08/21/17 Total eclipse -- Time to get serious.

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July 21st, 2017 at 2:21:17 AM permalink

Quote: billryan
Head to the town cemetery. Large open space, good parking.

The nearest shopping center parking lot might also be what we want - there's a Lowes in Murphy NC , which, lo and behold, is very close to Cherokee #2, the "Valley River" one.

Check it out, I'm leaning towards this. Edit: you might change my mind if we lose too much viewing time in the group's opinion. 2 minutes 27 seconds versus 2 minutes 38 seconds of totality in Andrews, so personally I would be OK with the loss.

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.0998102,-84.0182927,3a,75y,196.95h,83.84t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sI-ubixDvsnKpxjS5IsNNbA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DI-ubixDvsnKpxjS5IsNNbA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D106.06269%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

Last edited by: odiousgambit on Jul 21, 2017

the next time Dame Fortune toys with your heart, your soul and your wallet, raise your glass and praise her thus: �Thanks for nothing, you cold-hearted, evil, damnable, nefarious, low-life, malicious monster from Hell!� She is, after all, stone deaf. ... Arnold Snyder

LuckyPhow

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July 21st, 2017 at 5:55:29 AM permalink

Quote: odiousgambit
The nearest shopping center parking lot might also be what we want - there's a Lowes in Murphy NC , which, lo and behold, is very close to Cherokee #2, the "Valley River" one.

od,

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but IIRC being farther north gets you closer to totality, right? Looks to me like there might be better choices than the Lowes. For example:

(1) The Walmart is about one-forth mile north of the Lowes. Unlike the Lowes, you can get food at Walmart or across the street at the Burger King. Also, it has a much larger parking lot.

(2) The casino, the entrance of which is just north of the Walmart. Get there early. Join up. Play until H-Hour. Walk to whichever part of the parking lot gives the best venue. Personally, I think this is the best bet because the casino has the largest parking lot in the area AFIK. (I think they may also have a kid's game area for any youngsters.)

My 2 cents, as I (unfortunately) will be nearby with non-gaming friends who live in the area. I can't even join up after the eclipse, because I leave early the next morning for a 10+ hour drive to Biloxi. (The Biloxi casinos treat me special b/c it's my birthday month, whereas Harrahs casinos in NC just say, "So what?")

odiousgambit

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July 21st, 2017 at 7:27:12 AM permalink

regarding Walmart, or anywhere else that sounds good and is better suited for any reason, I'm good with those ideas. I just am not sure Andrews itself will have something similar, and to get exactly to the longest possible viewing doesn't seem so critical. Anybody with ideas chime in! Anybody who knows Andrews well might know a spot just as good.

regarding the casino itself, I've been there and I have a bit of concern about the parking lot filling up if busy? Memory may be failing me as to that, might be just fine.

Quote: LuckyPhow
My 2 cents, as I (unfortunately) will be nearby with non-gaming friends who live in the area. I can't even join up after the eclipse, because I leave early the next morning for a 10+ hour drive to Biloxi. (The Biloxi casinos treat me special b/c it's my birthday month, whereas Harrahs casinos in NC just say, "So what?")

I too have noticed the Mississippi casinos generally are ready to do more. Keen competition I guess, but something else may be at play that I'm not sure of.

the next time Dame Fortune toys with your heart, your soul and your wallet, raise your glass and praise her thus: �Thanks for nothing, you cold-hearted, evil, damnable, nefarious, low-life, malicious monster from Hell!� She is, after all, stone deaf. ... Arnold Snyder

odiousgambit

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July 23rd, 2017 at 4:25:51 AM permalink

took some time this morning to look at the google maps satellite view of Andrews itself. There are places like the high school which look like they would suffice, the only things being the possibility of the thing being full due to it being an event there, slight, and the possibility of being 'run off' - you never know on that one.

