive to clear skies in case of weather. 4. Don't bother with a camera; just observe as much as you can with your eyes. I'll add a fifth. Reconfirm your reservation with your hotel. Mine called me yesterday.
- AnimalMuppet 9y ago
  The problem with "get there the day before" is that you then have to get back. You might want to do that the day after. (I'm not. I'm getting there two days before, and trying to get back the same day, and I'm nervous about the second part...)
  - munificent 9y ago
    At least if you're late getting back, you miss work. If you're late getting there, you miss the eclipse.
    - AnimalMuppet 9y ago
      Very true. And if I miss a day of work, there's another one the next day. If I miss the eclipse, there's another one in... eight years.
- chiph 9y ago
  My sister lives in Charleston - she says the hotels are full, even though many demanded a 3-night minimum stay. If you're driving somewhere Monday afternoon, you might want to pull over - not just because that way you'll get to see the eclipse, but to avoid all the people craning their neck to see it as they drive. Monday probably should have just been declared to be a national holiday. No one is going to get anything done anyway.
  - pavel_lishin 9y ago
    > Monday probably should have just been declared to be a national holiday. No one is going to get anything done anyway. I feel really sorry for people who can't just take a break to watch the eclipse. That ranges from people like emergency room surgeons and nurses, to subway train drivers, and to poor McDonald's employees who may not be in a position to risk their job to run outside.
  - 13of40 9y ago
    I'm driving to Oregon, but I bought a dashcam so even if I don't make it I should have some good footage.
- ajmurmann 9y ago
  Having seen a few of these I also strongly recommend to learn about phenomena you can see during a eclipse. Look up things like Bailey's Beads, shadow band and the awesome stuff that will happen to your shadow leading up to the eclipse. Also bring a white cloth so that you can see the shadow band of they occur. It's well worth it.
- Florin_Andrei 9y ago
  > Don't bother with a camera; just observe as much as you can with your eyes. "Look up (at the Sun), don't look down (at the camera)." I'm actually going to install the full astrophotography stack - telescope, camera, computer, software, battery, etc. But it's all dialed in, it will take a timelapse on its own while I'll kick back and enjoy the show. I only need to remove / replace the main filter at the edges of totality, at the same time when I take off / replace my eclipse glasses.
  - js2 9y ago
    I look forward to seeing your time lapse. Thank you for taking the time to record it! :-)
    - Florin_Andrei 9y ago
      It will be up on my channel some time after the event https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIU4rTjkOVHvuucaVDdrhQQ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIU4rTjkOVHvuucaVDdrhQQ
      - ScottBurson 9y ago
        Excellent! I think a "Show HN" post would be in order.
- hellogoodbyeeee 9y ago
  My plan was to set my camera up on a tripod facing my family and record our reactions and the transition into and out of darkness on the landscape behind us. I'm not sure how good my dslr does at transitioning exposure on it's video mode so it might turn out useless, but I figure it's got a chance of being interesting.
  - AdamJacobMuller 9y ago
    You can test this to see if you can adjust the settings to fix it by setting it up in a room at night and turning the lights on/off. Might not be anything you can do about it, but, it might allow you to adjust a setting to make the video come out!
drewmate 9y ago
I am beyond excited for this event. I'm traveling to the totality on Friday/Saturday just in case. I think the media/online buzz over this event will be overwhelming, and frankly, I'm glad. Our country could really use something like this to bring us together!
- munificent 9y ago
  > Our country could really use something like this to bring us together! Yes! I'm also hoping many Americans come away with a newly discovered appreciation for our many parks, National Forests, and Bureau of Land Management wildernesses.
dboreham 9y ago
Since we live only 3.5h drive from totality, in a low-population density area, we're planning to load up the car with water, potato chips, kids and a sat phone and set off very early on Monday morning. When I thought to check first, in early June, there were no hotel rooms available but you could get camping sites still. Interestingly the Eclipse doesn't seem to have overloaded the airlines in this area: you can still get a reasonable price ticket to Idaho Falls on Sunday for example. But there are no rental cars left..
- snuxoll 9y ago
  I am exceptionally glad I work from home, Boise is going to be a mess come Monday.
overcast 9y ago
I was considering flying down to the Smokey Mountains to do some hiking, and eclipse seeing. But from the sound of things, it's going to be a complete madhouse. Coupled with the prices for everything, and the risk of poor weather(thunderstorms are predicted this entire week), not worth it. The eclipse in 2024 is going to be literally dead center over my house, I think I'll wait it out, and check out the mostly total eclipse this time around :)
- limeblack 9y ago
  My grand parents live there. It is mostly national forest so hoping it will be okay.
- bwanab 9y ago
