It’s Eclipse Day!
Hey, gang. Today is the solar eclipse, it’s supposed to be mostly sunny here in Colchester, VT, we’ve got 3 minutes and 16 seconds of totality to enjoy, and I built a solar filter for my telescope (and binoculars!), so kottke.org is going to take the day off. Edith and I will see you back here tomorrow.
In the meantime, are you doing anything for the eclipse? Anyone got any crazy camera/telescope setups? Do you think Instagram is going to crash this afternoon? Will I completely lose my mind if a cloud drifts in front of the sun today at 3:26pm ET? Is it a coincidence or a miracle that we happen to be alive during the relatively brief period of time when the moon almost exactly covers the sun, resulting in total solar eclipses? Could you imagine if the eclipse somehow doesn’t happen today??!
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Cloudy here now in upstate New York. Fingers crossed that it clears up.
Very cloudy in Dallas. Was hoping for a reprieve that probably isn't coming.
But excited for you, Jason. Enjoy!
Have a great one! Post some pics here!
It was so cloudy in Dallas until it suddenly wasn't. Got so lucky.
Made the trip from Boise to Dallas just for this. Currently mostly clear in northern Dallas suburbs, and hoping it stays that way. T-4.5 hours to totality!
omg this post is peak Kottke. love you Jason!!
I'm in the path of the totality, and the sun is out. Just about 2 hours to The Big Event.
Boo to these clouds! In PA but not totality-side. Just got a peek at it for a second.
Caught totality outside of Columbus OH! It was spectacular!
Am so far away from the path of totality here in California but managed to amaze myself with some manila folder magic.
Only 94% here in Chicago, but we hung our disco ball from a tree in a neighbor's front yard and the result was super rad
We traveled from Minneapolis to Arkansas to get into the path of totality. Totally worth it: clear skies and a spectacular show.
Brought the kids to the children's museum in Indianapolis, and we had perfect skies!!! In 2017 I saw it in a playground in southern Illinois that was full of birds and insects that started acting all weird as totality approached, and I didn't get to experience that this time. Still 10/10 celestial event though!
My wife and I took our six-year-old son, Cabot, to Cabot, VT. Totality was breathtaking and absolutely worth the five-hour slog of a return trip to Massachusetts.
In the unlikely event that no one else has said this to you yet, Jason, let me: your ecstatic, honest, and ongoing writing about your 2017 experience is a big reason I moved heaven and earth (heh) to make sure I and my family and friends had four minutes of totality today. Raising a glass to you from rural Ohio. Thanks.
Things worked out in OH. I made a quick and dirty collage
Drove NW from Nashville area with the intent of getting as close to the path centerline as possible, with 5 adults and 2 teens packed into a Honda Pilot. Made it just north of Cairo, IL before pulling off at an exit and setting up camp chairs. Clear blue skies, 3+ minutes of totality, so great. Otherworldly.
Traveled from California to Austin, TX with the kids and got lucky with the clouds. Mostly clear through totality and then shortly after the clouds moved in and we only got a few glimpses of the second half of the eclipse. Noticed that the birds started chirping 10-15 minutes before totality as it was getting fairly dark. Took some decent pictures with my DSLR and a 300mm lens. Would I travel this far to see another one? Probably not. But it was neat to see once.
Just wanted to say thanks Jason! Your enthusiasm for the last eclipse convinced me to plan ahead for this one. The plan led me to booking Texas 4 years ago. And then bailing on that this week and driving to Vermont instead. Just got back to NYC after a very long drive but it was worth it. Had seen a partial in London in '99. NOTHING like the full totality.
I also traveled to Vermont with my family solely because of this blog's influence. It was worth it, thank you so much for getting me hooked on this idea!
So happy to read about everyone's eclipse experiences! We got lucky with the weather in VT and it was amazing.
So glad to hear it. I'm busy looking up trips to Spain or Australia after a cloudy day....
Travelled from NC to Dallas this time, clouds *mostly* cleared and could have been much worse. I also didn't experience the birds freaking out as in in 2017 in Greenville, SC, but absolutely worth it and now I'm chasing it anywhere I can. Iceland 2026, anybody?
Had 3 generations of family from 4 time zones together in Indianapolis for totality. It was eerie, magnificent and unforgettable.
4 yr old "thought it would be bigger." ha! Our glasses were collected up and sent to his pre-K class today. They are gathering them and mailing them along to classrooms somewhere for the next one.
I drove from Minneapolis to Benton IL, and the views were outstanding! Truly a humbling and awe-inspiring event.
My favorite imagery from yesterday comes from instagrammer @charlielikeswater (a deepwater influencer, a great account to follow), who was at Lake Willoughby in Vermont. His drone-shot video captures the difference between totality (visible from lake in the foreground to the Mt. Burke ski area in the middle distance) and something like 99.4% (Cannon ski area in the far distance). I don't think I've seen this landscape-scale aspect of an eclipse captured quite so well.
We were at the next glacial lake over, Crystal Lake—I kind of wish we'd pushed on to Willoughby, because it's such a spectacular place. But just after totality began, a freight train pulled through on the tracks along the west shore of Crystal Lake, letting out a big blast of the horn as it chugged past, and adding an absurd note to the uncanny moment.
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