August 21, 2017 Solar Eclipse - any tips

Come to central or eastern Oregon. SE Oregon has some really wide open spaces that should offer great vistas.

Well the number one tip is to protect your eyes by using the right eye protection.

Eye Protection

Amazon

Other than that all you need to do is find a spot in the total eclipse zone and hope for clear skies.

The last time I was near a total eclipse zone, we traveled a couple of hundred mile and the sky was heavily overcast. It got dark and then it got light and that was it. Serious letdown.

There are several good websites with detailed zoomable maps of the path of totality. We are looking mostly at Eastern Oregon (clear sky but hot), Idaho, and Wyoming. The latter two have some afternoon clouds during summer days, but they also have some high altitude places that are in the path of totality.

Jackson Hole will be very crowded, along with the Sawtooths in Idaho.

We will probably be boondocking during that time, and we plan to hike to a remote peak somewhere so we can get a good view. Totality lasts only about two minutes, and that is the only time that you can look right at the sun safely.

Some folks are planning to be on highways that run east and west, so that they can chase clear sky during the minutes before the eclipse. I doubt we will do that -- too stressful. I'd rather sit on a mountain-top and wait and hope -- as with boondocking, the goal is to be far away from anyone else!

donn0128 wrote:
Come to central or eastern Oregon. SE Oregon has some really wide open spaces that should offer great vistas.

This is good advice but if folks have not already made reservations in state or national parks, or private campgrounds or RV parks, they will find that most campgrounds along the path of totality are sold out.

Camping sites in Oregon State Parks, along the path of totality, were sold out within an hour of becoming available. In like manner, most (if not all) private campgrounds and RV Parks are also sold out with some having waiting lists available to fill possible cancellations.

We're avid amateur astronomers and started working on this months ago. Still, and for the time being, we've settled for a site in an RV park at the fairgrounds in Corvallis, OR where we have family. We'd rather be on the coast and are on the waiting list for an RV resort in Lincoln City. (started at #42 on the waiting list and as of yesterday, 2/7, had moved to #37.)

This site is excellent; it shows the path of totality in each state in which the eclipse will be visible.

https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/best-places-to-view/

This is a mid-day event so it's not necessary to be where you intend to camp. You're good even in a Walmart parking lot or rest area at the time. Just find good weather and settle in.

At least get a shade 12 welder's lens to view if you don't get any of the other specialty items. I prefer them for the green color over the Mylar blueish color. You only need these during the partial phases. During totality, use your eyes to view the corona and prominences. Don't waste time photographing it, it's too short and there will be lots of professional images online. Do make an audio recording of your responses! Make sure you are back to eye protection before totality ends. Be aware of the changes in nature around you before and after. Look at the ground under trees and you will see pin-hole images of the partial phases. Also, spread your fingers and you will see the same. The birds and other animals will react oddly. The local winds may as well as the temperature drops if you are in a dry area. Enjoy!

LS

LenSatic wrote:
This is a mid-day event so it's not necessary to be where you intend to camp. You're good even in a Walmart parking lot or rest area at the time. Just find good weather and settle in.

This is certainly true, and that might work for some, but I'm not going to drive the motorhome 850 miles to the path of totality to view it in a Walmart parking lot. Nor am I going to set up two hydrogen-alpha telescopes (Daystar Quantum and Coronado), an SCT with a white light filter, and imaging gear, in a parking lot or rest area.

I'm going to be there at least a day early (in our case two), do some nighttime observing, have a day to do a dry run with the equipment, and a day to kick back when it's all over. Then off to stay in Tualatin while we visit my kids in Beaverton.

By the way, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) is hosting a Solar Eclipse Viewing Party, with guest speakers and equipment from local astronomy clubs and solar viewing glasses for attendees, at the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem. They have RV sites available (as of today) but they are dry camping without hookups. Information can be found here. Eclipse Camping at Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem

I have never seen an eclipse, but they say that if you are on a high peak overlooking a valley to the northwest, you can see the shadow of the moon at totality racing toward you across the valley floor. I don't know if that is true, but it sure sounds great.

They also say that if you are lucky, you can see the corona not just as a halo but as swirly lines around the sun -- again, not sure if that is true.

I wish they could reschedule this thing for September, when it's a little cooler and there are fewer mosquitos. Plus, school would be in session, cutting down on the number of families swarming around in the path of totality. ;) Oh, well.

AstroRig57 wrote:

LenSatic wrote:
This is a mid-day event so it's not necessary to be where you intend to camp. You're good even in a Walmart parking lot or rest area at the time. Just find good weather and settle in.

This is certainly true, and that might work for some, but I'm not going to drive the motorhome 850 miles to the path of totality to view it in a Walmart parking lot. Nor am I going to set up two hydrogen-alpha telescopes (Daystar Quantum and Coronado), an SCT with a white light filter, and imaging gear, in a parking lot or rest area.

Now you're just bragging. ;) :D

LS

Tip, Don't come to Washington. All we will see are clouds