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Dogpiling on this. 100% totality in an empty field is change-your-life cool. Not the roof of a building. Not 99% totality. And don't miss it. Everyone that st

Dogpiling on this. 100% totality in an empty field is change-your-life cool. Not the roof of a building. Not 99% totality. And don't miss it. Everyone that stayed in town for the 2017 eclipse barely remembers it today. Those of us in a rural area of 100% totality thought it was magic. Pure, real, magic. Go into a field. Bring some friends. Let yourself feel awe. You won't see it again in the USA for twenty years, so... now's the time.

ethbr1 3y ago
Also, bring a jacket or sweater. It's surprising how chilly it suddenly gets when you're suddenly no longer in the warm embrace of our star.
- inanutshellus 3y ago
  Do or ... don't! Perhaps there's value in feeling the world around you change so quickly, even when it's uncomfortable. Allowing that discomfort may help anchor the memory as novel for those newbies you sneakily didn't tell to bring a sweater. ;-)
  - ethbr1 3y ago
    If I make it to the path this year, I'm definitely bringing an instant read thermometer. I'm curious what the actual drop in temp is!
russdill 3y ago
The last one I did on a butte, even more highly recommended, being able to see far out in the distance in every direction during an eclipse is mind blowing. I can't imaging having to experience it through a tiny airplane window.
roughly 3y ago
I am as modern and jaded as the next person, but yes, absolutely - if you can be in the 100% totality, get there. It is incomparably awe-inspiring - it is immediately apparent why this sort of thing was seen as an omen from the gods to be respected. You will feel small.
- ethanbond 3y ago
  Agreed. I just had this overwhelming sense of powerlessness. It’s the only time in my life I have felt the fact that we’re just standing on a rock hurdling through space. It is a mind-boggling experience.
adamsilkey 3y ago
Can you describe what it was like? What made it so cool?
- legitster 3y ago
  First there is the experience of watching the darkness descend on you. It's like you can see a wall of it coming at you from a distance. But viewing the corona of the sun... wow! I cannot begin to describe how cool that is. You don't get to see it in 99% totality. Only when the sun is completely blocked from space. It's remarkable and beautiful and impossible to capture the light on camera and you only get to see if for maybe a couple of minutes in your life.
  - crazygringo 3y ago
    I'm curious which of these images you'd say it looks like the most? https://www.google.com/search?q=sun+corona+during+solar+eclipse&tbm=isch https://www.google.com/search?q=sun+corona+during+solar+ecli... With things like this it's always so impossible to tell if everybody is altering the brightness and so forth.
    - legitster 3y ago
      Maybe this one? https://preview.redd.it/8gl2vdhvwzyz.jpg?width=1080&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=659dab40a277adc31207e85d8c7e29b4fd7116be https://preview.redd.it/8gl2vdhvwzyz.jpg?width=1080&crop=sma... It's entirely a natural lighting spectacle, so it's hard to capture the size and dynamic range on an LCD screen. The pictures make it look like some sort of lens flare, but it looks nothing like that in real life. You can actually see the vapory tendrils of the suns' plasma making stringy loops around the sun in the pattern of the magnetic waves. There's a lot of detail. This does a better job of showing the detail: https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fiz7kzq2yw4831.jpg https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fi... But you can tell they had to crank up the exposure because the space doesn't look nearly as black in this one. Again, it's something you have to see for yourself. If you lived an entire life in a cave, me showing pictures of the sun would not have the same effect as actually feeling the light. I was a skeptic when I went to the 2017 one. I've booked flights to go see next month's.
davely 3y ago
Agreed! Last eclipse turned me into an umbraphile. I’ve had friends since the 2017 American eclipse say things like “I’m in an area with ~80% - 90% of totality.” It literally isn’t the same thing at all. The moment of totality is just unreal and has me wanting to chase total eclipses. Awhile back, I argued to our school district to move spring break for 2024 in order for families to potentially travel for this year’s total eclipse (I live in California), but they wouldn’t consider it. Sadly, I’ll miss it this year. Also, think for a moment how crazy this is: our moon is exactly the right size to cover the sun exactly (coupled with being exactly far enough away) that we can see this beautiful ring of fire with flares emanating from the sides during the moment of totality.
- radicaldreamer 3y ago
  Absolutely, we saw the eclipse in rural oregon, near Bend, and it was life changing. I still remember the moment quite vividly and I totally got why people chase eclipses all around the world.
- adriand 3y ago
