Heading to see the Solar Eclipse soon

[The Moose]

Eric Mc said:

I did know really.

You're just trying to make yourself look smart now.

[jmorgan]

RDMcG said:

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.

New very careful with the sun and optics. Stating the bleeding obvious I know.

And use a colander for fun.

With a Baader filter on a scope. Pretty good stuff but really need to check it before every use. You can buy in a sheet and make up any size less than A4. There are other options with the stuff.
The Moon by Jeff, on Flickr

Colander action.
Colander eclipse viewer by Jeff, on Flickr

The filter I used.
https://www.firstlightoptics.com/solar-filters/baa...

Of course people with deeper pockets can get better filters. On my to do list.

Edited by jmorgan on Tuesday 8th August 15:13

Edited by jmorgan on Tuesday 8th August 15:14

[glenrobbo]

The Moose said:

Eric Mc said:

I did know really.

You're just trying to make yourself look smart now.

Ignore him Eric.

I know you knew really.

You eclipse everyone with your encyclopaedic knowledge of everything there is to be found on wikipedia.

[leigh1050]

You can look directly at the sun using a arc welding lens, minimum af 10. I wouldn't look at the sun through a welding lens using any sort of magnification though.

Edited by leigh1050 on Tuesday 8th August 15:29

[leigh1050]

leigh1050 said:

You can look directly at the sun using a arc welding lens, minimum af 10. I wouldn't look at the sun through a welding lens using any sort of magnification though.

Edited by leigh1050 on Tuesday 8th August 15:29

Should be EW10 not af.

[GetCarter]

The strange thing when we saw it (1999) was that all the birds (who squark all night), went completely silent for about 3 minutes... then started up again. Spooky stuff.

[Beati Dogu]

I was at Exeter Airport during that eclipse.

It got noticeable colder as well as darker, obviously. I remember the birds jabbering away, thinking it was dusk.

[juice]

GetCarter said:

The strange thing when we saw it (1999) was that all the birds (who squark all night), went completely silent for about 3 minutes... then started up again. Spooky stuff.

We were on the beach at Walton on the Naze for the 99 eclipse... Same thing happened with the birds..very eerie

[jmorgan]

juice said:

GetCarter said:

The strange thing when we saw it (1999) was that all the birds (who squark all night), went completely silent for about 3 minutes... then started up again. Spooky stuff.

We were on the beach at Walton on the Naze for the 99 eclipse... Same thing happened with the birds..very eerie

We went to Cornwall, up on a hill and could see the shadow approaching despite it cloudy, did its stuff then we could see it head out over Falmouth all the street lights coming on and an eerie Falmouth when we were back in lighter light.

[The Mad Monk]

Roofless Toothless said:

I was stood under a tree.

Who stood you there?

[RDMcG]

The Mad Monk said:

Who stood you there?

It was a stand of trees

[AshVX220]

Hope to see something from Central Florida, but I think we're outside the path, so may not see anything.

[RobM77]

jmorgan said:

juice said:

GetCarter said:

The strange thing when we saw it (1999) was that all the birds (who squark all night), went completely silent for about 3 minutes... then started up again. Spooky stuff.

We were on the beach at Walton on the Naze for the 99 eclipse... Same thing happened with the birds..very eerie

We went to Cornwall, up on a hill and could see the shadow approaching despite it cloudy, did its stuff then we could see it head out over Falmouth all the street lights coming on and an eerie Falmouth when we were back in lighter light.

I'd just graduated from Uni at the time and I bought an eclipse map in WHSmiths and drove all the way to St Ives in my tiny old hatchback. I stood on a cliff overlooking St Ives, right in the middle of the band of totality, but sadly there was thick cloud I did see the shadow rushing over the sea though. I remember poor old Patrick Moore had had his hotel room in Cornwall booked for decades!

I'm very envious of the OP! I don't really do 'bucket lists', but I do definitely want to see a total eclipse at some point in my lifetime.

[RobM77]

CoolHands said:

I saw a proper eclipse once here in London. I think in year 2000?

It's not all that.

CoolHands: Just in case the hilarity on the previous page mystified you, you're referring to the eclipse in 1999, and in London it was only partial. The thing with eclipses is that even 99% totality is a completely different experience to 100% (known as totality), because even that 1% of light is still bright enough to completely obscure the wonders of totality. What people travel the world to see is 100% and only 100%. A total eclipse is one of my number one 'must sees', and I would travel a long way to see one with great excitement, but a partial eclipse (as we had a few years ago here) would have me in the work car park for five minutes during a coffee break. Incidentally, you're not alone; in 1999 my family and friends thought I was crazy for driving all the way to Cornwall when they had 99% (or whatever it was) up in Hampshire/Berkshire.

[Roofless Toothless]

CoolHands said:

I saw a proper eclipse once here in London. I think in year 2000?

It's not all that.

[Roofless Toothless]

The Mad Monk said:

Roofless Toothless said:

I was stood under a tree.

Who stood you there?

There was I being so careful with my spelling and my grammar lets me down.

I Googled this for a bit, by the way, and it turns out the way I said it is regional dialect in Yorkshire, but as I come from the East End I can't really claim that for an excuse. Apparently more common as an introduction to a story, so that fits the bill.

[The Mad Monk]

CoolHands said:

I saw a proper eclipse once here in London. I think in year 2000?

It's not all that.

Did it get dark?

[Eric Mc]

The last time there was a total solar eclipse visible from London was in 1715 - so he must be very old to have seen a total eclipse from London.

I think he was referring to the eclipse of 1999 which was only a partial eclipse from London.

There is an enormous difference in experiencing a partial eclipse compared to a total eclipse.

[Steve Campbell]

I was in Romania close to the max totality in 1999. Flew into Atlanta last night with a week in a log cabin in North Georgia and will watch the eclipse from somewhere in S Carolina....probably Columbia. Unfortunately weather looks a bit iffy ....fingers crossed.

Here's the path

http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/path_through_the_U...

Edited by Steve Campbell on Sunday 13th August 14:06

[The Mad Monk]

Steve Campbell said:

I was in Romania close to the max totality in 1999. Flew into Atlanta last night with a week in a log cabin in North Georgia and will watch the eclipse from somewhere in S Carolina....probably Columbia. Unfortunately weather looks a bit iffy ....fingers crossed.

Here's the path

http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/path_through_the_U...

Edited by Steve Campbell on Sunday 13th August 14:06

Try not to worry.

I think it will probably get dark, no matter what the weather is like.