Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The revolution will be supervised.

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

I was promised a recession.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

Thanks for reminding me that Van Jones needs to be slapped.

DeSantis transforms Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

We’ll be taking my thoughts and prayers to the ballot box.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

I didn’t have alien invasion on my 2023 BINGO card.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Don’t expect peaches from an apple tree.

Let there be snark.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

After roe, women are no longer free.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

We still have time to mess this up!

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

You are here: Home / Science & Technology / Another Eclipse Open Thread

Another Eclipse Open Thread

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Photo from resident photographer Jeffreyw:

I didn’t see anything except it got darker out. I’m glad so many millions got a kick out of it. I celebrated this like every other major event in my life- general indifference and a mid-afternoon nap.

Also, this:

Reader Interactions

112Comments

  1. 1.

    TenguPhule

    I celebrated this like every other major event in my life- general indifference and a mid-afternoon nap.

    Including your girlfriend?

    /Tongue in Cheek

  2. 2.

    ThresherK

    Our library is making this into an event.

    I have the pinhole deely here, and it works. We reached the “crescent shadows” stage in central CT some 10 minutes ago.

  5. 5.

    Eric NNY

    Live well north of the path of totality, but it got darker and the temperature dropped for a few minutes.

  7. 7.

    zhena gogolia

    @jeffreyw:

    Thanks! I knew I could just ignore it and then come here and see it.

    Right now it’s weirdly dark out. That’s about it.

  9. 9.

    dmsilev

    We had a few thousand visitors stop by. Ran out of glasses, but people were pretty good about sharing and making pinhole projectors and the like. Weather cooperated, and a good time was had by all.

  11. 11.

    A Ghost to Most

    We had excellent crescent shadows, and a significant drop in the heat of the sun (5600′)

  13. 13.

    donnah

    SW Ohio, just a gradual softening of the brightness of the sky, now returning to the usual brightness. We had some sketchy cloud cover, so it wasn’t all that dramatic.

    My sis and her family in California drove up to Oregon and she said it was beautiful. They were right in the optimum area. I’m glad they got to see it.

    There is a predicted event for 2024 that will cross more closely to us. I hope Trump doesn’t get us all killed so I can see it.

  14. 14.

    ThresherK

    @jeffreyw: Good stuff!

    Our library also ran out of free viewing glasses, and people did the communist thing, sharing them, instead of the Randians getting in line first, then hogging them all and selling them.

    Who ami I kidding? Randians don’t believe in public libraries.

  15. 15.

    TenguPhule

    Speaking of Suns going out….

    Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Monday that there was “zero chance, no chance” Congress would fail to raise the debt ceiling by late September, although he offered no clues about how he hoped to persuade lawmakers to back such a measure.

    The odds of a default are increasing.

    STILL NO FUCKING VOTE SCHEDULED.

  18. 18.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Drove 5 hours (what should be < 2 hour trip) to Anderson, SC, only to be greeted by pop-up showers and a lot of cloud cover. But it got quite dark, the quality of the light was very different from a normal sunset or dusk, and the temperature plummeted almost 20° in a matter of a few minutes. I'm glad I did this. Now to hit the road and head back home.

  19. 19.

    ruemara

    I snapped a couple of poor shots with my cell phone and stared at the sun a little too much. When do I get my super powers?

  20. 20.

    bystander

    Nice pic, Jeff!

    Again, any thoughts on why this became such a national obsession? Anything but Trump? A nation seeking to heel?

  21. 21.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @TenguPhule:
    He does not need to persuade them. He only has to be willing to introduce a clean debt limit lifting bill and convince Ryan to do the same. It will pass, most likely with enough votes to override Trump if Trump decides to play spoiled toddler.

  22. 22.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    Never got very dark, but it still rocked none the less! 80% partial. Made a pinhole projector and had glasses. Glasses > pinhole projector, definitely. Will have to see a total eclipse in 2024

  23. 23.