  So our local school board is closing schools for the day - but check out how they communicated it: ---- On Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over southern Ontario. The City of Hamilton is expected to experience a deep partial solar eclipse, with the timing of this event presenting a concern for school dismissal. The solar eclipse will begin at approximately 2 p.m. and end around 4:30 p.m. A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and earth, completely blocking the face of the sun. The sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk. These events can pose potential risks and severe damage to eyesight if proper precautions are not taken. Viewing the sun directly during an eclipse can permanently damage the retina's light-sensitive cells. In addition to the physical risks associated with directly viewing the solar eclipse, a period of increased darkness will occur. The peak period of darkness (referred to as the mid-eclipse) will occur at approximately 3:20 p.m. This aspect of the eclipse can present safety concerns for students, staff and families during dismissal time. Hamilton Public Health Services (HPHS) understands that there are significant risks associated with the unprotected viewing of the solar eclipse and is supportive of HWDSB’s desire to mitigate potential risks. Shifting the P.A. Day is a proactive measure to support the safety and well-being of students, staff and families. HPHS is working with HWDSB to provide information for families and staff regarding safety considerations. These resources will be shared closer to the P.A. Day on Monday, April 8. ----- I sent them a letter in response: ----- I fully support changing the PA Day so that children have a once-in-a-generation, highly educational opportunity to view this incredible celestial event. Describing it as risky and dangerous is just plain weird! There are plenty of dangerous natural phenomena (e.g. the lake that we happen to be situated next to, in which many people drown each year), but rather than frighten people, we educate them on how to safely enjoy them. This is an incredible opportunity to teach kids about solar cycles, space, etc., and something we should all be excited about. ----- I didn't a response. I'm still completely baffled by this!
legitster 3y ago
I am thoroughly disappointed by my friends who said "97% is enough" and didn't bother making a 2 hour drive to experience actual totality. Even at "99.9%" you get to see the sun's corona for 0% of your life.
- ethanbond 3y ago
  It is quite literally a night and day difference. 99% you’re in daytime. 100% you’re in nighttime.
wing-_-nuts 3y ago
>Those of us in a rural area of 100% totality thought it was magic. Pure, real, magic. Hell, I saw it at a library in small town SC and it was still primal and surreal. The birds got quiet, the crickets started chirping. You really felt a direct link back to prehistory and you understood why it affected ancient people the way it did. There a small, tickling sense in the back of your mind that what you're seeing is profoundly wrong. The closest I can describe it is low grade existential terror, in the biblical sense of awe.
crazygringo 3y ago
Can you explain the difference more? Is it about light pollution? About being somewhere quiet? Is it about a field specifically or about being away from road traffic? Like is a park OK? Is the beach OK? Or is it mainly just being in 100% and you usually have to go somewhere rural for that because statistically it doesn't pass directly over major cities?
- Symbiote 3y ago
  I saw this eclipse in 1999, from England: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_August_11,_1999#/map/0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_August_11,_19... We were within the area of total eclipse, but as you can see from the map, there wasn't much area to choose from. Other than the towns and cities on the coast it counts as rural for England. (Plymouth is largest, 300k people; eclipses certainly do pass over cities.) We stood on a hill, along with probably 30 other people who'd chosen the same place, just above a village. It went completely dark, and quiet (except for the people), the street lights on a road in the distance came on. We could see sunlight far to the north and south, yet ourselves were in near-total darkness (like overnight twilight at high latitudes). Then it started to get light again, and the birds starting singing. It was mostly overcast, but with some glimpses of the occluded sun at every stage of the eclipse. It wasn't a profound and spiritual experience, but it is one of the things I remember clearly from several holidays to that part of England with my family. Maybe being alone would make it different — there'd have been no-one else saying "isn't this amazing!" to their children. But more realistically, English families on holiday aren't looking for profound and spiritual experiences, we leave that to the Americans. We couldn't see the corona, due to the clouds. Maybe that's important. I think being on a small hill helped, and not being within an urban area.
  - crazygringo 3y ago
    > But more realistically, English families on holiday aren't looking for profound and spiritual experiences, we leave that to the Americans. You got such a laugh out of me there! True words. Thanks for the details.
- inanutshellus 3y ago
mcint 3y ago
Temperature drop, and shift of wind too. Amazing to experience the solar radiation difference directly. And the brightest stars, and planets, coming out.
dghlsakjg 3y ago
Yup. I was standing in a farmer's field next to a bunch of beehives, and the change was palpable. I can't even put the feeling into words. Not just seeing the sun, but the feeling of the entire environment was just wild.

