April 8 2024 Total Solar Eclipse in North America

[rjgimp]

We were able to view the eclipse in August 2017 from a rented space in a vacant lot in Alliance NE and it was magnificent! Anyone planning on viewing this one? The duration will range from 4 minutes 26 seconds in Texas to about 3 minutes 21 seconds in Maine. The math involved makes my old cranium wither in pain but by the time the shadow reaches Maine it will be traveling across the earth at over 3000mph! Dallas, Little Rock, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Buffalo NY, Rochester NY, and Burlington VT are all directly in the path of totality.

The experience is very well worth it if you can make it. Still lots of time to plan a trip.

[tony.latham]

In 2017, we traveled about sixty miles to view the event. Camped, of course. We were probably in the most remote possible place for the moon's shadow.



Really wild country. About as far from a Walmart or McDonald's as you can get south of the Canadian border. And I was still amazed at the number of people. Now... we didn't have neighbors for a 1/4 mile. Certainly not the throb of a generator. So it was a fine family campout.

But... I was still blown away by the number of folks. I just can't imagine the people density that an event like this might attract in a state that has 28 million folks. I think you'd have to get a state-park reservation like, right now.



Tony

[Philip]

I will see it in Indy. I have a good parking place secured already.

[Tom&Shelly]

by the time the shadow reaches Maine it will be traveling across the earth at over 3000mph!

If we're going to keep up with it, Shelly will have to do the driving.

Looks like it misses both our home near Albuquerque and Mom's house in Upstate NY, so, if we want to see it, we'll have to plan something...

Tom

[rjgimp]

In 2017, we traveled about sixty miles to view the event. Camped, of course. We were probably in the most remote possible place for the moon's shadow.



Really wild country. About as far from a Walmart or McDonald's as you can get south of the Canadian border. And I was still amazed at the number of people. Now... we didn't have neighbors for a 1/4 mile. Certainly not the throb of a generator. So it was a fine family campout.

But... I was still blown away by the number of folks. I just can't imagine the people density that an event like this might attract in a state that has 28 million folks. I think you'd have to get a state-park reservation like, right now.



Tony

I certainly enjoyed the spot we ended up with. It was overcast in the morning and I was actually contemplating a quick trip to Casper WY but I am so glad I didn't. About an hour before the eclipse began the sky cleared off and I heard later there was a horrible traffic jam (LOL!) in Casper. We found a church in Alliance NE that owned 20 acres across the road and they partitioned it off into 20x60 rv spaces which they rented for I think about $20 a day and spaces maybe half that size for tenters. I suppose there were 400-500 people there. The actual centerline of totality was a few miles away but we would have only gained about a second. Many people left the day before the eclipse including the guy next to me, I presume seeking better weather. There was a guy about 50 yards from me I enjoyed conversing with who had a Nikon and a big telephoto lens on a tripod doing some time lapse photography. As it turned out, other than the guy who had been parked next to me and left, there were at least two vacant spots next to me in each direction on Eclipse day. There was a big whoop from the crowd when totality occurred and another when it ended.



Of course, everyone needs proper eye protection.

[LadyBell]

I see that the path of totality includes some great spots like Dallas, Little Rock, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Buffalo, Rochester, and Burlington, so there are plenty of options.

If you're thinking of traveling to see it, it's definitely worth the effort. Planning ahead is key. For a more comfortable trip, especially if you're flying, you might want to check out https://travelbusinessclass.com/turkish-business-class. As for me, it's a great way to make the journey more enjoyable.