August 21st, 2017 eclipse in the US

jfSDAS

Hi all,

One year to go to the August 21st, 2017 eclipse crossing the continental US! Okay, yesterday was the 21st but I didn't have online access

Is anyone traveling to see totality? I booked a camping pitch in Madras, Oregon a while back. The reason for picking there is because of accessibility from San Francisco as I want to bring along my nephew and niece who live in the City. Madras has about 320 hotel/B&B beds so camping/RVs are the only other option. Madras is in the Willamette Valley and east of the Cascade Mountains which means it is much drier than the Oregon coast itself.

I believe Cork Astronomy Club are planning a trip, staying in Portland (Oregon) and driving the 120-odd miles down to Madras the night before the eclipse. Others I know are going to Casper (Wyoming) as it is also a good location weatherwise for totality and the Astronomical League are hosting their annual convention at the time.

The eclipse will be partial from Ireland, with a magnitude of 10% but only 4% of the Sun's disk obscured.

Some links:

• http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2017Aug21Tgoogle.html (track)
• http://eclipsewise.com/solar/SEnews/TSE2017/TSE2017.html
• http://www.eclipse2017.org/eclipse2017_main.htm
• http://www.greatamericaneclipse.com
• http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2017-august-21
• http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~jander/tot2017/tse17intro.htm (weather prospects)
• http://astropixels.com/pubs/TSE2017.html (book)
• http://www.skyandtelescope.com/thank-you-downloading-our-free-2017-eclipse-planning-guide/ (5.5Mb Sky & Telescope article for download)
• http://www.oregonsolarfest.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/oregonsolarfest/
• http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse-archive/future.html

ThunderCat

I didn't realise how rare these things are for us folk living in Ireland until I read your post and looked up online when the next one for us is. I thought we would get one every 10 or 15 years but nowhere near it. The best chance for most of us will be in Northern Portugal and Spain in 2026 it seems.

jfSDAS

Cheers ThunderCat ... the rarity of total solar eclipses means travelling to see them is a must. I've seen those in 1999 (from Bulgaria), 2001 (from Zimbabwe), and 2006 (from Turkey) as well as some annulars.

A few people in the Irish amateur astronomy community have between 10 and 14 total eclipses under their belt which is an impressive run. The events are a great way of seeing the world, with the eclipse seen as an added bonus. Some people though have admitted being disappointed due to the brevity of an eclipse and rate a spectacular display of the northern lights as a far superior observing experience.

Prompted by your post, I put together some info below on future total solar eclipses visible from Ireland up to the year 2600.

As an aside, I came across the link http://www.astronomytoday.com/eclipses.html some time back which is about historic lunar eclipses. Another link listing eclipses up to 2025 is http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/list.html

Info below is based on a talk at Solarfest by Terry Moseley of the IAA which he had saved to my laptop, and Sheridan Williams' book "UK Solar Eclipses from the Year 1" (self-published - see http://www.shindles.co.uk/ )

The last total solar eclipse visible from Ireland was on May 22nd, 1724 (the last from Dublin was April 8th, 1652). So, when are the next total solar eclipses visible from here?

September 23rd, 2090: This is the next total solar eclipse visible from here. The centre line passes well to the south of Ireland and is only total from the extreme southwest of the country. The north limit of totality runs from north of Cahersiveen to north of Kinsale. Mizen Head gets 1m 51s of totality, but the Sun’s altitude at mid eclipse is only 9.5 degrees.

June 14th, 2151: The centre line runs just off the northeast coast of Antrim, but the southern limit of totality runs roughly from Dungloe in Donegal to the mouth of Carlingford Lough. Belfast gets 2m 20s of totality, while Ballycastle gets 2m 45s. In Donegal, Greencastle and Malin get 2m 35s of totality. Maximum eclipse for Ireland is 2m 47s on Rathlin Island, but a second shorter on the mainland at Torr Head (2m 46s)

November 8th, 2189: Another total eclipse favouring the southwest of the country, with the northern limit of totality running from Creegh in Clare to Helvick Head, Waterford. The eclipse takes place just after sunrise when the Sun is 5.5° up. Maximum duration is 2m 8s, with Cork City getting exactly 2 minutes of totality. The southern limit crosses Dursey Head and Mizen Head.

