Heading to see the Solar Eclipse soon
Discussion
Well, here goes nothing. Driving down to Walland, Tennessee to see the Eclipse. I booked this in October before the whole publicity thing..in a place with lots of land and few guests.
Realistically, there is about a 40% chance of cloud, rain, thunderstorms...but have to give it a shot. Fairly long drive, but no doubt there will be strange things to see in the very heart of Trump country.....
Realistically, there is about a 40% chance of cloud, rain, thunderstorms...but have to give it a shot. Fairly long drive, but no doubt there will be strange things to see in the very heart of Trump country.....
In the Great Smokies in Tennessee there is lots of risk of cloud so not betting on any great result.
I do have proper camera gear and the right filters and glasses, so if it is clear I will get a few shots which I will post... (or maybe I will end up posting a shot of a cloudy day) The thing is getting huge publicity and they are expecting that the cellular services will be badly overloaded by people posting cellphone pics and selfies...all of which will be useless.
There are a few thing I want to see in the area so the trip should be interesting. It is one of the relatively few parts of the US I have not visited.
I did not want to be stuck in some massive crowd of viewers so have managed to avoid that, but currently there is no way to get a room at any sort of reasonable prices if not booked months ago, and there are endless parties, T-shirts vendors, souvenirs and the usual tat everywhere. There is a good US postage stamp that goes into eclipse when exposed to the light though.
In any case I have not doubt there will be endless shots from the path of the eclipse that will be far superior to anything I shoot. I read about it though, and the experiences will be interesting...temperature drops rapidly, birds stop singing, farm animals lie down and so on, so it it more than simply waiting for the couple of minutes of totality.
I do have proper camera gear and the right filters and glasses, so if it is clear I will get a few shots which I will post... (or maybe I will end up posting a shot of a cloudy day) The thing is getting huge publicity and they are expecting that the cellular services will be badly overloaded by people posting cellphone pics and selfies...all of which will be useless.
There are a few thing I want to see in the area so the trip should be interesting. It is one of the relatively few parts of the US I have not visited.
I did not want to be stuck in some massive crowd of viewers so have managed to avoid that, but currently there is no way to get a room at any sort of reasonable prices if not booked months ago, and there are endless parties, T-shirts vendors, souvenirs and the usual tat everywhere. There is a good US postage stamp that goes into eclipse when exposed to the light though.
In any case I have not doubt there will be endless shots from the path of the eclipse that will be far superior to anything I shoot. I read about it though, and the experiences will be interesting...temperature drops rapidly, birds stop singing, farm animals lie down and so on, so it it more than simply waiting for the couple of minutes of totality.
CoolHands said:
I saw a proper eclipse once here in London. I think in year 2000?
It's not all that.
What?It's not all that.
You are most likely referring to the 1999 solar eclipse. In London it was only partial. To see the total eclipse, you needed to be further west. Unfortunately, the weather in the west did not cooperate. I saw it from Aldershot where it was partial (about 90% of the sun was covered).
Eric Mc said:
What?
You are most likely referring to the 1999 solar eclipse. In London it was only partial. To see the total eclipse, you needed to be further west. Unfortunately, the weather in the west did not cooperate. I saw it from Aldershot where it was partial (about 90% of the sun was covered).
Look. If you have a solar eclipse it gets dark. Doesn't matter if it's cloudy or not, it will get dark.You are most likely referring to the 1999 solar eclipse. In London it was only partial. To see the total eclipse, you needed to be further west. Unfortunately, the weather in the west did not cooperate. I saw it from Aldershot where it was partial (about 90% of the sun was covered).
That's what eclipses do. They make it go dark.
The Mad Monk said:
Eric Mc said:
What?
You are most likely referring to the 1999 solar eclipse. In London it was only partial. To see the total eclipse, you needed to be further west. Unfortunately, the weather in the west did not cooperate. I saw it from Aldershot where it was partial (about 90% of the sun was covered).
Look. If you have a solar eclipse it gets dark. Doesn't matter if it's cloudy or not, it will get dark.You are most likely referring to the 1999 solar eclipse. In London it was only partial. To see the total eclipse, you needed to be further west. Unfortunately, the weather in the west did not cooperate. I saw it from Aldershot where it was partial (about 90% of the sun was covered).
That's what eclipses do. They make it go dark.
The whole cycle takes several hours but totality is only a couple of minutes. You absolutely cannot look at the sun with bare eyes during the partial eclipse period and need special camera filters and glasses which have the darkness of welder's goggles .
However , during totality you can look without damage to your eyes and photograph it with no filters.
However , during totality you can look without damage to your eyes and photograph it with no filters.
Ignore the naysayers, I saw the 2001 eclipse sat at the side of a road in rural Zambia and it was amazing. The whole atmosphere of the place changed and it's something I'll not forget.
If you can try to see it from a raised viewpoint across a wide open area. A cloudy day in a big city would be a real let down. Also, get the proper viewing glasses, don't risk your eyesight.
If you can try to see it from a raised viewpoint across a wide open area. A cloudy day in a big city would be a real let down. Also, get the proper viewing glasses, don't risk your eyesight.
I watched a partial eclipse about 16 or 17 years ago in the car park of the Blood Service HQ in Brentwood. I was stood under a tree. As the eclipse progressed I looked down to realise that all the little patches of dappled light on the ground that were coming through the leaves were acting as if they were the images from a pin hole camera, and were changing into little crescent shapes. It was absolute magic, and one of the experiences in my life that I shall never forget.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
CoolHands said:
I saw a proper eclipse once here in London. I think in year 2000?
It's not all that.
1999 and it wasn't a full one in London, only in Cornwall. It's not all that.
I clearly remember as it got darker hearing the birds and frogs really loud and then at totality, it went as silent as you can imagine. Then as it started to get light again, it all kicked off again with my missus saying loudly (remember we are in France) "can you hear all those noisy frogs)...
Slightly uncomfortable to say the least.
Eric Mc said:
The Mad Monk said:
Eric Mc said:
What?
You are most likely referring to the 1999 solar eclipse. In London it was only partial. To see the total eclipse, you needed to be further west. Unfortunately, the weather in the west did not cooperate. I saw it from Aldershot where it was partial (about 90% of the sun was covered).
Look. If you have a solar eclipse it gets dark. Doesn't matter if it's cloudy or not, it will get dark.You are most likely referring to the 1999 solar eclipse. In London it was only partial. To see the total eclipse, you needed to be further west. Unfortunately, the weather in the west did not cooperate. I saw it from Aldershot where it was partial (about 90% of the sun was covered).
That's what eclipses do. They make it go dark.
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