The inevitable little strip mall would probably be OK, with some possibility of it being full. It is going to be closer to where most of us are staying, sure wish I knew if traffic jams were really to be expected. Some of that seems exaggerated to me, but who knows? We will need to start out early to be safe.

check out the strip mall

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.1995676,-83.8463004,3a,75y,108.2h,79.19t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s5yI0BYqKORFRDYmVMO5pdw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D5yI0BYqKORFRDYmVMO5pdw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D120.60404%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

the next time Dame Fortune toys with your heart, your soul and your wallet, raise your glass and praise her thus: �Thanks for nothing, you cold-hearted, evil, damnable, nefarious, low-life, malicious monster from Hell!� She is, after all, stone deaf. ... Arnold Snyder

odiousgambit

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July 23rd, 2017 at 4:32:42 AM permalink

some more parking lots not far from strip mall

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.2020087,-83.8373311,568m/data=!3m1!1e3

the next time Dame Fortune toys with your heart, your soul and your wallet, raise your glass and praise her thus: �Thanks for nothing, you cold-hearted, evil, damnable, nefarious, low-life, malicious monster from Hell!� She is, after all, stone deaf. ... Arnold Snyder

odiousgambit

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July 23rd, 2017 at 5:00:47 AM permalink

bummed out by traffic part-way there option, Bryson City. Hope we don't need this but "be prepared"? 2 minute eclipse

strip mall possibility

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.4250688,-83.4522406,283m/data=!3m1!1e3

the next time Dame Fortune toys with your heart, your soul and your wallet, raise your glass and praise her thus: �Thanks for nothing, you cold-hearted, evil, damnable, nefarious, low-life, malicious monster from Hell!� She is, after all, stone deaf. ... Arnold Snyder

JackStraw8004

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July 23rd, 2017 at 11:54:25 AM permalink

Good Luck with that East Coast weather. August is a horrible month with numerous days of cloud cover and rain. All you need is one of those stagnant patterns that covers a large geographical area.

odiousgambit

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July 23rd, 2017 at 12:31:59 PM permalink

Quote: JackStraw8004
Good Luck with that East Coast weather. August is a horrible month with numerous days of cloud cover and rain. All you need is one of those stagnant patterns that covers a large geographical area.

Yep, the only effect we may be aware of is total darkness, which would be kind of cool, the ancients freaked out about that. But hopefully the 360 degree weird horizon "the orange of a sunset, all the way around the whole horizon" [see link] will be seen. That link btw suggests last minute flexibility, checking out the weather somewhere else and changing your plans.

I think everyone is considering the casinos nearby as a hedge to our bets that we will have a good time.

http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/what_you_see.htm

the next time Dame Fortune toys with your heart, your soul and your wallet, raise your glass and praise her thus: �Thanks for nothing, you cold-hearted, evil, damnable, nefarious, low-life, malicious monster from Hell!� She is, after all, stone deaf. ... Arnold Snyder

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July 23rd, 2017 at 2:42:45 PM permalink

Here is the first of a series of six Peanuts cartoons that refer to the eclipse of July 20, 1963. That eclipse was part of the Saros series, which repeats every 18 years and 11 days. The upcoming eclipse is also in that series, four eclipses after. An interesting thing about any eclipse series is they repeat in the shape every time, but shifted over to different lines of longitude.

It should be noted that Linus appears to agree with my poll choice above about it being unsafe to use only one layer of welder's glass.

BTW, the upcoming eclipse will the first all American total eclipse in the nation's history, meaning seen over no country besides the United States.

"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)

odiousgambit

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July 26th, 2017 at 9:18:14 AM permalink

Washington Post article warning about the crowds. Seems to me that the "because millions of people live within a reasonable driving distance" fact is offset enough by the numbers unwilling to travel far without room reservations. But maybe not! Don't quote me!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2017/07/25/no-firm-travel-plans-for-the-solar-eclipse-heres-what-to-expect-if-you-wing-it/?utm_term=.6f5f9fde0d8f

the next time Dame Fortune toys with your heart, your soul and your wallet, raise your glass and praise her thus: �Thanks for nothing, you cold-hearted, evil, damnable, nefarious, low-life, malicious monster from Hell!� She is, after all, stone deaf. ... Arnold Snyder

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July 26th, 2017 at 9:27:50 AM permalink

Here is the second in the series of six Peanuts eclipse comic strips.

The 7/20/63 eclipse the strip refers to was total starting in Japan, over Alaska, much of Canada, Maine, and ended over the Atlantic Ocean. It was seen as a partial eclipse in the other 47 continental states. Only Hawaii didn't have the pleasure to witness it.

