Ask Slashdot: How Did You Experience The Solar Eclipse?

NASA claims they set a record Monday with 40 million views of their eclipse coverage (12.1 million unique) and more than 2 million simultaneous views. Now Slashdot reader xmas2003 asks: "What did /.'ers do to experience this rare incredibly cool event and how did it turn out?" SmarterEveryDay Destin gets great geek cred for watching the ISS transit the eclipsed sun [YouTube] while we were fortunate to have an incredible experience on 40 acres of farmland watching the Total Solar Eclipse near Tryon, Nebraska -- here's a complete video of [a darkening crowd watching] the totality event from the middle of nowhere. While the pics/video are cool, the real-life experience of actually being there in person is even 100X better -- highly recommend you try to attend a future total solar eclipse!.
In my town it was cloudy all morning -- though I got a postcard from friends experiencing "the path of totality" in Idaho City. But how about you? How did you experience this week's solar eclipse?

Comments

Hopkinsville, KY

[Zarhan]

Near centerline, 2 mins 41 seconds of totality.

It was easy finding a location just before the eclipse and getting in. Getting out, on the other hand...11 hours to drive 250 miles to Indianapolis afterwards. I-69 completely jammed.

Great experience except someone decided to start shooting fireworks during totality. It's not like there needed to be anything extra...

Re:Obvious response

[K. S. Kyosuke]

So technically, you were experiencing a double eclipse, by both the Moon and the Earth.

Re:Took some not-too-exciting pictures

[Solandri]

People don't say that because you can't get shots - modern cameras have fast enough shutter speeds that you can. You're not supposed to do it because if you hold the camera still while pointed at the sun too long (like on a tripod), you'll burn a hole in the shutter or (for shutterless cameras) burn a hole in the CCD/CMOS sensor.

You know how as a kid you used to burn ants with a magnifying glass? That's exactly what the lens of your camera is doing to the shutter and sensor.

It's less of a concern with higher-end DSLRs which use metal shutter blades (for a faster max shutter speed). You only have to worry about heat damage on those. But lower-end DSLRs still use a shutter curtain made of black fabric. The focused sunlight will burn right through that.