April 14th, 2200: A very short eclipse with the maximum of 36s occurring in Co. Sligo. The centre line crosses Armagh City. The northern limit runs from Grange in Co. Sligo to Portavogie while the southern limit is from Corclough, north of Belmullet in Mayo, then Ballysodare in Sligo, and on to Annalong.

February 16th, 2352: Another short eclipse (51 seconds) that will occur almost at sunset -- the Sun will be less than 1° up at mid-totality. The centre line passes just off the northwest Mayo coast, but the northern tip of the Belmullet Peninsula is within the umbra.

July 22nd, 2381: This is a long eclipse with a maximum duration of 5m 5s -- and it's also the third total eclipse of our review that will occur in northwest Mayo! The centre line crosses the counties of Donegal, Derry, and Antrim.

September 2nd, 2426: The centre line of this event passes well to the north of Ireland but the southern limit brushes the tips of Donegal, Derry, and Antrim. Maximum duration is 2m 28s at Malin Head, or 2m 39s over Inistrahull ( the most northerly island off the Irish coast - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inishtrahull )

April 11th, 2442: Finally, a total solar eclipse over Dublin (other parts of the country have had 3 so far!) Some 790 years have elapsed since the last total solar eclipse seen from the Capital! The northern limit of this event runs from the Beara Peninsula to Balbriggan. Maximum duration of 1m 44s occurs just south of Arklow while Dubliners will enjoy 1m 9s in the Moon's shadow.

April 12th, 2545: An unusual hybrid eclipse occurs today, when the eclipse is mostly annular along its track but is briefly total (for 19 seconds) at Slea Head. The track runs along a straight line drawn from Slea Head to just off Carnsore Point, Co. Wexford.

May 5th, 2600: The final eclipse of our survey sees most of the country except northwest Mayo enjoy totality. The eclipse begins at sunrise and maximum occurs at Carnsore Point (2m 38s).

The "Mathematical Astronomy Morsels" series of 5 books by Jean Meeus (publisher Willmann-Bell) have extensive chapters on eclipses, including the frequency of totality from different locations. One of the books lists areas of the globe which experience totality 3 times in the space of 20 years. The next occasion this will happen is in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Brazil, when the area will see totality in 2045, 2046, and 2060 -- a gap of only 15 years!

ThunderCat

Brilliant post jfSDAS. Really enjoyed reading that. Born too soon methinks. That said we are very lucky we are in existence at a time when the moon and sun are both just the right distance away from earth for this to occur. I'll make it my mission to see at least one in my lifetime.

Beeker

Looking forward to the November 8th, 2189 one, as it can be seen from Waterford. Just need to find a way to stay alive long enough

RobertKK

The eclipse in 2442 is on my birthday, doubt I will see it :P

I am going to the US to see the solar eclipse next year. I will be going to see Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, and will be in Rexburg, Idaho.

A couple of places mentioned above, Madras along with Huntington in Oregon have the highest chances of cloudless skies.
Some of the areas in Wyoming have a higher chance of cloud, not bad but not as good as Oregon (away from coast) and Idaho, but way better chances of clear skies than in the eastern half of the US.
I had hoped to see it in the Grand Tetons natonal park, but the group I'm going with which includes an astronomer, have decided crossing to the other side of the mountains there, gives far higher chances of no cloud.


Might bump into a lot of Irish people over there next year. It will be a popular.

_Tombstone_

Nearest big road that roughly follows it probably best bet, hire out a Lamborghini go like the clatters if it's cloudy.

ThunderCat

since the thread was posted I've gone from "I must see one of these in my lifetime" to actually booking a flight to go see it, and I can't wait. I'm heading to Oregon and I see that Madras is the popular spot there. I read that inland is the best place to view in Oregon due to costal fog and I plan on watching it along the I5 motorway which is about 80km inland. I just hope it's far enough inland.


I've started a thread in the astrophotography sub-forum on photographing the total eclipse if anyone would like to add to it. I'm sorry to say I'm not imparting any words of wisdom in that thread, merely looking for tips as I'm a beginner myself.

dm09

I'm planning to travel to see this, to witness a Total Solar Eclipse in all its splendor is a once in a lifetime event, I remember been quite young in August 1999 when we witnessed the partial solar eclipse - unfortunately it was cloudy.

