What about the rest of the world!!
It is an amazing spectacle (provided there are no clouds), and certainly worth some travelling to see it.
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What about the rest of the world!!
It is an amazing spectacle (provided there are no clouds), and certainly worth some travelling to see it.
Can someone explain why the claimed shadow of the moon is vastly more bumpy than it ever appears in the night sky? Or how to square this with the fact that altitude of the highest and lowest points on the Moon differ by less than 20km, or less than 1% of the diameter? The shadow looks like it has bumps of about 5-10% of the diameter.
1. Don't plan to drive anywhere on eclipse day (90% of the US lives within an 8hr drive of totality, so traffic will be horrible)
2. A 600-800mm lens is optimal for photography. Anything short of 200mm is useless.
3. Don't make any solid plans until 3-4 days before. Most places only have about 40% chance of it being clear.
4. If you're photographing the partial phases. Stop and check everything (batteries, memory card, focus, etc) about 5 min before totality.
5. If you have any technological issues during totality, just sit back and enjoy watching it.
6. On eclipse day, if you're in a place that has 2 min or more of totality, just stay there. There's not a lot to be gained by risking moving.
7. All across the US, the sun will be high in the sky, good horizons aren't necessary.
Best advice I've accumulated so far: 1. Don't plan to drive anywhere on eclipse day (90% of the US lives within an 8hr drive of totality, so traffic will be horrible) 2. A 600-800mm lens is optimal for photography. Anything short of 200mm is useless. 3. Don't make any solid plans until 3-4 days before. Most places only have about 40% chance of it being clear. 4. If you're photographing the partial phases. Stop and ch…
> Don't make any solid plans until 3-4 days before. Most places only have about 40% chance of it being clear.
If you haven't made plans already, you are probably driving.
Best I could do was get a room in portland the night before. Gonna have to get up stupid early and try to make it. 3-4 days before is gonna be tough.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is there something special about this total eclipse over others?
It's "relatively" easily accessible for those living in the United States and covers a huge swath of the country. Many total solar eclipses happen over the middle of the ocean, or at the poles, or in a location that is not as easily accessible. The next eclipse (after this one) to pass through the United States is in 2024.
> HOW TO WATCH THE ECLIPSE (AND SHADOW SNAKES) - Smarter Every Day 171
I heard from a co-worker who plans to travel to Oregon that some of the hotel rooms in the path of the umbra are sometimes > 2-3k USD for the night(s) prior to the eclipse.
I am on a project in Bend, OR and the city is booked solid for that week. The camp grounds are booked as well. Your best bet would be to rent an RV and boondock out on the BLM land around town. Yes the hotel prices are very high, but I hadn't seen any that high.
Smarter Every Day just posted a great video related to this: > HOW TO WATCH THE ECLIPSE (AND SHADOW SNAKES) - Smarter Every Day 171 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc7MfcKF1-s