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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?
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?
from the other side of the planet, you insensitive clod!
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...
I visited some family in South Carolina, and some other friends of the family converged there as well. We basically had a little picnic, set up some cameras, and then watched the shrinking Sun with our glasses.
Even at ten minutes prior, it was eerie! Dark as evening, but with the Sun still seventy degrees overhead. I've never experienced conditions like it in my life. The temperature was noticeably cooler, as well.
And then, totality itself! We were on the southern edge of the path, so only about a minute thirty of totality, but my goodness, they should have sent a poet! The sky was as dark as night, but the horizon was lit by the sunlight that made it around the Moon -- not red like a usual sunset, but blue! And of course, the hole in the sky where the Sun used to be.
Even knowing in advance that it would be happening, there are no words to describe the awe we felt. I can hardly begin to understand the panic that people must have felt before we understood what caused them!
Interestingly, because we saw the eclipse from a small farm, we could see the reactions of some non-human animals as well. Chickens went inside their roost during totality (and then came back outside as soon as it was done, no worse for wear), and the gnats all went to ground (and then came back with a vengeance when it was over). We didn't notice any other creatures reactions, so maybe it was over too quickly for them to be concerned. (Incidentally, some neighbors were out of their minds over whether they should get eclipse glasses for their animals...no need to worry, they've been dealing with eclipses for millions of years before we domesticated them.)
Wherever you are in the world, keep your ears open for when the next eclipse is coming near you, and make the effort to see totality -- it's worth it! I'm already looking forward to 2024!
Enjoying the near complete silence until my jackass neighbor started blasting "Total Eclipse of the Heart" for way too long.
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.