Forum Discussion
profdant139 wrote:
Astro, you are right that it is visible in the daytime. But since it is an eclipse, it is also a new moon, which means that the stars at night are at their best. So that is why I want a boondocking site where I have completely dark skies and also a good vantage for the eclipse -- hopefully on a mountain top, where we can see the moon's shadow moving across the landscape. (That is what I have heard, anyway -- I have never actually seen an eclipse.)
The eclipse is actually August 21 of 2017. You are right about the new moon since the moon will be between the earth and the sun during the day and, in the Pacific Northwest, will set at approximately 7:16 pm and not rise till around 6:30 the morning of August 22. A high vantage point, if you can find it, might be nice for the eclipse as well.
I didn't really consider the nighttime viewing conditions on August 21, 2017, as an additional attraction, since we travel to dark sky sites on a monthly basis for our club's monthly "Dark Sky Star Party". Sometimes I'm not sure why we travel to other sites since we also have a limiting magnitude of nearly 7.0 from our driveway at home. This is actually better than some of the star party locations to which we travel with our club and we'd hold the star parties at home if we had enough flat ground upon which folks could set up,
If the path of totality was anywhere near our local area we'd schedule a big day and night star party with the club but with it being so far away I think everyone is just going to scatter to the winds and do their own thing. For those staying in the area, the eclipse will be only 40%.
This is the data on our planned viewing location for the eclipse in Corvallis, OR. Just enter a selected locale into the search bar to see what it will look like from somewhere else.
http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/corvallis?iso=20170821Matt_Colie wrote:
As we are well out of the path of totality, I have elected to take our coach and bivouac at a location that will provide a quick escape to the east or west to find better weather at the right moment.
Matt
That might be a good plan. My biggest concern about heading to Corvallis, OR is the threat of cloudy skies but, with two sisters and their families and both of my kids living up that way, it just seems logical to combine a trip to see family with the event.- Astro, thanks for the date correction -- I must have transposed the year into the date!
I can only imagine being able to see the Milky Way from my driveway. Where I live (quasi-urban coastal Orange County), I can see the Big Dipper and Orion on a really good night. That's about all. And a time exposure of the stars comes out as an orange haze.
It's a three hour drive to dark skies. - A couple of things to consider: if you choose an observing site near trees or leafy plants, be sure to look at the ground under them during the partial phases. The gaps in the leaves create thousands of pinhole camera images of the crescent Sun. Also, you will need eye protection in the form of Mylar shades or, my favorite, welders glass of shade 13 or 14. I use 13.
Also, a lot of people actually miss the totality itself because they are so busy trying to record or photograph it. Just lay back and enjoy the experience, there will be plenty of professional photographs and videos available afterward. For most, this is a "once in a lifetime" event and should be seen through your M-1A eyeballs to be fully appreciated.
LS - Len, that is such good advice about just enjoying the moment instead of trying to record it. I wish someone had given me that advice when my kids were young -- we have a lot of great photos and videos of birthday parties, but I was not really a participant -- I was the guy behind the camera!
LenSatic wrote:
A couple of things to consider: if you choose an observing site near trees or leafy plants, be sure to look at the ground under them during the partial phases. The gaps in the leaves create thousands of pinhole camera images of the crescent Sun. Also, you will need eye protection in the form of Mylar shades or, my favorite, welders glass of shade 13 or 14. I use 13.
Also, a lot of people actually miss the totality itself because they are so busy trying to record or photograph it. Just lay back and enjoy the experience, there will be plenty of professional photographs and videos available afterward. For most, this is a "once in a lifetime" event and should be seen through your M-1A eyeballs to be fully appreciated.
LS
For most eclipses, like the last few partial and annular eclipses, I had hundreds of people lined up to view through solar telescopes, Sunspotters, and other devices....so I appreciate being too busy to appreciate it myself. In that regard, maybe it's a good thing this one is so far from our local region that we're not planning a public outreach event. Between the Annular Eclipse of May 20 2012, and the Transit of Venus on June 5, 2012, we handed out 1,200 Eclipse Shades to the public.
This is where we get them and they come in many different styles and price ranges. We sometimes buy overruns from previous solar events, for as little as 0.25 each, but they were out of stock this time so we're going to order a quantity printed with our own logo for this and future events.
Rainbow Symphony Eclipse Glasses,
Here's the crowds lining up for the May 20, 2012 annular eclipse.
AstroRig57 wrote:
For most eclipses, like the last few partial and annular eclipses, I had hundreds of people lined up to view through solar telescopes, Sunspotters, and other devices....so I appreciate being too busy to appreciate it myself. In that regard, maybe it's a good thing this one is so far from our local region that we're not planning a public outreach event. Between the Annular Eclipse of May 20 2012, and the Transit of Venus on June 5, 2012, we handed out 1,200 Eclipse Shades to the public.
This is where we get them and they come in many different styles and price ranges. We sometimes buy overruns from previous solar events, for as little as 0.25 each, but they were out of stock this time so we're going to order a quantity printed with our own logo for this and future events.
Rainbow Symphony Eclipse Glasses,
Here's the crowds lining up for the May 20, 2012 annular eclipse.
Great resource link, Astro, thanks!
LS- I'll be out in the El Paso Mtns, near Last Chance Cyn, for the event. nothing like the desert for DARK, and we have enjoyed so many wonderful skies from the campsites of the old mines, and historic places in the El Paso's near Red Rock Cyn, State Park.
slickrock steve wrote:
I'll be out in the El Paso Mtns, near Last Chance Cyn, for the event. nothing like the desert for DARK, and we have enjoyed so many wonderful skies from the campsites of the old mines, and historic places in the El Paso's near Red Rock Cyn, State Park.
Well, this is a, roughly, noontime event so dark skies are not a requirement. Also, you'll be WAY too far south if you are talking about the El Paso Mtns in CA.
LS- Resurrecting this topic:
The number of people expected in Oregon is huge. I'm wondering how easy it will be to just boondock along a side road off US 26 in central Oregon the night before the eclipse.
Certainly there are no actual campsites open anywhere in that region.
Any ideas from you Oregoners?