  That's exactly what I'm doing with my son. Couple of days in the mountains, then to middle TN to watch the eclipse. I'm not going to obsess over the weather! checks weather app for the eighth time today
  - writeslowly 9y ago
    My past experience with hiking in northern Georgia was that thunderstorms come up sort of randomly in the mountains in the afternoon. My hope is that even if they hit that day it may be after the eclipse passes through, or they'll be scattered enough that I'll get lucky
- pythonaut_16 9y ago
  Thanks for this. All the hype makes it sound like this is an exceedingly rare event, but it looks like the 2024 eclipse will sweep over a huge part of the US population as well.
  - ytNumbers 9y ago
    Yep, but after that, you've got a looong wait for the next one in the USA.
- ytNumbers 9y ago
mrfusion 9y ago
Do you guys have any recommendations where to get to totality from philly? That's not totally booked up.
- dsfyu404ed 9y ago
  Hang around an airport that caters to general aviation. Ask who's planning to see the eclipse from the air. Offer to pay for gas.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
- chris_7 9y ago
  Can you just rent a car and drive? With a second person you wouldn't really need anywhere to sleep.
neogodless 9y ago
I would just be happy to know how (where) to get solar eclipse glasses. I had a thought a couple months ago to order them, but I brushed it aside. About two weeks ago, I started to get serious, but it was already too late. I couldn't find anything that wasn't wildly marked up on Amazon. Finally, I found a set of 4 on REI.com with estimated delivery of August 18th, and I ordered them on the 10th. They were shipped on the 15th, five days later, with an estimated delivery of August 22nd... and a day later, that estimate has been pushed back yet another day by UPS. So I'll get them, and then have to figure out how to time travel to get any use out of them.
- hammock 9y ago
  See if you have a local planetarium/ observatory /science museum that is selling them or giving them away.
  - neogodless 9y ago
    My wife called five libraries and about a dozen retail establishments yesterday. Nothing! It does sound like the only way to get them is to go to one of the science museums _early_ on the morning of and try to get in line before everyone else.
    - TAeGTrVNmP 9y ago
      Are you near CA? I can still spare a pair or two, and I got them directly from one of the suppliers NASA had named. E-mail me ([HN user name] at x0.ms) your mailing address if you're interested.
- jldugger 9y ago
  I paid two dollars for a pair at Fred meyers. I'd many places expecting increased sales in the path of totality will have some.
- teilo 9y ago
  If you are in the path of totality, don't worry about the glasses. In the path of totality, eclipse glasses are only for observing the sun before and after full occlusion. Instead, make a pinhole projector. It's super easy (any thin-walled cardboard box will do). Then, when you are at full occlusion, you can look directly at the sun to observe the eclipse until full occlusion is over.
solutionyogi 9y ago
So as someone who did not plan for this monumental event, what are my options to see the totality? I live in NYC and can rent a car.
- goda90 9y ago
  Be prepared to sleep in the car. If you know anyone along the path, ask to sleep on their lawn or something. Start driving down probably a couple of days out. http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/maps/whole-us.jpg http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/maps/whole-us.jpg You probably won't get home Monday.
  - sampo 9y ago
    Flights New York - Nashville for Sunday - Tuesday (I didn't check Monday evening return flights) seem to go at a bit over $1000, and some still available hotels $300 to $1000 per night. Could also check prices to fly to some other cities on the path in the map. Kansas City?
    - theandrewbailey 9y ago
      KCI (the airport itself) is in the path. I've been through there recently. Huge place; standing in a parking lot there will be enough to catch it.
  - chris_7 9y ago
    > You probably won't get home Monday. New York to/from SC is an 11 hour drive without stopping, and the eclipse in the afternoon, so definitely.
- dboreham 9y ago
  Beware that cloud cover also affects where you might want to go to view the eclipse. The West (basically Idaho, some of Wyoming) is looking good right now. You could fly from EWR to Idaho Falls round trip for less than $800. The airport is in the the middle of the totality zone so even if you can't find a car or accommodation you'll still see it. Also Jackson, WY but air fare is a bit more to there.
binarybit0101 9y ago
Don't forget to check with your local optometrist for viewing glasses, got some for 1$ donation per pair.
blhack 9y ago
Gonna be watching this from the black rock desert. Not in the path of totality, but should be an incredible place to watch from! Possibly not the right crowd, but if anybody from here will be out there as well: we'll be at 10:00/Esplanade watching on Monday morning.
perseusprime11 9y ago
Where can I find glasses to see the eclipse? Most good ones are out of order on Amazon.
acomjean 9y ago
I remember from past eclipses, one of the interesting things is that all light gets the eclipse shape (light though opening in tree leaves for example). Someone said a colander makes a good pinhole camera to cast shadows and see eclipse shapes. (Don't look through the colander at the sun though.)