ethbr1 3y ago

Also, bring a jacket or sweater. It's surprising how chilly it suddenly gets when you're suddenly no longer in the warm embrace of our star.

inanutshellus 3y ago
Do or ... don't! Perhaps there's value in feeling the world around you change so quickly, even when it's uncomfortable. Allowing that discomfort may help anchor the memory as novel for those newbies you sneakily didn't tell to bring a sweater. ;-)
- ethbr1 3y ago
  If I make it to the path this year, I'm definitely bringing an instant read thermometer. I'm curious what the actual drop in temp is!

russdill 3y ago

The last one I did on a butte, even more highly recommended, being able to see far out in the distance in every direction during an eclipse is mind blowing. I can't imaging having to experience it through a tiny airplane window.

roughly 3y ago

I am as modern and jaded as the next person, but yes, absolutely - if you can be in the 100% totality, get there. It is incomparably awe-inspiring - it is immediately apparent why this sort of thing was seen as an omen from the gods to be respected. You will feel small.

ethanbond 3y ago
Agreed. I just had this overwhelming sense of powerlessness. It’s the only time in my life I have felt the fact that we’re just standing on a rock hurdling through space. It is a mind-boggling experience.

adamsilkey 3y ago

Can you describe what it was like? What made it so cool?

legitster 3y ago
First there is the experience of watching the darkness descend on you. It's like you can see a wall of it coming at you from a distance. But viewing the corona of the sun... wow! I cannot begin to describe how cool that is. You don't get to see it in 99% totality. Only when the sun is completely blocked from space. It's remarkable and beautiful and impossible to capture the light on camera and you only get to see if for maybe a couple of minutes in your life.
- crazygringo 3y ago
  I'm curious which of these images you'd say it looks like the most? https://www.google.com/search?q=sun+corona+during+solar+eclipse&tbm=isch https://www.google.com/search?q=sun+corona+during+solar+ecli... With things like this it's always so impossible to tell if everybody is altering the brightness and so forth.
  - legitster 3y ago
    Maybe this one? https://preview.redd.it/8gl2vdhvwzyz.jpg?width=1080&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=659dab40a277adc31207e85d8c7e29b4fd7116be https://preview.redd.it/8gl2vdhvwzyz.jpg?width=1080&crop=sma... It's entirely a natural lighting spectacle, so it's hard to capture the size and dynamic range on an LCD screen. The pictures make it look like some sort of lens flare, but it looks nothing like that in real life. You can actually see the vapory tendrils of the suns' plasma making stringy loops around the sun in the pattern of the magnetic waves. There's a lot of detail. This does a better job of showing the detail: https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fiz7kzq2yw4831.jpg https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fi... But you can tell they had to crank up the exposure because the space doesn't look nearly as black in this one. Again, it's something you have to see for yourself. If you lived an entire life in a cave, me showing pictures of the sun would not have the same effect as actually feeling the light. I was a skeptic when I went to the 2017 one. I've booked flights to go see next month's.

davely 3y ago

Agreed! Last eclipse turned me into an umbraphile. I’ve had friends since the 2017 American eclipse say things like “I’m in an area with ~80% - 90% of totality.” It literally isn’t the same thing at all. The moment of totality is just unreal and has me wanting to chase total eclipses. Awhile back, I argued to our school district to move spring break for 2024 in order for families to potentially travel for this year’s total eclipse (I live in California), but they wouldn’t consider it. Sadly, I’ll miss it this year. Also, think for a moment how crazy this is: our moon is exactly the right size to cover the sun exactly (coupled with being exactly far enough away) that we can see this beautiful ring of fire with flares emanating from the sides during the moment of totality.