I'm aiming to view it in South Idaho, near Idaho Falls/Rexburg - although it won't have the longest totality duration it does seem to have the best chances of wall to wall sunshine owing to the local climate.
The closest hotel I could find was nearly 200 miles away in North Utah - everything in the path of totality is completely booked out, so there will be a lot of driving but hopefully it will be worth it

coylemj

A new official NASA website for the event ......... https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/

Fred Espenak's website is still there...... https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html

But there's a new NASA Eclipses and Transits website ..... https://www.nasa.gov/eclipse

jfSDAS

How is everyone getting on with their plans for the August 21st eclipse? Have any other boardsies decided to travel to see the event?

Might I suggest a get-together on July 21st to start the one month to go countdown? Post any suggestions of a venue (I'm Dublin-based). It would be an opportunity share plans, talk about the eclipse, and just to say hello. Hopefully some non-boardsies I know could make it along too as some of them have 9+ totals under their belt and could offer viewing advice.

John

Hector Savage

Great thread lads !
Unfortunately I wont make the USA for this one, but hope to make it for 2024.
I am amazed of the scarcity of these events, globally tho on average there is a total solar eclipse ever 2/3 years tho ?

I remember there was a really good NASA page where you could enter a location and it would give you all the major eclipses there for any time frame you wish - I must dig it up ..

MayoForSam

Experiencing a total eclipse is on my bucket list and I might just be able to get to see this one. I work for a US multinational based near Chicago and I am trying to set up a visit for the week of the eclipse. May not happen but I've provisionally booked a motel room in southern Illinois on the 20th, about 4 and a half hours south of Chicago - Carbondale will have 2'37" of totality, longest duration for this eclipse. Fingers crossed!

markfinn

Car rented, flights booked, solar film for 400-600 lenses obtained...

I'm flying into North Carolina on the 15th, picking up some road-trip buddies and driving wherever between Georgia and Wyoming the weather forecast looks best.

I'd be up for a meet-up the month before. Could do the 21st though Sat/Sun would suit me better.

jfSDAS

Hi all,

Sorry you can't make it Hector S but definitely keep the day free for 2024! Some of the ones prior to that require travelling that bit further but don't ignore any annular eclipses either -- they can be equally dramatic. List of eclipses for the next 10 years at https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/list.html

That eclipse calculator might be the one at https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/JSEX/JSEX-index.html - Chris O'Byrne, mentioned as creating an earlier version, was one of the Ecliptomanics, a group of Irish amateur astronomers who organised eclipse trips a few years ago. The only legacy online of the group is via searching on Way Back Machine. They visited Libya, Madagascar, and other locations to view eclipses.

Great to see the plans some of you have made. Ben Emmett, who co-hosts the Astronomy Show on Dublin City FM is also aiming to see the eclipse in Carbondale I believe. Drop Ben a line via the contact email at https://www.dublincityfm.ie/programmes/special-interest/astronomy-show

Let's go for Saturday, July 22nd, to meet up. How about Fitzgerald's Bar on Aston Quay in Dublin, just on the corner with Westmoreland Street? It's a centrally located spot and they do food also. It's not as busy as other locations either. We can firm up on a time nearer the 22nd.

John

markfinn

jfSDAS wrote: »

Saturday, July 22nd, to meet up.Fitzgerald's Bar on Aston Quay in Dublin

Sounds good to me.

KD11

Does anyone know of any package deal for the eclipse? like can you sign up to the cork astronomy club or do they only have so many places? Really want to see this but everyone i know either cant get off work or has no interest in it and it seems most places are fully booked up anyway.

jfSDAS

Hi KD11,

Apologies, I only just saw your enquiry about travelling to the eclipse.

The note below was circulated by Terry Moseley of the IAA in Belfast. There are still places on the trip planned by Cork Astronomy Club. I believe Delta were planning to fly to Portland from the UK this Summer.

Let us know if you plumb for going with the Cork group.

John


"CAC has arranged a special Package with a Travel Agent consisting of accommodation for 3 or more nights in a Portland, Oregon, Airport hotel, plus a Sunday morning 20 August coach tour of Portland. More importantly the package also includes a coach to take us to possible totality sites at Madras, Salem, or wherever else there is a clear sky at or near the totality centreline allowing for overnight 20/21 August traffic flows. A viewing site at Solarfest/Solartown Madras has been pre-booked. Flights are not included in the Package.

