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Old 21st August 2017
drhowarddrfine drhowarddrfine is offline
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Default Today is my first total eclipse

I remember sitting through a partial when I was a kid but I had no warning it was coming and only noticed my surroundings dimming even with no clouds in the sky. Of course we've had clear skies every day until today when it will be partly sunny with a slight chance of rain right at totality. Wish me luck.

There have been lots of warnings of traffic congestion, food runs and long lines at gas stations. So far I've seen none of that with just under three hours to go.

I live in St Louis but took a short trip to my son's house to visit and cause he gets about 30 seconds more totality time. I thought this would be cool but, from what I've read, it will be spectacular. I'm betting some of you guys have been through one already.
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Old 21st August 2017
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I live just north of you and saw it with 97-98% totality through a pair of Shade 14 goggles.

It had been cloudy all morning and the sky cleared up about 11:30am, 17 minutes before it was to start.

It was crystal clear for a while, then I started to think my goggles were fogging up but a slight haze had moved in. It stayed clear enough to see it through totality, with only a tiny sliver of the Sun visible at the top, then more clouds moved in and it was over for me soon after that.

Listening to Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon now.
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Old 21st August 2017
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1986 was a special year for me. I was 9 years old, and both Halley's Comet and a total solar eclipse* were visible from my parent's home in the southern US, albeit months apart. First experience with either, and both gave me a strong interest in science that I'm still afflicted with today =)

I'll be 40 this year, and with a bit of luck I'll make it another 44 or so years for Halley's Comet to return. I'll keep enjoying the eclipses I can in the interim.

* - The eclipse I'm referring to (Oct, 1986) was actually a hybrid eclipse, but appeared to be total from my location
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Last edited by rocket357; 21st August 2017 at 08:52 PM.
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Old 21st August 2017
drhowarddrfine drhowarddrfine is offline
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That was remarkable.

It almost looked fake. Like something in a movie. Like a black disk was put in front of a bright white spotlight and you can see the streaming of light around the edges. I was surprised how white the sun's light was. After2 1/2 minutes, where I was, the "diamond" on the edge appeared signaling the end. Just amazing.

What I noticed. My son and his girlfriend were not expecting much but were wow'ed. I heard the cicadas and crickets as things got dimmer. In totality, the sky and surroundings didn't get nighttime black as I thought but maybe half an hour before nighttime.

As I looked toward the horizon, it was brighter and I realized we were actually under the penumbra. As the shadow of the moon moved, you could sort of detect it running toward the horizon. We had an advantage of being on high ground.

We couldn't see stars or planets as some had said but we were getting some wispy clouds moving into the area. Fortunately they didn't interfere at all with viewing.

"Eclipse glasses" worked great! Don't even think of taking them off until you get totality of the sun! You can tell when that is just by watching the sun. And when you see the diamond, put them back on. Things light up quickly!

Despite all the warnings about traffic, food and gas, we had no issues with any of that until we came home. We left my son's house about a half hour afterwards and the highway was slow and go half the way home and crowded. So maybe an extra 20 minutes for a one hour drive. Beforehand, I didn't notice anything different though, if someone told me highway traffic was a touch heavier, I would believe them.

This was fun. The most unusual thing I think I've ever seen. Another one in the USA is in 2024 just south of me and I will take the hour or so drive to see another one. Two might be enough for me but, again, this was fun!
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Old 24th August 2017
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I saw a partial one back in 1999; pretty cool stuff. Not travelling to France to see the full eclipse was a mistake in hindsight (I was only 14 though).
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