radicaldreamer 3y ago
Absolutely, we saw the eclipse in rural oregon, near Bend, and it was life changing. I still remember the moment quite vividly and I totally got why people chase eclipses all around the world.
adriand 3y ago
So our local school board is closing schools for the day - but check out how they communicated it: ---- On Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over southern Ontario. The City of Hamilton is expected to experience a deep partial solar eclipse, with the timing of this event presenting a concern for school dismissal. The solar eclipse will begin at approximately 2 p.m. and end around 4:30 p.m. A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and earth, completely blocking the face of the sun. The sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk. These events can pose potential risks and severe damage to eyesight if proper precautions are not taken. Viewing the sun directly during an eclipse can permanently damage the retina's light-sensitive cells. In addition to the physical risks associated with directly viewing the solar eclipse, a period of increased darkness will occur. The peak period of darkness (referred to as the mid-eclipse) will occur at approximately 3:20 p.m. This aspect of the eclipse can present safety concerns for students, staff and families during dismissal time. Hamilton Public Health Services (HPHS) understands that there are significant risks associated with the unprotected viewing of the solar eclipse and is supportive of HWDSB’s desire to mitigate potential risks. Shifting the P.A. Day is a proactive measure to support the safety and well-being of students, staff and families. HPHS is working with HWDSB to provide information for families and staff regarding safety considerations. These resources will be shared closer to the P.A. Day on Monday, April 8. ----- I sent them a letter in response: ----- I fully support changing the PA Day so that children have a once-in-a-generation, highly educational opportunity to view this incredible celestial event. Describing it as risky and dangerous is just plain weird! There are plenty of dangerous natural phenomena (e.g. the lake that we happen to be situated next to, in which many people drown each year), but rather than frighten people, we educate them on how to safely enjoy them. This is an incredible opportunity to teach kids about solar cycles, space, etc., and something we should all be excited about. ----- I didn't a response. I'm still completely baffled by this!

legitster 3y ago

I am thoroughly disappointed by my friends who said "97% is enough" and didn't bother making a 2 hour drive to experience actual totality. Even at "99.9%" you get to see the sun's corona for 0% of your life.

ethanbond 3y ago
It is quite literally a night and day difference. 99% you’re in daytime. 100% you’re in nighttime.

wing-_-nuts 3y ago

>Those of us in a rural area of 100% totality thought it was magic. Pure, real, magic. Hell, I saw it at a library in small town SC and it was still primal and surreal. The birds got quiet, the crickets started chirping. You really felt a direct link back to prehistory and you understood why it affected ancient people the way it did. There a small, tickling sense in the back of your mind that what you're seeing is profoundly wrong. The closest I can describe it is low grade existential terror, in the biblical sense of awe.

crazygringo 3y ago

Can you explain the difference more? Is it about light pollution? About being somewhere quiet? Is it about a field specifically or about being away from road traffic? Like is a park OK? Is the beach OK? Or is it mainly just being in 100% and you usually have to go somewhere rural for that because statistically it doesn't pass directly over major cities?

Symbiote 3y ago
I saw this eclipse in 1999, from England: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_August_11,_1999#/map/0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_August_11,_19... We were within the area of total eclipse, but as you can see from the map, there wasn't much area to choose from. Other than the towns and cities on the coast it counts as rural for England. (Plymouth is largest, 300k people; eclipses certainly do pass over cities.) We stood on a hill, along with probably 30 other people who'd chosen the same place, just above a village. It went completely dark, and quiet (except for the people), the street lights on a road in the distance came on. We could see sunlight far to the north and south, yet ourselves were in near-total darkness (like overnight twilight at high latitudes). Then it started to get light again, and the birds starting singing. It was mostly overcast, but with some glimpses of the occluded sun at every stage of the eclipse. It wasn't a profound and spiritual experience, but it is one of the things I remember clearly from several holidays to that part of England with my family. Maybe being alone would make it different — there'd have been no-one else saying "isn't this amazing!" to their children. But more realistically, English families on holiday aren't looking for profound and spiritual experiences, we leave that to the Americans. We couldn't see the corona, due to the clouds. Maybe that's important. I think being on a small hill helped, and not being within an urban area.
- crazygringo 3y ago
  > But more realistically, English families on holiday aren't looking for profound and spiritual experiences, we leave that to the Americans. You got such a laugh out of me there! True words. Thanks for the details.
inanutshellus 3y ago

mcint 3y ago

Temperature drop, and shift of wind too. Amazing to experience the solar radiation difference directly. And the brightest stars, and planets, coming out.

dghlsakjg 3y ago

Yup. I was standing in a farmer's field next to a bunch of beehives, and the change was palpable. I can't even put the feeling into words. Not just seeing the sun, but the feeling of the entire environment was just wild.