A bit off topic, but there was a character named "555 95472" in Peanuts, called "5" for short. He explained his last name was his zip code. That zip code belongs to an area west of Santa Rosa, CA, or about 50 north of San Francisco, where Charles Schultz lived at the time. However, the strip routinely got a lot of snow in the winter, which would have been quite unusual for the area. Sorry to go off on the tangent. This might make for a good WoV trivia challenge question *hint*.

"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)

Ibeatyouraces

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July 26th, 2017 at 9:50:52 AM permalink

Quote: Wizard
A bit off topic, but there was a character named "555 95472" in Peanuts, called "5" for short. He explained his last name was his zip code. That zip code belongs to an area west of Santa Rosa, CA, or about 50 north of San Francisco, where Charles Schultz lived at the time. However, the strip routinely got a lot of snow in the winter, which would have been quite unusual for the area. Sorry to go off on the tangent. This might make for a good WoV trivia challenge question *hint*.

He's the one in the orangish yellow shirt and black pants. His twin sisters 333 and 444 are in the purple dresses.

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July 26th, 2017 at 11:21:57 AM permalink

I really liked that dancing scene. It would have been the lazy thing to do to make everyone dance the same way, but they all had a different style. They were all into it and dancing out of the joy of it as opposed to worrying how they looked, as dancing should be. Not that I'm an expert on the topic.

"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)

Doc

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July 26th, 2017 at 1:39:23 PM permalink

Quote: Wizard
In preparation for the eclipse, I purchased a telescopic lens from Amazon. ... To start, I took these pictures of the moon. {2 photos not quoted here} ... I welcome all suggestions.

For reference, the quoted lines are from the Wizard's post back on page 13 of this thread.

I really should try out the new lens that I purchased, too. I haven't yet taken a single shot with it. However, one thing slowly dawned on me about the two photos that the Wizard posted. He was testing various exposure settings and noted that the second image showed surface features of the moon much better than the first one.

Here's the thing (which may have been obvious from the start for everyone else): Those surface features of the moon were brightly lit by the sun when he took the photos. During the eclipse, we will be seeing the completely-dark side of the moon (lighted only by reflected Earth-light), and I doubt our photographs will show surface details of the moon at all, other than Bailey's Beads and other edge phenomena. I think for photographs of sky views, we are going to be exposing more for open-sky brightness (whatever that is during the eclipse) and for solar flare and such. I have no real idea what exposure will be best. For terrestrial shots of strange shadows and such, automatic settings will likely work quite well.

Guess I need to think on this more in the next few weeks. (Still hoping for clear skies in NC on 8/21.)

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July 26th, 2017 at 1:53:00 PM permalink

Quote: Doc
During the eclipse, we will be seeing the completely-dark side of the moon (lighted only by reflected Earth-light),

Can you expand on that. I thought the same side of the moon always faced earth. That's why we always see the same "man on the moon." In Mexico, they refer to the pattern as a rabbit (I welcome confirmation or correction on that). When the Apollo 8 mission orbited around the moon it was the first time men had seen the "dark side" of the moon.

Maybe you weren't referring to the dark side of the moon but just that the moon would appear dark, which I concur with having seen the 2009 eclipse. Just a black circle and no camera I think would have helped, as any light is overwhelmed by the sun's glare from behind the moon.

"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)

Ayecarumba

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July 26th, 2017 at 3:27:24 PM permalink

When the eclipse is still in a partial phase (before or after totality), you may be able to get shots of "Baily's Bead's" or other features on the edge of the Moon's disc. You will need a solar filter for the lens of your camera as sunlight will still be shining straight through your lens.

During the total phase of the eclipse, you will probably want to get a wider shot of the moon with the glowing corona of the Sun around it. Solar flares may be visible if we are lucky. The total light from the corona of the Sun is equivalent to that of a full moon, so it is dark, but not pitch black. A "Moonlight" filter is not necessary, but may be help your camera get a shot with the wispy parts of the corona visible, rather than a washed out white circle with a black middle. There are only a few minutes to observe and take photos of this phase, so planning ahead is very wise.

I believe the first images of the far side of the Moon were made by the Russians. That's why the features on that side all have Soviet names.