70 points by nature24 9y ago

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

js2 9y ago

I think there are all of four tips in this guide. Mostly it's a profile of eclipse chasers. Tips: 1. Get to somewhere in the path of totality. 2. Get there the day before. (There's already highway signs up near me in NC warning of traffic and I'm five hours away from the path of totality.) 3. Stay mobile if you can to be able to drive to clear skies in case of weather. 4. Don't bother with a camera; just observe as much as you can with your eyes. I'll add a fifth. Reconfirm your reservation with your hotel. Mine called me yesterday.

AnimalMuppet 9y ago
The problem with "get there the day before" is that you then have to get back. You might want to do that the day after. (I'm not. I'm getting there two days before, and trying to get back the same day, and I'm nervous about the second part...)
- munificent 9y ago
  At least if you're late getting back, you miss work. If you're late getting there, you miss the eclipse.
  - AnimalMuppet 9y ago
    Very true. And if I miss a day of work, there's another one the next day. If I miss the eclipse, there's another one in... eight years.
chiph 9y ago
My sister lives in Charleston - she says the hotels are full, even though many demanded a 3-night minimum stay. If you're driving somewhere Monday afternoon, you might want to pull over - not just because that way you'll get to see the eclipse, but to avoid all the people craning their neck to see it as they drive. Monday probably should have just been declared to be a national holiday. No one is going to get anything done anyway.
- pavel_lishin 9y ago
  > Monday probably should have just been declared to be a national holiday. No one is going to get anything done anyway. I feel really sorry for people who can't just take a break to watch the eclipse. That ranges from people like emergency room surgeons and nurses, to subway train drivers, and to poor McDonald's employees who may not be in a position to risk their job to run outside.
- 13of40 9y ago
  I'm driving to Oregon, but I bought a dashcam so even if I don't make it I should have some good footage.
ajmurmann 9y ago
Having seen a few of these I also strongly recommend to learn about phenomena you can see during a eclipse. Look up things like Bailey's Beads, shadow band and the awesome stuff that will happen to your shadow leading up to the eclipse. Also bring a white cloth so that you can see the shadow band of they occur. It's well worth it.
Florin_Andrei 9y ago
> Don't bother with a camera; just observe as much as you can with your eyes. "Look up (at the Sun), don't look down (at the camera)." I'm actually going to install the full astrophotography stack - telescope, camera, computer, software, battery, etc. But it's all dialed in, it will take a timelapse on its own while I'll kick back and enjoy the show. I only need to remove / replace the main filter at the edges of totality, at the same time when I take off / replace my eclipse glasses.
- js2 9y ago
  I look forward to seeing your time lapse. Thank you for taking the time to record it! :-)
  - Florin_Andrei 9y ago
    It will be up on my channel some time after the event https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIU4rTjkOVHvuucaVDdrhQQ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIU4rTjkOVHvuucaVDdrhQQ
    - ScottBurson 9y ago
      Excellent! I think a "Show HN" post would be in order.
hellogoodbyeeee 9y ago
My plan was to set my camera up on a tripod facing my family and record our reactions and the transition into and out of darkness on the landscape behind us. I'm not sure how good my dslr does at transitioning exposure on it's video mode so it might turn out useless, but I figure it's got a chance of being interesting.
- AdamJacobMuller 9y ago
  You can test this to see if you can adjust the settings to fix it by setting it up in a room at night and turning the lights on/off. Might not be anything you can do about it, but, it might allow you to adjust a setting to make the video come out!

drewmate 9y ago

I am beyond excited for this event. I'm traveling to the totality on Friday/Saturday just in case. I think the media/online buzz over this event will be overwhelming, and frankly, I'm glad. Our country could really use something like this to bring us together!

munificent 9y ago
> Our country could really use something like this to bring us together! Yes! I'm also hoping many Americans come away with a newly discovered appreciation for our many parks, National Forests, and Bureau of Land Management wildernesses.

dboreham 9y ago

Since we live only 3.5h drive from totality, in a low-population density area, we're planning to load up the car with water, potato chips, kids and a sat phone and set off very early on Monday morning. When I thought to check first, in early June, there were no hotel rooms available but you could get camping sites still. Interestingly the Eclipse doesn't seem to have overloaded the airlines in this area: you can still get a reasonable price ticket to Idaho Falls on Sunday for example. But there are no rental cars left..

snuxoll 9y ago
I am exceptionally glad I work from home, Boise is going to be a mess come Monday.

