Where are you watching the eclipse?

[Lowell]

Me, just enjoying a lovely sunny day on the back deck. Lots of mesh shadows to break up the sun light into zillions of crescent light spots.

Less than an hour until the show begins.

[401don]

Me, just enjoying a lovely sunny day on the back deck. Lots of mesh shadows to break up the sun light into zillions of crescent light spots.

Less than an hour until the show begins.

I think you meant "Why"

[Jimaz]

It's supposed to peak here at exactly 3:14 — conspicuously close to pi.

[Lowell]

I think you meant "Why"

Ha ha. Indeed. The hype on this has been incredible.

[Pam]

I think you meant "Why"

Why not? It's an unusual event.

[401don]

Why not? It's an unusual event.

I've seen it get dark out before.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Not interested. I saw the last Total Eclipse 20 years or so ago. I understand they don't occur very often, but all this hype is maddening to me for something that will last 4 minutes.

[Jimaz]

Totality begins at 2:45 in the video:

2024 total solar eclipse: The moment of totality

[kklemmer]

Well, we had a great time. Lowest light level measurement was 175 fc.

[Honky Tonk]

[1953]

I'm very childish. My first thought was, "At your mom's house."

1953

[Richard]

How many watched it while listening to Bonnie Tyler ?

I was outside all day in Florida,never even got dark so it must just be a northern thing.

[Zacha341]

Initially I was like 'I'll see it on online later...' but as it turned out I was on the east side near the riverfront, and as the building atrium grew darker out we went with the 'funny' glasses !

You could hear a few boats and freighters from the river sounding their horns and salutes!

The experience was cooler than I thought! Weird hazed look as the eclipse increased.

I understand it was darker in other areas. Right?

[Honky Tonk]

Initially I was like 'I'll see it on online later...' but as it turned out I was on the east side near the riverfront, and as the building atrium grew darker out we went with the 'funny' glasses !

You could hear a few boats and freighters from the river sounding their horns and salutes!

The experience was cooler than I thought! Weird hazed look as the eclipse increased.

I understand it was darker in other areas. Right?

The freighters were sounding their horns because there were fishermen in the shipping lane.on the Canadian side. Detroit was at 99% of the eclipse, Luna Pier at 100%, so it was a little "darker ". It wasn't the darkness as much as the weird type of light at the pinnacle of the eclipse, for me. My third eclipse, and the best I've seen. Check out the Northern Lights [not the bar] sometimes in the UP if you really want to see a freaky light show.

[jcole]

I was at work at Hazel Park library and we took our glasses outside to watch. The kids were really excited and as we sat the air got cooler, street lights turned on all down John R and birds quit making noise. We saw dozens of tiny eclipses through the mesh style picnic tables. I hope I never get as cynical as some people on here. It was a very cool natural event no matter how long it lasted. Also, of course a certain person didn't see it in FLA. It didn't happen there.

[Jimaz]

I haven't been so excited about two round objects since Raquel Welch. <rimshot>

[Richard]

Jcole don’t be so cynical,you do not see the beauty in the science of it all,we all share the same sun,until an eclipse.

Other parts of the world will see it in 2026 and 2027 but it comes back to parts of the states in 2044.

[mwilbert]

I was at work at Hazel Park library and we took our glasses outside to watch. The kids were really excited and as we sat the air got cooler, street lights turned on all down John R and birds quit making noise. We saw dozens of tiny eclipses through the mesh style picnic tables. I hope I never get as cynical as some people on here. It was a very cool natural event no matter how long it lasted. Also, of course a certain person didn't see it in FLA. It didn't happen there.

A near total eclipse is very cool. I love the crescent shadows.

I have to say that a totality on a clear day is an almost completely different experience. I was in Jackman, Maine, which turned out to be about the best place possible, and when the last bit of sun goes behind the moon, it's like a light switch was turned off, although it's a light switch in a neighborhood with a lot of street lights; you still have the sky glow from the surrounding area, so it's like dusk, not midnight). The black moon/solar corona effect is not like anything else you ever see.

On the other hand, you pay the price for going places like that--Jackman is near the Canadian border and there's one road south. It took us four hours to go forty miles after we left. We had anticipated that, but it's still no fun.

[Zacha341]

Thanks for the details re. the ship horn blowing HT! Makes sense.

Hah, yes, I almost fell into the bar on my way to the lights......

...My third eclipse, and the best I've seen. Check out the Northern Lights [not the bar] sometimes in the UP if you really want to see a freaky light show.

[Zacha341]

Yes. It was reported to me from a couple of people that birds went silent. Indeed they're tuned into a frequency on such matters.

Last time I used a steel colander to see the little eclipses. Good times!

...birds quit making noise. We saw dozens of tiny eclipses through the mesh style picnic tables.

[JBMcB]

I stayed home with the kids, but my wife and my mom went down to Sidney, Ohio and stayed overnight to see it. They wanted to go to the Armstrong space center in Wapakoneta, but at 7AM there was already a line to get in, so they ended up at the lawn of the old courthouse in Sidney.

A total eclipse is pretty weird. It gets *dark*, the street lights came on in Sidney. The shadows and light look strange before and after. The Sidney business association had a tent and was playing music and passing out free glasses.

Anyways, my wife said Sidney is a neat small town. Some nice bars and restaurants, and one of the last bank buildings Louis Sullivan designed.

[MikeM]

On the other hand, you pay the price for going places like that--Jackman is near the Canadian border and there's one road south. It took us four hours to go forty miles after we left. We had anticipated that, but it's still no fun.

3 hours to go 16 miles on 75 from Detroit Avenue in Toledo to Exit 9 in Michigan.

[DetroitSoldier]

It was fun watching from downtown Detroit. I was on the roof of a prominent building. It was interesting how all the street lights came on and interior lights from other buildings were visible at 3pm. While it was not totally dark like other areas with 100% totality, the 99% totality in Detroit gave the streets that 9pm mid-summer dusk look.

[Lowell]

Ye Olde colander trick catches the eclipse at around at around 60%.

[Gistok]

^^^ Richard... even though where I live it got to 99.2% totality... it never got dark... it was more like a 7:30PM late evening light outside. I didn't get glasses, so I thought I would just go for a bike ride to experience it with an occasional glance to the sky. I biked by the neighboring high school, where some parents and students were using their special glasses. I was talking to one of the parents about another eclipse not coming around until the 2040s... and she saw I didn't have the special glasses, and she gave me an extra pair she had with her. At the maximum eclipse it was like late evening with the street lights coming on, which was interesting to see. Also there was a silence because no birds were flying, they all went down to sleep... jokes on them! And in 10 minutes it was over... street lights came back on... and the birds were out again. I told the lady we should do like in the movies... and meet again here in 22 years or so, and I would pull up in my wheelchair, and we would view it again... lol..