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If you haven't personally witnessed a Total Solar Eclipse, and haven't seen this Smarter Every Day video, it's worth the watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

If you haven't personally witnessed a Total Solar Eclipse, and haven't seen this Smarter Every Day video, it's worth the watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNK2LI7VeX4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNK2LI7VeX4 He interviewed the guy who wrote the Solar Eclipse Timer app (https://www.solareclipsetimer.com https://www.solareclipsetimer.com) and also publishes a ton of info about eclipses in general (especially how to spot all the different interesting parts, and how to capture it on camera). That info is in a book here: https://solar-eclipse-timer.myshopify.com https://solar-eclipse-timer.myshopify.com No affiliation with either of them, just they have some of the most succinct and helpful info, especially for sharing with other people too (I hope to have my kids manage a few experiments during totality, assuming we don't get any clouds!).

staplers 3y ago
I hope to have my kids manage a few experiments during totality Honestly, don't ruin it for them. It was a spiritual experience for me and I can't imagine someone pressuring me to do something during it. First time something had genuinely taken my breath away. Felt the enormity of space and my small place in the monumental universe.
- geerlingguy 3y ago
  Mostly for things leading up to it; during totality you just kinda look up, and that's it. The kids won't really notice much until pretty soon before totality, so it's nice to have some activity to occupy them :) Especially things like pinhole viewers to see the partial eclipse image without glasses.
  - JKCalhoun 3y ago
    Heading to the southern end of the state or are you wandering down toward Texas?
    - geerlingguy 3y ago
      Southern MO. We'll risk the clouds to save a flight or a longer drive—hopefully we get clear skies! I have a friend down in Carbondale who's fortunate enough to be right in the middle of both eclipses. Was considering going there, but it'll be a larger family trip, and it was easier to load into a few hotel rooms in southern MO.
      - JKCalhoun 3y ago
        I got a hotel in Texarkana but may drive toward Austin in the wee hours if the weather forecast suggests it.
Brajeshwar 3y ago
Thanks, Jeff; Destin’s is one of the few YouTube channels I spend joyful time with. I wholeheartedly endorse his channels to all curious minds. Of course, I love yours too. ;-) He is like “How It’s Made,” but for the more curious adult.
mshaler 3y ago
This response is EXACTLY emblematic of why HN has my trust. Great insights, many thanks.
Sammi 3y ago
I am not religious but I have experienced a total eclipse and it was the closest thing to a religious experience I have experienced. Seeing the sun and everything go dark in an instance is an overwhelming experience. It's not like the sun fades slowly into darkness. It fades slowly until it half dark, and then just goes out in 1 second. Like if someone fades the light of the sun out in 1 second. It felt impossible. And you can see the light on the horizon, which looks amazing too. And when the sun comes back it comes back in a blinding explosion of light like you have never seen.
- hilbert42 3y ago
  "I am not religious but I have experienced a total eclipse and it was the closest thing to a religious experience I have experienced." Nor am I, but each of the three total eclipses I've seen have been an overwhelming emotional experience—an experience I will never forget. Trying to explain one's experience of a total eclipse to others who've never experienced one always fails, one's lost for words, one stammers and the other party is somewhat bemused at one's antics and is little the wiser after one's explanation. The best photos don't suffice, there is no substitute, one just has to be there. I am forever amazed at how the universe works, the fine-tuned physical constants, which if ever so slightly different we wouldn't exist, the Goldilocks position of our planet in the solar system with its oxygen and water and life support, and the fact that the moon exists without which—again—we wouldn't likely exist despite our planet's favorable position. Now top all that off with the fact that the moon's diameter and its distance from earth is just is so precise that during a solar eclipse the moon just covers the sun—so precise that near totality we get to see the Baily's Beads and the diamond ring effect, and at totality we see the sun's corona. How did such 'precision' come about? It's truly amazing. The coincidence of all this coming together to create the world in which we live simply overwhelms me whenever I think about it. It's so remarkable that no wonder so many believe it could never exist without a creator.
- justusthane 3y ago
  One of the most amazing parts to me was how the crickets all started chirping as soon as the sun went out, as they were all fooled into thinking it was suddenly nighttime for 30 seconds.

staplers 3y ago

I hope to have my kids manage a few experiments during totality Honestly, don't ruin it for them. It was a spiritual experience for me and I can't imagine someone pressuring me to do something during it. First time something had genuinely taken my breath away. Felt the enormity of space and my small place in the monumental universe.

geerlingguy 3y ago
Mostly for things leading up to it; during totality you just kinda look up, and that's it. The kids won't really notice much until pretty soon before totality, so it's nice to have some activity to occupy them :) Especially things like pinhole viewers to see the partial eclipse image without glasses.
- JKCalhoun 3y ago
  Heading to the southern end of the state or are you wandering down toward Texas?
  - geerlingguy 3y ago
    Southern MO. We'll risk the clouds to save a flight or a longer drive—hopefully we get clear skies! I have a friend down in Carbondale who's fortunate enough to be right in the middle of both eclipses. Was considering going there, but it'll be a larger family trip, and it was easier to load into a few hotel rooms in southern MO.
    - JKCalhoun 3y ago
      I got a hotel in Texarkana but may drive toward Austin in the wee hours if the weather forecast suggests it.

Brajeshwar 3y ago

Thanks, Jeff; Destin’s is one of the few YouTube channels I spend joyful time with. I wholeheartedly endorse his channels to all curious minds. Of course, I love yours too. ;-) He is like “How It’s Made,” but for the more curious adult.

mshaler 3y ago

This response is EXACTLY emblematic of why HN has my trust. Great insights, many thanks.

Sammi 3y ago

I am not religious but I have experienced a total eclipse and it was the closest thing to a religious experience I have experienced. Seeing the sun and everything go dark in an instance is an overwhelming experience. It's not like the sun fades slowly into darkness. It fades slowly until it half dark, and then just goes out in 1 second. Like if someone fades the light of the sun out in 1 second. It felt impossible. And you can see the light on the horizon, which looks amazing too. And when the sun comes back it comes back in a blinding explosion of light like you have never seen.

hilbert42 3y ago
"I am not religious but I have experienced a total eclipse and it was the closest thing to a religious experience I have experienced." Nor am I, but each of the three total eclipses I've seen have been an overwhelming emotional experience—an experience I will never forget. Trying to explain one's experience of a total eclipse to others who've never experienced one always fails, one's lost for words, one stammers and the other party is somewhat bemused at one's antics and is little the wiser after one's explanation. The best photos don't suffice, there is no substitute, one just has to be there. I am forever amazed at how the universe works, the fine-tuned physical constants, which if ever so slightly different we wouldn't exist, the Goldilocks position of our planet in the solar system with its oxygen and water and life support, and the fact that the moon exists without which—again—we wouldn't likely exist despite our planet's favorable position. Now top all that off with the fact that the moon's diameter and its distance from earth is just is so precise that during a solar eclipse the moon just covers the sun—so precise that near totality we get to see the Baily's Beads and the diamond ring effect, and at totality we see the sun's corona. How did such 'precision' come about? It's truly amazing. The coincidence of all this coming together to create the world in which we live simply overwhelms me whenever I think about it. It's so remarkable that no wonder so many believe it could never exist without a creator.
justusthane 3y ago
One of the most amazing parts to me was how the crickets all started chirping as soon as the sun went out, as they were all fooled into thinking it was suddenly nighttime for 30 seconds.