overcast 9y ago

I was considering flying down to the Smokey Mountains to do some hiking, and eclipse seeing. But from the sound of things, it's going to be a complete madhouse. Coupled with the prices for everything, and the risk of poor weather(thunderstorms are predicted this entire week), not worth it. The eclipse in 2024 is going to be literally dead center over my house, I think I'll wait it out, and check out the mostly total eclipse this time around :)

limeblack 9y ago
My grand parents live there. It is mostly national forest so hoping it will be okay.
bwanab 9y ago
That's exactly what I'm doing with my son. Couple of days in the mountains, then to middle TN to watch the eclipse. I'm not going to obsess over the weather! checks weather app for the eighth time today
- writeslowly 9y ago
  My past experience with hiking in northern Georgia was that thunderstorms come up sort of randomly in the mountains in the afternoon. My hope is that even if they hit that day it may be after the eclipse passes through, or they'll be scattered enough that I'll get lucky
pythonaut_16 9y ago
Thanks for this. All the hype makes it sound like this is an exceedingly rare event, but it looks like the 2024 eclipse will sweep over a huge part of the US population as well.
- ytNumbers 9y ago
  Yep, but after that, you've got a looong wait for the next one in the USA.
ytNumbers 9y ago

mrfusion 9y ago

Do you guys have any recommendations where to get to totality from philly? That's not totally booked up.

dsfyu404ed 9y ago
Hang around an airport that caters to general aviation. Ask who's planning to see the eclipse from the air. Offer to pay for gas.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
chris_7 9y ago
Can you just rent a car and drive? With a second person you wouldn't really need anywhere to sleep.

neogodless 9y ago

I would just be happy to know how (where) to get solar eclipse glasses. I had a thought a couple months ago to order them, but I brushed it aside. About two weeks ago, I started to get serious, but it was already too late. I couldn't find anything that wasn't wildly marked up on Amazon. Finally, I found a set of 4 on REI.com with estimated delivery of August 18th, and I ordered them on the 10th. They were shipped on the 15th, five days later, with an estimated delivery of August 22nd... and a day later, that estimate has been pushed back yet another day by UPS. So I'll get them, and then have to figure out how to time travel to get any use out of them.

hammock 9y ago
See if you have a local planetarium/ observatory /science museum that is selling them or giving them away.
- neogodless 9y ago
  My wife called five libraries and about a dozen retail establishments yesterday. Nothing! It does sound like the only way to get them is to go to one of the science museums _early_ on the morning of and try to get in line before everyone else.
  - TAeGTrVNmP 9y ago
    Are you near CA? I can still spare a pair or two, and I got them directly from one of the suppliers NASA had named. E-mail me ([HN user name] at x0.ms) your mailing address if you're interested.
jldugger 9y ago
I paid two dollars for a pair at Fred meyers. I'd many places expecting increased sales in the path of totality will have some.
teilo 9y ago
If you are in the path of totality, don't worry about the glasses. In the path of totality, eclipse glasses are only for observing the sun before and after full occlusion. Instead, make a pinhole projector. It's super easy (any thin-walled cardboard box will do). Then, when you are at full occlusion, you can look directly at the sun to observe the eclipse until full occlusion is over.

solutionyogi 9y ago

So as someone who did not plan for this monumental event, what are my options to see the totality? I live in NYC and can rent a car.

goda90 9y ago
Be prepared to sleep in the car. If you know anyone along the path, ask to sleep on their lawn or something. Start driving down probably a couple of days out. http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/maps/whole-us.jpg http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/maps/whole-us.jpg You probably won't get home Monday.
- sampo 9y ago
  Flights New York - Nashville for Sunday - Tuesday (I didn't check Monday evening return flights) seem to go at a bit over $1000, and some still available hotels $300 to $1000 per night. Could also check prices to fly to some other cities on the path in the map. Kansas City?
  - theandrewbailey 9y ago
    KCI (the airport itself) is in the path. I've been through there recently. Huge place; standing in a parking lot there will be enough to catch it.
- chris_7 9y ago
  > You probably won't get home Monday. New York to/from SC is an 11 hour drive without stopping, and the eclipse in the afternoon, so definitely.
dboreham 9y ago
Beware that cloud cover also affects where you might want to go to view the eclipse. The West (basically Idaho, some of Wyoming) is looking good right now. You could fly from EWR to Idaho Falls round trip for less than $800. The airport is in the the middle of the totality zone so even if you can't find a car or accommodation you'll still see it. Also Jackson, WY but air fare is a bit more to there.

binarybit0101 9y ago

Don't forget to check with your local optometrist for viewing glasses, got some for 1$ donation per pair.

blhack 9y ago

Gonna be watching this from the black rock desert. Not in the path of totality, but should be an incredible place to watch from! Possibly not the right crowd, but if anybody from here will be out there as well: we'll be at 10:00/Esplanade watching on Monday morning.

perseusprime11 9y ago

Where can I find glasses to see the eclipse? Most good ones are out of order on Amazon.

acomjean 9y ago

I remember from past eclipses, one of the interesting things is that all light gets the eclipse shape (light though opening in tree leaves for example). Someone said a colander makes a good pinhole camera to cast shadows and see eclipse shapes. (Don't look through the colander at the sun though.)