We plan a maximum of 40 participants. Up to last week we had 38, but this has been reduced to 34 due to cancellation. So we have 6 places available. If anyone wishes to partake and are willing to join Cork Astronomy Club for a small fee, we would be obliged if you would ask them to contact me through this email address. Bill O'Meara: beakomeara@gmail.com"

ThunderCat

Getting excited for this now. I'm just try to gauge how early I'll have to leave Portland that morning to get far enough south in time for the eclipse. It's an hours drive under normal conditions to the point where I plan on viewing it but I think to be safe I'll leave the hotel between 4 and 5am. I'd imagine the whole area will be bedlam but hopefully I get a handle on how bad the traffic will be when I arrive in Portland the night before. Think I read online somewhere that Oregon are expecting a million extra people in the state for this.

RobertKK

Yeah the crowds are going to be on the insane side, I was suppose to view it in Rexburg, Idaho but I got an email from the tour I am going on saying an alternative is looked at, the email included this: "Jackson is expecting a swelling of 400,000 over normal summer crowds. Rexburg is expecting 300,000. "

It looks like I will be viewing the eclipse in Dubois, Wyoming.
The excitement is growing...

ThunderCat

Don't think it's been posted yet but this is a very good map for showing where totality will be visible and the duration also.


http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2017_GoogleMapFull.html

jfSDAS

Good luck folks with all the planning for your trips.

Part of me is wondering if the crowds really will be as massive as some locales are expecting. For starters, it's a work day plus there will be people just not bothered. Also, various High Schools start back that week. That said, if even 1% of the U.S. population travel to the path of totality then that's an influx of over 3 million people!

Cloudynights.com has a dedicated eclipse forum with some interesting chats about what to expect crowd- and eclipse-wise.

John

ThunderCat

jfSDAS wrote: »

Good luck folks with all the planning for your trips.

Part of me is wondering if the crowds really will be as massive as some locales are expecting. For starters, it's a work day plus there will be people just not bothered. Also, various High Schools start back that week. That said, if even 1% of the U.S. population travel to the path of totality then that's an influx of over 3 million people!

Cloudynights.com has a dedicated eclipse forum with some interesting chats about what to expect crowd- and eclipse-wise.

John

I really hope you're right on the crowd front. I wonder does an eclipse even mean anything to most Americans. Also the fact that the eclipse will go from coast to coast surely means there are quiet viewing points to be had in places. That said, I'd happily put up with massive crowds and traffic jams if it just meant a nice sunny morning on August 21st.

SonOfPerdition

RobertKK wrote: »

Yeah the crowds are going to be on the insane side, I was suppose to view it in Rexburg, Idaho but I got an email from the tour I am going on saying an alternative is looked at, the email included this: "Jackson is expecting a swelling of 400,000 over normal summer crowds.  Rexburg is expecting 300,000. "

It looks like I will be viewing the eclipse in Dubois, Wyoming.
The excitement is growing...

Hi,
My wife and I are staying in West Yellowstone the night before and I'm planning an early start  (5am ish) to drive to Rexburg area.  Your comment has me thinking i may be better heading into Wyoming or further west into Idaho. Can i ask what is your group basing the change of location on? as in, do you know what source is expecting 400,000 in Rexburg ?   I have a car hired so i do plan to have multiple alternate points programmed into my sat nav and i'll be paying close attention to weather forecasts in days before we fly, but the thoughts of getting stuck in a traffic jam and missing it is giving me the heebie jeebies.

SonOfPerdition

btw, for those of you going over, will you bring eclipse glasses with you or do you plan to buy there?  Is there any reputable sources in Ireland or do you plan to order online?

markfinn

SonOfPerdition wrote: »

btw, for those of you going over, will you bring eclipse glasses with you or do you plan to buy there?  Is there any reputable sources in Ireland or do you plan to order online?

I ordered direct from Thousand Oaks Optical. I like my eyes unfried, so I didn't want to run around with amazon merchants and the like, and certainly don't want to be trying to buy over there. I can only imagine the cruft that'll be getting sold off.