    Yarrow

    @jeffreyw: Very cool photo! We made a viewing box with a pinhole and had a great time sharing it around with people. Also took out kitchen implements that had holes in them to get crescent shadows on the sidewalk. It worked pretty well. Everyone had a great time.

    I’ve seen a few of the reporters in areas of totality across the country and they’ve all been kind of overwhelmed during the moments of totality – voices quivering as they try to explain it. Everyone there seemed so amazed and impressed. Definitely makes me want to see one.

  25. 25.

    Kelly

    2 minutes of totality here in the Cascade Foothills. Four of our friends spent the weekend here. We had the river bank all to ourselves. A bit of forest fire smoke drifted in around an hour before first contact then drifted away just in time. The corona in real life! The crickets waking up! The light on the landscape during totality. What a great summer party.

  27. 27.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @bystander:
    Perhaps. Also, it was hyped in the media. Being the first time in 90 years the entire continental US could see a significant partial eclipse didn’t hurt I’m sure.

  28. 28.

    Sab

    In NE Ohio we live by a large wooded metroparks, and all the birds disappeared. Utter silence. Normally it’s pretty raucous with bird calls and chatter.

  30. 30.

    japa21

    I was thinking how much I miss our Nerd-in-Chief. Obama would have really made a big deal about this. Unlike Cole.

  31. 31.

    jeffreyw

    Wow! Front paged my photo, thanks John, et al. I wish it was in focus, now. I set the dial at infinity and started snapping brackets as soon as I found it in the viewfinder. I guess it wasn’t quite that far away. LOL

  32. 32.

    beth

    Wow, just finished out totality here in Charleston and it was awesome – a huge storm moved in and the whole area around the sun was full of storm clouds and lightning but it was still visible. So glad I left work early to see it.

  39. 39.

    beth

    Of course this being the South, my neighbors are setting off fireworks. What, this once in a lifetime experience wasn’t good enough by itself, you redneck noisemakers? Now my dog is triply freaked out – by the early darkness, the thunder and the fireworks. People just suck.

  41. 41.

    Gravenstone

    @donnah: My family farm in NW Ohio is just outside the 2024 totality zone (99.66% coverage). We’ll see at the time if that’s good enough, or if it’s better to act as a staging area for a half hour drive S/SE.

    eta: of course, this will also be NW Ohio the first week of April. As likely to be an ice storm as a clear sky.

  43. 43.

    WaterGirl

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: lovely!

    Edit: Of course, the crescent makes me wonder if you are a secret muslim. Same goes for any elected official that got excite about the eclipse. Quick, can we deport all the politicians and then life the Muslim ban?

  44. 44.

    grandpa john

    @SiubhanDuinne: You should have drove another 30 miles down to Abbeville, the viewing was great, and the scattered clouds that were around disappeared with the temp drop. at total eclipse all the lights in the park came on . Being in the zone of totality we got it all. and no travel, simply went down the steps, crossed the street and set down on a park bench , slipped my glasses on and observed.

  45. 45.

    Phylllis

    Had a great experience here in Tinytown. The high school kids were at the football stadium, and they oohed and aahed as we went to totality. It was pretty cool. We had a family park here in the district office parking lot who drove up from Savannah & were able to give them glasses. Makes for a great memory.

  47. 47.

    Mnemosyne

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    We were all hanging out in the parking lot at work. I bought enough eclipse glasses for the whole office plus a few visitors, and my more photography-minded coworkers did some very cool pinhole cameras. ?

  48. 48.

    Steeplejack

    WTF?! Every time I make an eclipse comment, I discover there’s a newer thread.

    Except this time, I presume.

  51. 51.

    WaterGirl

    @LAO: I’m sure he thought it made him look manly. How could any woman subject her children to such a man as their father? Ugh.

  52. 52.

    Steeplejack

    The cicadas and birds have started up making noise again. They went quiet during the eclipse.

  58. 58.

    FlipYrWhig

    @jeffreyw: Thanks SO MUCH for the colander tip in the last thread. It made my whole afternoon. Otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to tell there was anything much even happening.

  59. 59.

