Solar Eclipse 2024

[gthomas785]

Is anyone else making plans to see this? It should be practically perfect timing wise and it looks like we will not have another one in the U.S. for a while. This one will pass right across the USA from Texas to New England in the middle of the day.

In 2017, I skipped out on an opportunity to go see the total eclipse and I've been kicking myself ever since. If you're located anywhere near the path of it, I definitely recommend putting in a little bit of effort to go and experience it! I will probably be making about a 3-ish hour drive from my place to be near the center of the path of totality. Fingers crossed for a clear day.

Here are some maps,

National Eclipse

NationalEclipse.com is your one-stop source for information on eclipses.

nationaleclipse.com

Here's a table with the timing of the eclipse in various cities,

Apr 8, 2024 – Total Solar Eclipse in the United States

Eclipse visible in the United States – where can you see it, what time does it happen, and which 51 states have the best cloud and weather forecasts?

www.timeanddate.com

and here's a video about why solar eclipses are so cool!

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[peakbagger]

I am about 12 miles south of the path of totality in NH. Odds are not great we will have clear skies but I do have a spot picked out in the path and plan to do a scouting hike in the next week. The problem with the path in Me, NH and VT is it is in a very rural area that is in the in between season. Many logging roads are gated for mud season and the national forest roads are gated. What tourist services available are booked. The folks who booked a year ago for few days will look like genius's, or chumps if its cloudy.

The problem is that there are limited major highways into the area from the more populous areas to the south. These highways have a limited carrying capacity and that is usually hit on major holidaysand Nascar races (in NH). Given the hype on the news, the volume of traffic is going to exceed the capacity. The event is on a Monday so people will tend to trickle in over the weekend (if they can find a place to stay as most campgrounds are closed). Far worse will be the traffic heading south Monday evening. It doesn't help that the major north south Interstate in VT is closed in one southbound lane due to a major rockfall. Even if people do make it up here, they assume that services like gas, food and restrooms will be available, if the forecast is for clear weather, that is not a guarantee. The last major event in VT was Phish concert in 2004 and in that case one large music festival closed I 91 and turned it into a parking lot for miles as well as any secondary roads.

 

[Montanalocal]

I have been in a total solar eclipse. Do not worry about looking at the sun. Get up on a high point where you can see the surrounding countryside. It is the shadow sweeping extremely rapidly over the countryside that is impressive.

 

[gthomas785]

Another thing to keep in mind is that if you're on the edge of the path, the totality will be very short in duration, if you're near the center it will be over 3 minutes.

Yeah, I've been a little worried about dealing with the crowds and traffic too. Just gonna allow plenty of time and stay away from the big towns...

 

[begreen]

We were in the Oregon desert at ground zero for the 2017 eclipse. There were only about 20 people at our remote campsite. Fortunately, one was a serious astronomer that brought a nice telescope. If you haven't experienced a total eclipse, get prepared now and go for it.

 

[Max W]

Yeah, Here in Maine for example emergency management officials in Piscataquis County are expecting a huge influx and major road traffic. They will be closing some alternate roads for emergency vehicle use, further concentrating traffic. Schools will be closed as getting students home after school would be a challenge. Greenville, central to the path, and other towns are gearing up. What happens when crowds descend on a small town with few roads and pretty much only one way back out? Drivers looking for access to that higher long view and approaching shadow may not know that some roads are likely to be muddy or impassable and for the sake of regular users shouldn’t be rutted up. It would be great if it is an exciting experience and things go smoothly but if the weather there and some other northern locations is fine it has a good chance of it becoming a mess.

 

[gthomas785]

I definitely know what it's like to be in a small town overrun by tourists. lol. At least Northern Maine is probably a bit too far for most Boston and NYC people to travel to, I feel really bad for places like Burlington VT which I assume is just going to be a total zoo..
For that reason I was on the fence for a while about even trying to see the eclipse because I don't want to be part of that problem, but then I'm like hey they're going to have a problem whether I go or not so do I really want to miss on probably the once in a lifetime opportunity?
I'm just gonna pack a nice lunch and dinner, gas up before leaving and hope I can find a good spot without too much drama. Might feel a bit like going to Woodstock...

