JCC Where will you be during the full solar eclipse of August 21, 2017? (April 8, 2024 Edition)

This is classic Trump. People probably told him not to look at it directly, but does he care what those losers say?

Anyway, we had 97% totality here in Atlanta. It got about as dark as early dusk levels, no more... I expected a little darker, but you really have to be at 100% for true darkness.

 

I'm going to Argentina in 2019 damnit

 

Trump is the greatest person ever to look directly at the sun without proper eye protection. Nobody in history has ever looked more directly at the sun.

 

Keeeeep looking....just keep on looking...

 

It was pretty lame. Even at 99.2%.

 

Just imagine the headlines:

US President Goes Blind Staring at Eclipse Sun

 

Lord Vivec - thanks for sharing those pictures. That was my extent of it, beyond the tv.

 

"Those 'experts' told me not to look at the sun. Told me to wear glasses. What a bunch of weak nerds!! SAD"

 

You're welcome.

 

Evil losers!!!!

 

His out of control eyebrows saved him.

 

I was fortunate enough to experience totality today (in Columbia, SC). It was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. During the partial period, you could gradually see the sunlight kind of dimming--it looked almost muted the closer we got to totality. The most eerie thing was the crescent shapes of sunlight shining through the trees, on cars, etc.

Then came totality, and it honestly felt like someone switching off a light in the sky. It went to dusk-level darkness in a matter of seconds. The street lights came on, and we could see stars in the night sky at quarter-to-three in the afternoon. And looking at the eclipse itself, the sheer brilliance of the corona... just wow.

Another weird thing was the temperature change. Since this is SC, it didn't go down much. But it was bizarre (and kind of nice) to stand in direct "sunlight" and barely even feel the rays of the sun. I was also barefoot, and I could feel the pavement of my driveway become less hot under my feet as time went on. We started in the low 90s and I think dipped down to the mid-80s during totality. My feet could barely feel any heat from the grass and driveway by the time the sun reemerged! (I'm very curious how a total eclipse would feel in winter--I'm guessing it would be less welcome. )

I wasn't on campus today, and I certainly didn't take this picture, but here is a photo of the campus of the University of South Carolina during totality this afternoon:

 

Alas, I'm afraid I don't live far enough south for the sun to set before 5, even in winter!

 

I tried too late to get the glasses but where I was became overcast. At one point there was no direct sunlight so I took a look and lo and behold between thick clouds but still behind thin clouds I caught three good looks over a minute lasting a couple of seconds a piece.

 

Pictures didn't come out properly. Will try again in a bit.

 

Can't see those photobucket pics.

Here you will find the ISS taking part in the eclipse.

 

Can't see those photobucket pics.

Here you will find the ISS taking part in the eclipse.

 

My wife and I drove a ways to see the eclipse. The traffic wasn't that bad, though. Once it got a little congested we took some "back roads" (as in anything that wasn't an Interstate).

We got lucky. Just to the north we could see that the sky was filled with clouds, but above us was all clear. It started to get cool when it was around 90% totality. At that point, the gradual decline in brightness started to become more obvious, although an annoying effect was that a lot more gnats started flying around us.

The light and shadows became increasingly surreal around the 3 minute mark before the total eclipse. The light on the ground was dim with a slightly orange hue. We looked for the crescent shaped shadows but couldn't see a difference.

The shift from partial to total eclipse was immediate, and the sky got much darker then. It didn't become as dark as I had expected. More like twilight, and we could see a few stars. We could see parts of the horizon in gaps in the trees in four directions, and the horizon was pink in each direction. Right after the eclipse began, a dog howled. (Cliche, I know.)

By far, the most impressive aspect of it was the way the moon itself looked backlit by the sun. It was jet black, and we could see the feathery wisps of the sun's corona behind it. It look like a utterly black star with light emanating around its edges. Pictures really don't do it credit. The odd quality of its luminosity can't really be captured in a photo.

The total eclipse lasted a little over two minutes. As the sun popped out at the end, I got a glimpse of it with my naked eye. Oops! The change in brightness levels is incredible, and honestly, I can't understand how or why anyone would stare at an eclipse when it's not in totality. The instant the sun was visible, I had to look away, and I could hardly see the moon at all, as the spread of the light rays almost entirely masked it.

When the sun brightened again, we noticed the sound of insects chirping begin, and as the sky grew brighter over the next fifteen minutes, they seem to slowly quiet. We noticed a slightly confused cricket near our picnic sight beneath a tree as we went over to pack it up. Maybe that's not special, but I thought crickets are nocturnal.

Overall, it was a very cool experience. Wish it could've lasted longer.

 

Yeah, this was exactly my experience (but you described it better than I did!).

BTW, where in South Carolina were you?