It will be difficult to get a picture of the surface of the Moon because the need for a solar filter during the partial phase will make everything except sunlight black. If I had to choose, I wouldn't waste the time on it, but if you can get a "light bouncing off the Earth back to the Moon then back to the Earth" shot of the Moon's surface during the total phase, I wish you luck.

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July 26th, 2017 at 3:37:18 PM permalink

I know the Cherokee casino very well -here's some thoughts to consider for eclipse-viewing:

- Cherokee is located in a low valley with the great smokey mountains immediately to the west and higher ridges all around. There are viewing angle considerations. People around the Smokies are planning to hike to the top of various mountains to view the eclipse. Nobody I know is heading for a narrow valley rimmed by mountains.

- You don't need a large regional weather pattern to block the sun. Any hiker in the Smokies will tell you: mountains make their own weather.
- There's a reason they were named the "Smokies."

- The parking lot at Cherokee is indeed huge (they had a concrete ramp collapse that closed their parking garage last year during their busy season and I can personally attest that it can be a lo-oong walk to the casino from your car.)
- However the parking lot is long and narrow, not square-shaped because it is in a valley - again, consider the "viewing angles" issue.

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July 26th, 2017 at 4:23:02 PM permalink

Quote: Wizard
Can you expand on that. I thought the same side of the moon always faced earth. That's why we always see the same "man on the moon."

Yes, we always see the same side of the Moon from the Earth -- sometimes that side is fully illuminated; sometimes it is partially illuminated, and sometimes it is the dark side. It is fully dark (or very nearly so) for a New Moon, such as exists for a solar eclipse. The photos you posted were of an almost-full Moon.

onenickelmiracle

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July 26th, 2017 at 5:47:40 PM permalink

I've always wanted to go to Alaska when it's either darkness or daylight for days and weeks. That sounds cooler than the eclipse and worth the expense.

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July 26th, 2017 at 5:59:38 PM permalink

Quote: onenickelmiracle
I've always wanted to go to Alaska when it's either darkness or daylight for days and weeks. That sounds cooler than the eclipse and worth the expense.

Watch Christopher Nolan's version of "Insomnia", and maybe you will rethink your position. Watch Vin Diesel in "Pitch Black" for reasons why it's not good on alien planets either... hehe

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odiousgambit

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July 26th, 2017 at 6:43:47 PM permalink

Quote: Doc
Thanks for that link, Joeman. From that site, I have learned that in Andrews, NC, at the time of the beginning of totality for the eclipse, the sun will be 63.42 degrees above the horizon (that's theoretical horizon, ignoring the mountains) and at a direction of 211.99 degrees clockwise from north. Now we know in what direction to look, as if we couldn't figure that out on the spot.

;-)

Getting back to this, correct me if I am wrong, but I believe 63.42 degrees is pretty high, presumably completely overhead would be 90 degrees? And the sun will be nearly in the southwest [225 degrees being exactly southwest]. Common experience also says the sun at 1 PM or so in NC in August will be plenty high enough not to be worried about being in a valley - I do appreciate the input though.

Not that we shouldn't envy anybody who reserves a spot on top of a ridge. But I think our main concern should be whether or not traffic problems are to be avoided. Even staying in our hotel's parking lot is an option for us, giving us not quite a minute and a half of total eclipse. The link below uses google's long/lat data and you can put your hotel's location [just normal address type] in the search portion to get the facts.

http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2017_GoogleMapFull.html?Lat=35.20175&Lng=-83.82407&Elv=-1.0&Zoom=7&LC=1

the next time Dame Fortune toys with your heart, your soul and your wallet, raise your glass and praise her thus: �Thanks for nothing, you cold-hearted, evil, damnable, nefarious, low-life, malicious monster from Hell!� She is, after all, stone deaf. ... Arnold Snyder

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July 26th, 2017 at 6:46:36 PM permalink

Quote: onenickelmiracle
I've always wanted to go to Alaska when it's either darkness or daylight for days and weeks. That sounds cooler than the eclipse and worth the expense.

We took a trip to Alaska about six years ago. For 2 1/2 weeks I never saw a dark night. Even after the sun sets it doesn't get dark. Once in Fairbanks I woke up at 3 AM and even though the sun was down it was still quite bright outdoors. Very strange. I genuinely missed a nice dark sky.

