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The most accurate map for August 21’s total solar eclipse

nasaviz.gsfc.nasa.gov

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Re: The most accurate map for August 21’s total solar eclipse

#131

Post by mudil »

overdunk wrote: post #128
gmiller123456 wrote: post #74

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…

90% of the US lives within an 8hr drive of totality, so traffic will be horrible Oh, come on. Less than 5% of America actually cares enough about astronomical events to drive 30 minutes to see something. Much less book a hotel stay. August 21st is a Monday afternoon, so how many employed Americans are going to ask for the day off, to drive 8 hours, with a 200mm telephoto lens or telescope? If totality is the size of…

Totality lasts ~2 minutes

Re: The most accurate map for August 21’s total solar eclipse

#132

Post by Crisco »

jzawodn wrote: post #20
wyldfire wrote: post #2

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.

Yeah, it's crazy. I waited too long to plan and we're flying (ourselves) up to Idaho Falls and paying like $700/night. Selection was really bad and virtually every other town I tried had zero availability at any price!

Yeah, I'm from Idaho Falls and know someone that is renting out their house for $8k a night. I tried to convince my parents that they should do the same thing with their house, but they'd rather stay in house and not worry about traffic those days. Most of the town is going to close down for a few days around the eclipse because of all the visitors.

Re: The most accurate map for August 21’s total solar eclipse

#133

Post by overdunk »

mudil wrote: post #131
overdunk wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

90% of the US lives within an 8hr drive of totality, so traffic will be horrible Oh, come on. Less than 5% of America actually cares enough about astronomical events to drive 30 minutes to see something. Much less book a hotel stay. August 21st is a Monday afternoon, so how many employed Americans are going to ask for the day off, to drive 8 hours, with a 200mm telephoto lens or telescope? If totality is the size of…

Totality lasts ~2 minutes

You are correct, sir. And thinking about OP's statement a little more, maybe staying off the road is a good idea in the sense that a two minute eclipse can distract drivers on the road.

But in general, unless you happen to glance at the sun in your field of view during the eclipse, it's all the darkness of passing clouds for most of the country.

Are traffic accidents statistically affected by proximity to a total eclipse of the sun?

Re: The most accurate map for August 21’s total solar eclipse

#134

Post by ComputerGuru »

jayess wrote: post #46

Times in UTC would be more helpful.

Not for an event where the total eclipse will only be visible in the continental US. The map in TFA changes timezones so that local time is always used. It's the same as flight schedules where takeoff and ETA are always represented in local time.

Re: The most accurate map for August 21’s total solar eclipse

#135

Post by afterburner »

sulam wrote: post #125
ngokevin wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For other people's information, it will cut through Mexico, Texas (incl. Dallas), Arkansas, New York (Buffalo), Maine.

Err, what will? Partial? Totality cuts from Oregon to South Carolina and gets nowhere near Mexico or Maine.

He's talking about the 2024 eclipse.

Re: The most accurate map for August 21’s total solar eclipse

#136

Post by marvin »

Regarding weather, places that have clouds due to convection have a chance of clearing up during the eclipse. I experienced this in China in 2009 - completely overcast two hours before totality, clearing up just in time due to lower solar insolation and less convection.

You shouldn't count on this, try positioning for good weather in advance regardless, but just keep it in mind so you don't crash your car heading for better weather if things look poor.

Re: The most accurate map for August 21’s total solar eclipse

#137

Post by maxst »

overdunk wrote: post #128
gmiller123456 wrote: post #74

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…

90% of the US lives within an 8hr drive of totality, so traffic will be horrible Oh, come on. Less than 5% of America actually cares enough about astronomical events to drive 30 minutes to see something. Much less book a hotel stay. August 21st is a Monday afternoon, so how many employed Americans are going to ask for the day off, to drive 8 hours, with a 200mm telephoto lens or telescope? If totality is the size of…

2016 article:

http://www.oregonlive.com/travel/index.ssf/2016/08/7_things_...

Hotels across Oregon are already booked solid. Court Priday, manager of the Inn at Cross Keys Station in Madras, said rooms have been gone for a long, long time. "We've been getting phone calls like crazy," he said. "We've been sold out for about three years."

Re: The most accurate map for August 21’s total solar eclipse

#138

Post by marvin »

scott_s wrote: post #69
ErrantAstro wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are two principal factors at work here. The first is the eccentricity of the lunar orbit - 0.0549 which means that depending on where in the lunar orbit the eclipse occurs, the moon is closer or further away meaning the apparent size ratio between the Sun and Moon varies. In fact - it's even possible to have an eclipse where the Sun's limb is visible around the edge of the Moon at totality - this is called an a…

To anyone who viewed the YouTube link above, reference [2], go back to about 2:45 and watch the start of the diamond ring effect. It's spectacular.

And even better in reality. Everyone science and nature-interested who live near the totality, should seizr the opportunity to go see this.

Re: The most accurate map for August 21’s total solar eclipse

#139

Post by [deleted] »

scott_s wrote: post #69
ErrantAstro wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are two principal factors at work here. The first is the eccentricity of the lunar orbit - 0.0549 which means that depending on where in the lunar orbit the eclipse occurs, the moon is closer or further away meaning the apparent size ratio between the Sun and Moon varies. In fact - it's even possible to have an eclipse where the Sun's limb is visible around the edge of the Moon at totality - this is called an a…

To anyone who viewed the YouTube link above, reference [2], go back to about 2:45 and watch the start of the diamond ring effect. It's spectacular.

[deleted]

Re: The most accurate map for August 21’s total solar eclipse

#140

Post by aaroninsf »

Crisco wrote: post #132
jzawodn wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, it's crazy. I waited too long to plan and we're flying (ourselves) up to Idaho Falls and paying like $700/night. Selection was really bad and virtually every other town I tried had zero availability at any price!

Yeah, I'm from Idaho Falls and know someone that is renting out their house for $8k a night. I tried to convince my parents that they should do the same thing with their house, but they'd rather stay in house and not worry about traffic those days. Most of the town is going to close down for a few days around the eclipse because of all the visitors.

Say, many friends and I are all converging to camp just outside Pocatello with the intention to drive up first thing that morning, either up 15, to 33, or over to Rexburg/Idaho Falls area...

...would you have any advice on where you think we might want to go (assuming we're not fighting clouds)?

We could only get our campground on the night of the 20th, so don't have time to do reconnaissance as we would have wished; the main thing is just to make sure we get somewhere with a view of some kind.

(I lived in Utah as a kid and came up through the area many times but can't correlate my ancient memories with places...)

All ears!

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