    Mnemosyne

    My dumb Trump-voting cousin of course “liked” someone’s comment on Facebook about how great it would be if people prepared for Jesus’s return the same way they prepared for the eclipse.

    Last I heard, there was not a specific date and time for Jesus’s return like there was for the eclipse. Everyone who’s tried to claim that has been wrong. On the other hand, the eclipse happened at the exact time predicted, down to the minute. Gosh, I wonder what the difference between the two things is … ?

  61. 61.

    grandpa john

    @beth: Upstate here (Abbeville) We had scattered clouds early afternoon,but as temp dropped they went away. By the time it reach total, there wasn’t a cloud in sight.

  62. 62.

    Mnemosyne

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    My coworker made a cool pinhole camera out of a long box and poked a bunch of pinholes in the end so we had about a dozen images of the eclipse inside the camera.

  65. 65.

    frosty

    East of Nashville and the second most awesome thing was being outside and have the temp drop so much that I was comfortable. Hasn’t happened since we hit Kentucky 2 weeks ago.

  67. 67.

    dmsilev

    @Mnemosyne: Among the umpteen people I talked with at our viewing party was a pair of Jehovah’s Witnesses, who started going into their spiel after a couple of minutes. Yes, you can borrow my glasses, but no I don’t want one of your pamphlets.

  68. 68.

    rikyrah

    @japa21:

    I was thinking how much I miss our Nerd-in-Chief. Obama would have really made a big deal about this.

    He would have invited kids to the White House lawn.

  69. 69.

    Hkedi [Kang T. Q.]

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?: I woke up early and made a pinhole camera. nice little bite out of the sun. not enough to make any changes in the environment. Then I got my binoculars out to project the sun on a wall, didn’t see any sunspots, but I didn’t put it on a tripod or anything.

    I live on Maui

  79. 79.

    jl

    @LAO: Yeah, just saw pic of Trump staring at the sun, his wife there by his side with her solar viewing glasses. She had them off, and was looking away from the sun for a moment. News blurb says people were shouting at Trump to be careful. Yeesh.

    @JPL: that’s the pic I saw.

    Edit: in SF, had fog, so nothing unusual. Couldn’t tell the difference between darker due to an eclipse or thick fog. Great live feeds, though.

  80. 80.

    Juju

    I watched my hummies. They drank nectar like they were getting ready for bedtime. Then it started getting light again and now they are just doing their usual buzz fights and drinking.

  82. 82.

    Hkedi [Kang T. Q.]

    @NotMax: True enough, even past the normal sunrise watchers. It’s annoying but needed that they set up the ticket system for the Haleakala sunrise.

    In my case I just viewed it from my lanai

  85. 85.

    catclub

    @Mnemosyne:

    Last I heard, there was not a specific date and time for Jesus’s return like there was for the eclipse.

    And the whole point of that is that you should change now, because that is the only way to be ready when it happens.

  89. 89.

    PaulWartenberg

    At my library we kept getting calls about the solar glasses – we never ordered any, but the local news kept reporting we did – right up until 2 pm.

    Around 2:15 I looked at my co-worker at the desk. “The phones. They stopped.”

    She replied “Switch to rear deflectors, watch for enemy fighters.”

  93. 93.

    Mnemosyne

    @dmsilev:

    According to her Facebook, the cloud cover outside my cousin’s office was too thick for her to see anything, but agnostic me had a perfect sunny So Cal day for viewing. Who does Jesus love now, honey! ?

  94. 94.

    JPL

    @jl: His aides spent the morning explaining the importance of special glasses. They had him practice, yet still he had to take a peak.

  95. 95.

    Ohio Mom

    @JPL: in one of the pictures I saw, Trump and Melania are hanging out, waiting for the eclipse to begin, WITH Baron.

    The next photo is the official we-have-out-glasses-on-and-are-looking-at-the-sky shot, WITHOUT Baron.

    So sad, they felt they needed to shove him out of the way. No family togetherness. Guess it would detract from Trump’s showing off he has (in his view) a hot wife, the hottest wife.

