https://blog.alaskaair.com/alaska-ai...solar-eclipse/

Illinois. I mean, downstate IL isn't exactly anyone's number one choice of destination and I know **** all squared about Carbondale but the people who live there will get to see two total eclipses in the space of 7 years - it was in the path of totality today as well.

That's way cool.

After what you reported about traffic there yesterday, I would find a one-horse town a little to the east or west to go and see the eclipse.

The traffic in NE GA yesterday was appalling, and this was back roads not even I-85. The Silverado in front of me had KY plates, the longest duration of totality was in KY!

Go home people!

For 2 minutes and 30 seconds yesterday, Sheila and I stood in the shadow of the moon and observed our first total solar eclipse in Franklin, KY. Unlike others, I didn't try to get photos - I wanted only to look at it and enjoy it. It was outstanding! People clapped and whooped! Even our Shih Tzu, Tosh, enjoyed it.

Ian

That is exactly the plan - find some tiny little back road dot on the map and hope nobody else had the same idea

The path of totality for the 2024 eclipse will go through Dallas and up into Indiana (Indianapolis), Ohio (Cleveland) and into Buffalo and Montreal as well though, so we have some options as far as major and semi-major cities go too, with careful planning.

I can't help but think, given it'll be in April, we'd be best to try and get down to Texas, near the border and try and find some one-horse town there, for clearer skies.

One wonders (and I'd have to fight my own instinct to take photos of course) how much of the experience is ruined by trying to photograph the event, rather than just enjoying it. The internet is awash with loads of great eclipse photographs, much better ones than I'd be capable of taking but most people only get one chance to see totality with the naked eye if they're lucky.

I did (attempt to) take photos of the last 'blood moon' lunar eclipse though, with a tripod set up on my front porch, but those last much longer, and I had it set up so I didn't have to constantly look through the viewfinder, other than to re-center the moon every so often.

They still turned out kind of shit, though

I've been luckily enough to see 2 now, the one back home in 1999 (I lived in Somerset so we only had an hours drive down to Cornwall for totality) and this one. They are spectacular.

You'll have a chance to see two more (2024 and 2045) as well, assuming you're around my age and are willing/able to make the trip. The one in 2024 goes through Texas and the one in 2045 will pass over the Florida/Georgia state line, so I'd guess you'll have a good chance at being able to see four total eclipses in your lifetime

The best advice I heard, from a professional photographer who does a segment on a radio show, was to take pictures of the things around you, the people and things, in the run up to totality, and maybe a few during totality, and afterwards of course, and leave photographing the actual eclipse to the professionals. ...... So I got a load of photos of the "event", the people, the minutes before totality, and them some with some of the people we met and hung out with - basically a load of pictures that enhance our memory of the day.

As we spent the time ahead of the start right through to totality hanging out with a guy with a pro set-up hooked to a computer, and then after wandering away, we came back to see him again as the eclipse ended, we were there long after most people had wandered away, or to be more prescise, "driven out of town". So the last pictures I took were of Podunk, SC, almost deserted again after the circus had left town, knowing that I had witnessed perhaps the most extraordinary day that little town had even seen, and the likes of which it may never see again.

That's sound advice. By taking before/during/after pictures of the viewing location, the people all standing around with their eclipse glasses on, or their telescopes set up (I even saw a photo of people standing on a roof with cardboard boxes on their heads acting as pinhole cameras ) you'll be able to remember the whole time spent there.

An eclipse only lasts a few minutes, you could burn through that time trying to get the 'ideal setup' on your camera and end up with only mediocre pictures after missing most of the main event.

They may yet get another eclipse, but it might not be for a couple of hundred years

Cornwall, for example, gets another one in 2090.

We went to the beach to watch it. It was cloudy to start with but they cleared enough for us to see totality. My kids really enjoyed it. The schools in Charleston County gave all the kids the day off even though they only started back at school last Thursday. There was lots of cheering and clapping when totality happened. It didn't go very dark. It was sort of like sunset sort of looking. I took a couple photos and videos with my iPhone but spent most of the time watching it and enjoying the atmosphere. I may have interesting sunburn on my face now.

The picture of the eclipse itself turned out surprisingly well considering it was taken with a phone (not knocking phone cameras but the lenses can be limited), however that first picture is a perfect example of the 'capture the atmosphere' kind of photo recommended by the photographer Pulaski mentioned. Great shot!

This is helpful...

https://www.theguardian.com/science/...pse-eye-damage

To see totality was totally worth the trip for me. Partial is great , but totality , I think, tops it.

Quality troll piece there

Of course, totality will win out every time and luckily I have at least two more opportunities to see it (that being two in the continental US, there are of course more eclipses between now and then).