There is very much a "light switch" effect that occurs when totality hits. It's a very discrete moment of time -- an obvious discontinuity which is part of what

There is very much a "light switch" effect that occurs when totality hits. It's a very discrete moment of time -- an obvious discontinuity which is part of what makes the phenomenon seem so otherworldly. If you didn't have that kind of nearly-instantaneous "lights out" experience then yes, you did miss out on the main event. In any case I definitely recommend getting into the path of totality in 2024.