"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)

onenickelmiracle

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July 26th, 2017 at 6:53:52 PM permalink

Quote: Wizard
We took a trip to Alaska about six years ago. For 2 1/2 weeks I never saw a dark night. Even after the sun sets it doesn't get dark. Once in Fairbanks I woke up at 3 AM and even though the sun was down it was still quite bright outdoors. Very strange. I genuinely missed a nice dark sky.

I was sure it got old after a while.

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LuckyPhow

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July 26th, 2017 at 7:26:10 PM permalink

Quote: gordonm888
I know the Cherokee casino very well

You are correct for the older Cherokee casino. However, the Valley River Cherokee casino outside Murphy has a much more open parking lot, and the nearby hills are not nearly as extreme as those around the older casino.

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July 27th, 2017 at 7:11:11 AM permalink

Quote: LuckyPhow
You are correct for the older Cherokee casino. However, the Valley River Cherokee casino outside Murphy has a much more open parking lot, and the nearby hills are not nearly as extreme as those around the older casino.

My bad. I did think you were referring to the Cherokee casino in Cherokee, NC.

So many better men, a few of them friends, are dead. And a thousand thousand slimy things live on, and so do I.

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July 28th, 2017 at 10:50:47 AM permalink

In case anyone is in need of glasses;

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1312580-REG/lunt_solar_systems_bh_eclipsegls5_b_h_eclipse_glasses_5_pack.html

5 pair for $4.99 with free shipping.

Product Highlights

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Blocks 99.999% of Intense Visible Light
100% Protection from UV and IR Radiation
Scratch-Resistant Lens Material

JackStraw8004

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July 29th, 2017 at 5:44:32 AM permalink

This is how you get burned. I know it's early but St Joseph, Mo is a prime viewing area. The town is going all out to get people there. The latest Accuweather prediction. Sunday-Plenty of Clouds, Monday-Considerable Cloudiness, Tuesday-Considerable Cloudiness. So a low pressure system is going to park it's ass over the St Joseph area for three straight days, 8/20-8/22. Weather can change many times between now and then but would you pay to book a room there. The airport is selling camping and parking passes. St Joseph is a fantastic viewing area with 2:38 of totality. It will be a ghost town if that weather prediction comes to pass.

odiousgambit

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July 29th, 2017 at 7:34:25 AM permalink

Quote: JackStraw8004
a low pressure system is going to park it's ass over the St Joseph area for three straight days, 8/20-8/22.

Hope so! That improves the chances for high pressure over NC! A Machiavellian situation we are in; in order to get good prices for the farmer's crop, it's best that everyone else's fails.

However, as you note, it is a bit early to get excited or morose.

the next time Dame Fortune toys with your heart, your soul and your wallet, raise your glass and praise her thus: �Thanks for nothing, you cold-hearted, evil, damnable, nefarious, low-life, malicious monster from Hell!� She is, after all, stone deaf. ... Arnold Snyder

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July 29th, 2017 at 10:04:20 AM permalink

Quote: odiousgambit
Hope so! That improves the chances for high pressure over NC!

Not so fast, odi!

The same weather site forecasts "cloudy and a little rain" for western NC on eclipse day.

And, as everyone knows, the weather forecasters are always 100+ percent accurate, right? Right??

SOOPOO

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July 29th, 2017 at 10:52:44 AM permalink

These jokers are actually putting out a 'forecast' for more than 3 weeks in advance?

beachbumbabs

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July 29th, 2017 at 10:58:42 AM permalink

Quote: Ayecarumba
When the eclipse is still in a partial phase (before or after totality), you may be able to get shots of "Baily's Bead's" or other features on the edge of the Moon's disc. You will need a solar filter for the lens of your camera as sunlight will still be shining straight through your lens.

During the total phase of the eclipse, you will probably want to get a wider shot of the moon with the glowing corona of the Sun around it. Solar flares may be visible if we are lucky. The total light from the corona of the Sun is equivalent to that of a full moon, so it is dark, but not pitch black. A "Moonlight" filter is not necessary, but may be help your camera get a shot with the wispy parts of the corona visible, rather than a washed out white circle with a black middle. There are only a few minutes to observe and take photos of this phase, so planning ahead is very wise.

I believe the first images of the far side of the Moon were made by the Russians. That's why the features on that side all have Soviet names.

