OT: Eclipse

[Adz]

I have never seen a total eclipse, except on TV which isn't the same. I've prepared all sorts of sandwiches and goodies--been working on this for DAYS and even got up early to finish so you know I'm kind of excited for the event. We are making a picnic of it at the office--my mother will be there and she made her special sugar cookies--and made them look like various stages of the eclipse. She's so clever! I'll have my sister and PF 98 there, too, so if we go blind we'll go blind together.

Get this, my sister brought her apricot scarf to wear. Points if you get it!

 

[Drake744]

So troll everyone with 'Blackhole Sun' or 'Total Eclipse of the Heart'

This is a younger person's style of music but I've already deemed a song called Stare at the Sun by Thrice the official song of today.

"I stare straight into the sun, and I won't close my eyes, til I understand or go blind...."

 

[Legionnaire11]

I'll be going with "The Sun No Longer Rises" by Immortal

 

[Gnashville]

I'm just being picky at this point but I thought St Louis was in the total path as well. Could be wrong though.

No only about 90%

 

[DaJackal]

 

[Legionnaire11]

It wasn't very funny... There actual scientific studies being done. Another failed attempt by someone "smart" to downplay the enjoyment of others.

 

[Drake744]

I mean it's not totally inaccurate. If I didn't live in the path of totality I wouldn't care much, but since I'm here I'm rooting for the clouds to not block it and I consider myself pretty lucky to be in a place to see it. Based on circumstance pretty much.

 

[LCPreds]

I wonder what a person who saw this 2k years ago thought. "Uhhh... something bad just happened to the sun god!"

 

[BigFatCat999]

Just played Black Hole SUN, now Total Eclispe of the heart'

 

[LCPreds]

That was fantastic.

 

[Gnashville]

I had clouds during the total eclipse

 

[AdmiralsFan24]

83% coverage, 100% clouds.

 

[Drake744]

That was cool. Obviously the clouds were a bummer but being downtown was more so because of street and building lights being on. It was pretty gnarly though.

 

[Legionnaire11]

I had cloud cover in M'boro until about 1:20 so we were actually able to see it perfectly as a whole family from three years old up to 84 and everywhere in between, it'll be a great memory.

 

[LCPreds]

Yep, we were worried about the clouds in Smyrna but ended up being completely clear the entire time.

 

[AL-Canadian]

Clear skies with about 92% totality here west of Birmingham. The temperature outside dropped about 15 degrees and made a miserable day quite nice.

 

[KurtAngle]

It was great.

I was surprised how it just happened all of a sudden, then all of a sudden it is gone. I know it sounds weird, but just expecting kind of like some huge orchestra to announce it. All of a sudden you look around and it's dark, then a few minutes later, back to normal.

It seems to me we are in The Hype Age, a lot to do with the Social Media Age, these days where almost everything gets hyped to the max.

 

[Carolinas Identity*]

maybe i just had a bad vantage point being this far north but that was more disappointing than sex with me

 

[LCPreds]

Maybe I'm not understanding but are those who were actually in a place where totality occurred not impressed when you refer to hype? I mean, it's a solar eclipse in our own backyard. Not sure how much "hype" that should actually get. To me it was pretty amazing and not sure I'll ever get to see totality again (without actively seeking it).

Kurt could be on to something though and it's not eclipse related. Everything is always in your face 24/7 now thanks to flash communication like Facebook and Twitter. That stuff isn't going away. Of course now that the eclipse is over all we're going to read about is GoT and statues.

 

[NSH615]

Maybe I'm not understanding but are those who were actually in a place where totality occurred not impressed when you refer to hype? I mean, it's a solar eclipse in our own backyard. Not sure how much "hype" that should actually get. To me it was pretty amazing and not sure I'll ever get to see totality again (without actively seeking it).

Kurt could be on to something though and it's not eclipse related. Everything is always in your face 24/7 now thanks to flash communication like Facebook and Twitter. That stuff isn't going away. Of course now that the eclipse is over all we're going to read about is GoT and statues.

I am in Gallatin, we were supposed to have as much totality as Hopkinsville and to me it was kinda meh....Not worth taking a day off for. It got dusk like for a couple of minutes but that was it. I definitely would not travel anywhere to see that. To me, it seems like the media really way overhyped this. I would compare the hype of this to a SCF game compared to a result that you get on a Tuesday night Calgary game.

 

[FossilFndr]

A few degrees off makes a real difference, we were @ 97% coverage but I've seen thunder clouds darken the area more. Not complaining, just an observation. Main effect was temperature change.

 

[NSH615]

A few degrees off makes a real difference, we were @ 97% coverage but I've seen thunder clouds darken the area more. Not complaining, just an observation. Main effect was temperature change.

It wasn't even dark in a totality area, it was like the power level on a lightbulb getting decreased to dim. It was weird.

 

[Drake744]

I am in Gallatin, we were supposed to have as much totality as Hopkinsville and to me it was kinda meh....Not worth taking a day off for. It got dusk like for a couple of minutes but that was it. I definitely would not travel anywhere to see that. To me, it seems like the media really way overhyped this. I would compare the hype of this to a SCF game compared to a result that you get on a Tuesday night Calgary game.

I'm working and it was cool but I think I said earlier that certain things kinda messed with the experience. There were some clouds but things downtown like street lights and lights that naturally come from these buildings added a lot of brightness. I've seen videos from a couple friends where it looked very dark, if not totally black and they are in South Nashville and Mt Juliet (or he may have been in the Boro).

 

[Legionnaire11]

It definitely wasn't as dark as I expected but still plenty of difference from usual, but I enjoyed watching the surrounding area darken in the hour leading up to totality. That was my big takeaway I guess, I've seen pictures and video of an eclipse, but you never really get to experience what's going on at ground level.

I can say, when the sun was about 75% covered, the softness of the light was fantastic, my eyes would really appreciate if it was always like that. Then again, it's all relative, so if that was the brightest that it ever got, it would still be "too bright".

 

[PredsV82]

I've been an astronomy nerd all my life and that was so effing cool. We had 100% totality for like 90 seconds. Had my mother, my wife and 4 kids out on our pool deck... we have woods beside and behind us so the cicadas and frogs started chirping like it was night, and the 360 sunset was unreal. And totality was one of the few natural things in life that lived up to the hype. 7 years from now my 2 littlest ones will be old enough to understand (they didn't understand this one, just had fun in the pool ) and we will either travel to Paducah/Carbondale to see it again or by then my oldest will be a commercial pilot and maybe we will view it from the air...

Those of you who saw totality and were unimpressed, I just don't understand. .