That said, and having just advised against taking glasses from random internet people I do have 5 extra. I'll endeavor to remember to bring them along my extras to the meetup. First 5 on the scene etc...

http://thousandoaksoptical.com/products/eclipse/
Mine arrived in about 8 days, but I imagine they're getting busier as the event approaches.

SonOfPerdition

markfinn wrote: »

I ordered direct from Thousand Oaks Optical. I like my eyes unfried, so I didn't want to run around with amazon merchants and the like, and certainly don't want to be trying to buy over there. I can only imagine the cruft that'll be getting sold off.

That said, and having just advised against taking glasses from random internet people I do have 5 extra. I'll endeavor to remember to bring them along my extras to the meetup. First 5 on the scene etc...

http://thousandoaksoptical.com/products/eclipse/
Mine arrived in about 8 days, but I imagine they're getting busier as the event approaches.

I have the same uneasiness about trying to buy at last minute while over there. I've placed an order through amazon, thousandoaksoptical.com have a warning that orders placed after 9th July won't arrive in time so needs must.

I'll check them thoroughly when they arrive and order more from a different source if they look suspect.

Thanks!

ThunderCat

I see Celestron have a range of products released for the eclipse. I like the look of their Eclipse binoculars. Weather any will be left in stock is another thing.

jfSDAS

Hi all,

I'll bring along a couple of spare eclipse glasses on July 22nd too. I sent about 40 down to Paddy Brennan in Cork Astronomy Club a while back for distribution to their group travelling to Madras.

How about meeting in Fitzgerald's Bar at O'Connell Bridge on Saturday, July 22nd from 6pm? They serve food up to 10pm but I picked that time because it accommodates anyone who wants to come along early and leave early. Let me know if you can make it and I can contact Fitzgeralds to reserve a spot at the back of the pub. More details about Fitzgeralds at http://www.fitzgeraldsbar.ie/

A great series of pages on the eclipse at http://astroadventures.net/2017/USA/eclipse1.html (plus there's a link in the "More Info" box to a page on Eclipse Phenomena which describes what to look for). My tablet device couldn't open the pages correctly but they load fine on the PC.

Good luck with your trip and clear skies on August 21st if you can't make to our pre-eclipse gathering. Keep us posted about your adventures in the shadow of the Moon once you get back.

John

RobertKK

SonOfPerdition wrote: »

Hi,
My wife and I are staying in West Yellowstone the night before and I'm planning an early start  (5am ish) to drive to Rexburg area.  Your comment has me thinking i may be better heading into Wyoming or further west into Idaho. Can i ask what is your group basing the change of location on? as in, do you know what source is expecting 400,000 in Rexburg ?   I have a car hired so i do plan to have multiple alternate points programmed into my sat nav and i'll be paying close attention to weather forecasts in days before we fly, but the thoughts of getting stuck in a traffic jam and missing it is giving me the heebie jeebies.

I will be staying in West Yellowstone for a couple of nights for Yellowstone National Park, before moving onto Wyoming.
Where I will be staying in Wyoming is in Moran in the Grand Tetons national park, and Rexburg is across the mountains and I got an email saying the crowds are expected to be big and we would have to use a route from Wyoming that would be very busy and we would have to leave around 4am due to traffic. So we were told then we could instead go to Dubois in Wyoming for the eclipse. The eclipse happens where the accommodation is in Moran but Dubois gives an extra 20 seconds.
But yeah weather might decide it, but it looks like an early start to be on the safe side whatever the location.
The tour director sent an email with 400,000, I googled and found the mayor or whoever in Rexburg said they expect a very conservative estimate of 40,000 people to arrive but they admitted it could be way off.
The safe thing would be just start very early, expect traffic delays and hope the weather is clear skies.
I think our tour director doesn't fancy waking up people very early to leave at 4am for a 179km trip, and Dubois by contrast is an 88km trip so we can get extra sleep.
Your journey from West Yellowstone to Rexburg is 132km according to Siri, I think you are ok, but you can always leave a little earlier if you wanted.

RobertKK

ThunderCat wrote: »

I see Celestron have a range of products released for the eclipse. I like the look of their Eclipse binoculars. Weather any will be left in stock is another thing.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M8J6UTF/ref=psdc_297842_t1_B06ZYHC5QL

You can get them on Amazon's US site.