It will be difficult to get a picture of the surface of the Moon because the need for a solar filter during the partial phase will make everything except sunlight black. If I had to choose, I wouldn't waste the time on it, but if you can get a "light bouncing off the Earth back to the Moon then back to the Earth" shot of the Moon's surface during the total phase, I wish you luck.

I'm hoping for a really cool stunt, now that we have incredibly powerful lasers. What if, during totality, someone beamed a logo onto the moon? Chapel Hill NC has one of the premier laser labs worldwide, and I have a childhood friend who works there....hmmm.

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Ibeatyouraces

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July 29th, 2017 at 11:38:16 AM permalink

Quote: SOOPOO
These jokers are actually putting out a 'forecast' for more than 3 weeks in advance?

Most of the time they can't get it right 1 day on advance.

DUHHIIIIIIIII HEARD THAT!

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July 30th, 2017 at 7:38:25 PM permalink

Quote: beachbumbabs
...I'm hoping for a really cool stunt, now that we have incredibly powerful lasers. What if, during totality, someone beamed a logo onto the moon? Chapel Hill NC has one of the premier laser labs worldwide, and I have a childhood friend who works there....hmmm.

That would be pretty cool. I think something similar, but more permanent, was part of the plot of the movie Hancock.

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onenickelmiracle

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July 30th, 2017 at 7:55:25 PM permalink

clelete.

Last edited by: onenickelmiracle on Jul 31, 2017

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billryan

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July 31st, 2017 at 12:35:31 AM permalink

Anyone up for chartering a small plane and flying into it?

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SOOPOO

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July 31st, 2017 at 4:09:58 AM permalink

My sons were unaware that Doc had purchased viewing glasses and made their own purchase, so Doc, that's 3 more glasses you have to give to any viewers in need!

Joeman

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July 31st, 2017 at 9:20:54 AM permalink

I'm curious if anyone has a contingency plan for bad weather. In theory, if the Cherokee crew checked the weather at 6:00 AM, they would have enough time to travel west possibly as far as Paducah or as far east as Charleston, assuming normal traffic (which is probably a bad assumption for that particular day).

So, if it's overcast when you get up, are you going to try for a different location or stay put? Personally, I would want to drive to where the weather might be better, but how much of a mess would it be on the highways that morning?

Quote: LuckyPhow
And, as everyone knows, the weather forecasters are always 100+ percent accurate, right? Right??

I've always thought that Vegas oddsmakers would do a much better job predicting the weather than the weather man.

By the way, I tried out the cheapo eclipse glasses I got from Amazon the other day. I stared at the sun for about 10 seconds with them on. I can still see.

"Dealer has 'rock'... Pay 'paper!'"

LuckyPhow

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July 31st, 2017 at 10:24:41 AM permalink

Quote: Joeman
I'm curious if anyone has a contingency plan for bad weather ... if it's overcast when you get up, are you going to try for a different location or stay put? Personally, I would want to drive to where the weather might be better, but how much of a mess would it be on the highways that morning?

Joe,

Didn't you get the memo?

Quote: gordonm888
In fact, most of East Tennessee is shutting down on that day.

And, so are all the other communities that are anywhere near the totality area of the eclipse. The best-located communities are all planning a day-long party, with lots of visitors spending lots of $$ and clogging every road, street, and alley.

No one will be going anywhere. Personally, I think folks trying to drive from Cherokee to Andrews are pushing their luck if they leave much after sunrise. Google sez it takes about 1 hour at 45 mph during normal conditions. But, eclipse day will not be a "normal" driving day.

GWAE

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July 31st, 2017 at 1:16:40 PM permalink

I don't buy that traffic is going to be that insane. I bet if you walked down the road right now and asked 50 people what is happening on Aug 21st, you would had 2 people even have a clue.

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Toes14

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July 31st, 2017 at 3:42:45 PM permalink

I'm lucky. The path of totality is going just southwest of St. Louis. Both my house, my daughters' schools, and my new job's office (I start August 9th) are all inside the path of totality. And the full eclipse happens at 12:17 pm, so it's on my lunch hour. Now I just need to get some of those glasses to wear . . .