 

[begreen]

The scenes at places with facilities like parks in Eastern OR were truly nuts. These areas normally might see 10-20 vistors a day in nice weather got overwhelmed with thousands. We were lucky to have a friend that scoped out a secret spot with a clear view. It was a a retired highway maintenance gravel pit which was a bit off the beaten track but not inaccessible. We set up camp 2 days in advance and stayed the night after the eclipse instead of trying to fight the crowds inching their way back to the freeways and cities on local 2 lane roads. The first night there were 5 of us. The next day there were 3 more and by night before another 10 arrived.

 

[johneh]

In my lifetime I have been party to 6 eclipses 3 total and 3 partial
not going to bother with this one. The last ones the world didn't
explode or implode no Aliens and water didn't run backwards.
so I'll stay home and watch it on TV or not

 

[stoveliker]

We're not at totality here, but my parents come in the following day (...), so we won't be going upstate.

We did experience totality in 2017 in TN - strange day as I had a rather important surgery that day to take something out that would have make me kick the bucket. Only after another 8 weeks (with the stuff being sent to famous places (pathology) around the country...) they were able to tell me I'd survive.
The surgery itself was relatively minor and based on my pushing they allowed me to leave the hospital early. So I walked (still swaying from remnant anaesthesia) out of the hospital 2 minutes before totality started. Almost keeled over, but my wife kept me upright.
I saw totality, and so did the kids (who were at home). Short time though of only 3 minutes as we were at the edge there.

For me total eclipses will always be framed by this life event from that time. Not sure how much I look forward to that. The kids here will have a school party on the parking lot for the partial eclipse.
I presume they'll do a pinhole camera experiment (at least, they should...)
Being outside with totality is nice; hearing birds behave like it's evening. (not sure partial will be dark enough for that).

Oh, and I like SmarterEveryday a lot. Interesting things he does.

 

[thewoodlands]

Is anyone else making plans to see this? It should be practically perfect timing wise and it looks like we will not have another one in the U.S. for a while. This one will pass right across the USA from Texas to New England in the middle of the day.

In 2017, I skipped out on an opportunity to go see the total eclipse and I've been kicking myself ever since. If you're located anywhere near the path of it, I definitely recommend putting in a little bit of effort to go and experience it! I will probably be making about a 3-ish hour drive from my place to be near the center of the path of totality. Fingers crossed for a clear day.

Here are some maps,

National Eclipse

NationalEclipse.com is your one-stop source for information on eclipses.

nationaleclipse.com

Here's a table with the timing of the eclipse in various cities,

Apr 8, 2024 – Total Solar Eclipse in the United States

Eclipse visible in the United States – where can you see it, what time does it happen, and which 51 states have the best cloud and weather forecasts?

www.timeanddate.com

and here's a video about why solar eclipses are so cool!

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

The last report I saw was for poor viewing in our area but yes we plan on viewing it. We're not sure where on our property we'll view it, maybe just the front yard.

 

[gthomas785]

The last report I saw was for poor viewing in our area but yes we plan on viewing it. We're not sure where on our property we'll view it, maybe just the front yard.

Jealous

 

[thewoodlands]

Jealous

We had planned on heading back in on the four wheeler on our property I cut on but the wife mentioned something about watching it from the front yard. Hopefully the viewing conditions change for our area.

 

[joop]

everytime something happens in the stars,always cloudy

 

[gthomas785]

Where are you all getting these 2+ week forecasts? I never see anything predicted beyond the next 10 days and I tend not to trust any prediction more than 3-4 days out

 

[thewoodlands]

Where are you all getting these 2+ week forecasts? I never see anything predicted beyond the next 10 days and I tend not to trust any prediction more than 3-4 days out

This is from AccuWeathers site.