    Can’t help but wonder what Baron makes of it.

  96. 96.

    hitchhiker

    Fun walking the dog thru Capitol Hill in Seattle for the 2 hrs it took to get from 0 our 92% ish and back again — every open space had crowds of people standing around with their glasses and pinhole cardboard thingies. Beautiful clear day & my favorite thing was all the crescent-shaped shadows where the light came thru the trees.

    I like to read about how the people used to try to make sense of eclipses. The Nat’l Geographic does a pretty good job here.

  97. 97.

    NoraLenderbee

    @bystander: Because it’s a really cool celestial event that is visible to the whole country? Did you have the same puzzlement when the Hale-Bopp comet came in 1997?

  98. 98.

    Ruckus

    @dmsilev:
    Should have said, “Yes you can borrow my glasses but you have to shut the fuck up for 30 minutes.” A much more appropriate response in my mind.

  99. 99.

    JPL

    @Ohio Mom: Obama’s girls always wanted his hand and his heart. It’s apparent that Baron is used just for photo-ops. Maybe that type of parenting works, look at how Eric and Don Jr. turned out.
    okay, that was probably not the best example.

  100. 100.

    jl

    @JPL: Trump just had to get the best, most terrific, top view of the eclipse that no one else saw. Which would be blinding blurry glare that will damage his eyes. Hope he just took a glance. Though if people had to yell warnings at him, probably not.

  104. 104.

    Sister Golden Bear

    Sadly, north of Kansas City ended up being clouded over — although we did get glimpses of the sun durI got the partial phase. It also was only the second rainy day there in recorded history. I went about 5 miles south of St. Joseph in search of better weather, and the skies cleared in St. Joesph just before the corona.

    But still got 2:48 of full totality. It Is rather remarkable; a huge difference from the partial eclipses I’ve senn. I can see why some folks become eclipse chasers. Thanks to BJ for inspiring me to do a last-minute trip to see it.

  105. 105.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    (Tap, tap) Is this thread still on? (Blows into mic)

    It was almost completely overcast in Charleston till about 2:20. Then cleared just enough. You could see the sun with the bite out of it through the glasses, and totality was spectacular. Looked just like all those photos including the bright “diamond” as the light starts to come back.

    Then the storms hit and now it is pouring down rain and I waded through 6″ of water in my motel parking lot.

    The view was great to the (protected) eye but my iPhone looking through the glasses never got the crescent effect. It just looks like a fuzzy disk. I think I needed more filtering or control of the focus or exposure.

  106. 106.

    Wapiti

    @jl:

    Hope he just took a glance. Though if people had to yell warnings at him, probably not.

    It would suck if he can’t see the teleprompter in Phoenix tonight.

  107. 107.

    Greg

    Went to Onondaga Cave State Park. Did the cave tour and came out to perfectly clear sky. 2 minutes 4 seconds of totality. Amazing. Just amazing.

  109. 109.

    Aleta

    In Maine it was maybe 53, 57%, something like that. Surprised how beautiful it was. This a.m. I was so busy being disappointed (bc I didn’t take my friend’s invite to go visit her in s. Missouri) that I thought about skipping it.

    There was a gathering at the town park so I went. At the last minute Boy Scientist here made a hole in a long narrow box we had because we’d just finished putting together a portable sink this morning. His box worked great and he was a hit at the park and everyone also got glasses from the librarian. Except for getting into too many conversations about hospital empires and old dogs and NASA, it was nice, good view of the ocean whenever I took the glasses off. The guy sitting next to me on the picnic table pointed out that the eclipse crescent looked just like the cutout on an outhouse door from inside, which was uncanny accurate as soon as he said it.

  112. 112.

    Rand Careaga

    Late to the party, but I contrived to place myself in the path of totality—catching one of these has been on my bucket list since long before bucket lists were a thing—and I’m here to tell you that it was the coolest fucking thing I’ve ever seen, and I get all the senior discounts. One of those rare life events that lives up to billing. I am prepared to undertake a great deal of effort and expense, if necessary, to see another one.

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