"Bite my Glorious Golden Ass!" - Bender Bending Rodriguez

ThatDonGuy

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July 31st, 2017 at 4:24:56 PM permalink

Quote: GWAE
I don't buy that traffic is going to be that insane. I bet if you walked down the road right now and asked 50 people what is happening on Aug 21st, you would had 2 people even have a clue.

All it takes is a few people who couldn't get hotels to think that they can drive into the path of totality and then pull over - or even come to a stop in the middle of the road - to pretty much bring things to a halt.

beachbumbabs

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July 31st, 2017 at 5:04:27 PM permalink

Quote: ThatDonGuy
All it takes is a few people who couldn't get hotels to think that they can drive into the path of totality and then pull over - or even come to a stop in the middle of the road - to pretty much bring things to a halt.

Yeah, one thing you don't want to be doing at the eclipse is driving. I would expect oblivious people to freak out, and a fair amount of them.will be on the road somewhere.

If the House lost every hand, they wouldn't deal the game.

gordonm888
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July 31st, 2017 at 5:53:43 PM permalink

Quote: GWAE
I don't buy that traffic is going to be that insane. I bet if you walked down the road right now and asked 50 people what is happening on Aug 21st, you would had 2 people even have a clue.

I don't think traffic will be terrible either because people are not converging on the same location, but I don't agree that only 2/50 would know. In East Tennessee, the schools are closing, the local governments are closed on that day and some businesses are letting people off for the day or the afternoon -no one wants to be required to be indoors on that day.

Out total eclipse will be happening between 2:00 and 3:00 depending upon your exact location. I think that even if its overcast or raining, people will still be partying and enjoying the darkness.

So many better men, a few of them friends, are dead. And a thousand thousand slimy things live on, and so do I.

ThatDonGuy

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August 1st, 2017 at 8:12:54 AM permalink

I vaguely remember, in the early 1970s, at least one network covering the total eclipse with the same level as an Apollo mission. I wouldn't be surprised if this one is handled the same way - maybe not by the broadcast networks, but this is the sort of thing CNN loves to cover wall-to-wall, the way it did with the Pathfinder landing on Mars. (Let's see how far they can get into the coverage without a Ladyhawke reference.) I expect more and more hype as the day approaches, so a lot of people who don't know about it now will know about it by the time it happens.

Hopefully the main coverage is not limited to the NASA channel, since it's on the "pretty much everything except HBO" tier on my cable system.

Wizard
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August 1st, 2017 at 11:24:48 AM permalink

Here is the 7-17-1963 Peanuts strip.

Since it refers to the visibility area of the July 20, 1963 eclipse, I'll post this image of it.

You can see it was partial over the entire lower 48 states and total in a big swath of Alaska and across Maine. Only Hawaii missed it. Since Hawaii is part of the United States, Linus was technically correct, but I think a more informative answer would have been along the lines of what I just wrote.

As far as traffic, hard to predict as we haven't had a total eclipse in this country that could be seen in populated areas in such a long time. Maybe a bad comparison but I recall doomsday traffic predictions for the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles but traffic was actually better than the average weekday for LA. I think everybody was so freaked out about it that they made every effort to not drive except if absolutely necessary.

I've probably said this before, but I would plan to get to wherever you plan to be at least 2-3 hours early. I think the experience will be more memorable anyway, as you'll be able to appreciate the build-up to the big event with a crowd.

"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)

gordonm888
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August 1st, 2017 at 6:52:16 PM permalink

Google maps has an interactive map of the eclipse path. You can zoom in to the point that you can see individual buildings, click on the building (or on any spot) and get a pop-up display telling you the duration of totality and all sorts of data.

So, my house in Farragut Tennessee will experience totality for 1 minute 36.4 seconds. If we walk to the middle of the road in the cul-de-sac on which we live (about 200 feet from my house) the totality duration is 1:36.6 -an extra 0.2 seconds.

We may opt not to drive 30-45 miles to get an extra minute of totality. Instead, we might just have a party on our street (especially if the weather forecast is bad.) Any opinions as to what you would do?

So many better men, a few of them friends, are dead. And a thousand thousand slimy things live on, and so do I.

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August 1st, 2017 at 7:41:39 PM permalink

The house party is a great idea. You could rig a backlit screen to view a magnified view during the partial phase that folks could watch without special glasses.

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci

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