What areas of the US have the best chance for good weather?​

Southern Texas and areas of the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes currently have the best chance of favorable weather for the total solar eclipse based on the latest data, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.

The odds of cloudy weather are slightly higher in the Mississippi Valley and Tennessee Valley, while the Northeast faces the highest risk of clouds. However, there is still a chance that cloud-free weather will win out in these areas on April 8 as the sun, moon and Earth align to create the eclipse.

 

[Northern NH Mike]

I'm just about ten miles south of the totality boundary so I am planning to stay home and take in what Mother Nature gives us. The spectre of impassable roads in Coos County is not appealing at all. Enjoy!

 

[barnaclebob]

I'm just about ten miles south of the totality boundary so I am planning to stay home and take in what Mother Nature gives us. The spectre of impassable roads in Coos County is not appealing at all. Enjoy!

Do not do this. Not in totality is near worthless and traffic wont be that bad being so close. Its when everyone has to filter to the same interstate or major highway where the jams are. Most people who travel try to get to the center as well.

Even a few miles into totality will give you a good amount of time. Eclipses are one of the coolest natural phenomenon on the planet, dont miss one when you are this close if its not cloudy.

 

[gthomas785]

I'm just about ten miles south of the totality boundary so I am planning to stay home and take in what Mother Nature gives us. The spectre of impassable roads in Coos County is not appealing at all. Enjoy!

Sounds like a wasted opportunity of a lifetime! I wish I lived that close.

 

[stoveliker]

I agree. The difference between totality and 99% is humongous. The differences in darkness is huge.

And I've seen it back in 2017

 

[begreen]

There are so many cool things that happen as totallity is reached. If one is at a high location you can see the moon shadow moving across the landscape. The color and temperature shift are immediately noticeable. Birds pickup on this and go quiet. If a someone has a high powered and well equipped telescope, the sight is quite amazing.

 

[kborndale]

Honestly, it doesn't really do much for me, I will be in Killington VT that day skiing, so close to totallity and maybe will make sure I'm at the peak bar at the time but I won't be going out of my way to see it. 65% chance it's going to be cloudy anyway.

 

[Northern NH Mike]

All,

Coos County has one secondary north/south road in an d out of the totality and maybe two secondary east wests. Thanks for the encouragement, but I'll be more than happy where I am . Enjoy if you have the opportunity

 

[woodgeek]

I saw the BIG one (6m52s totality) in 1991 from La Paz, Mexico. It was awesome.

Philly is several hours from the totality line, but if the weather forecasts are good on Sunday, I will drive Sunday night to the line, hoping to be there by dawn (and before any hordes).

My own googling suggests Watertown NY (5 hours away) has better historical weather forecasts than Buffalo. And my ex is driving to her cousins in Cleveland (7 hours) for the weekend. I didn't tell her that it has a terrible historical forecast.

And we will see what the fates have in store.

 

[peakbagger]

Its looking like VT, NH and Maine has the best shot for clear weather for the eclipse. The areas just to the south of the eclipse path got hammered by wet winter storm that took down trees and powerlines while the eclipse path just got snow, and plenty of it. Its supposed to clear up on Sunday and be in the mid fifties on Monday. The snow is melting and the area is definitely in mud season. That means everyone will be concentrated along the primary roads as most of the private logging roads are closed (and in some cases blocked) and dirt roads will be mess. Snowmobile season is over and its way to early for ATVs so its going to be interesting. Road bans are on the side roads, so my Unimog will stay parked as folks think it weighs more than it does (empty)

I plan to do a snowshoe to a viewpoint to watch the event as its not that far from my house and will let me get in one last snowshoe of the winter (I hope).

I expect a lot of folks will be attempting to head north for the event last minute. No doubt they all will be heading south Monday night and create the "mother of all traffic jams".