The amount of questions in our local Facebook group re: the eclipse!!! Clearly some people haven’t given it much thought!
“Where can we watch it?”
“Can we bring our dog to the eclipse event?”
“What happens if it’s cloudy?” “Do we have to wear the glasses if it’s cloudy??”
This is cool…put in your zip code & you’ll see what and when it will look like in your area. We’ll have about a 50% eclipse at our house. Enter your zip code and discover how the 2024 total solar eclipse will look in your city
Our house was in the path of totality in 2017. We had an amazing experience right in our own yard. Unfortunately, H was on a business trip on the other side of the planet and missed it.
Tomorrow, we are flying up to Boston and then heading over to Burlington, VT, so he can see it for himself. This is soooo up his alley.
We waited to book until the weather forecast became clearer and we knew which direction would give us the best chance for clear skies. Great news….only one of us will need to sell a kidney to pay for our adventure!
I did try or thought about it. Last year I decided to be pro-active and get a room for it at Niagara Falls and kill two birds with one stone. They wouldn’t take reservations that far ahead. I tried a few more times and got nowhere, they were booked. I guess rewards patrons get first dibs for something like this. I gave up. And my husband’s poor bladder would never survive a ride- to-a- spot- and -try-to -get-back traffic.
We are in the path of multiple totalities- both solar and cloud 
I’m flying to forecasts of clouds. Hoping the reports are wrong. The sad thing is that we could have gone to our cabin in Vermont and got talked out it. Now we have promised friends rides and meals and it would be (insert bad word here) to back out. 
I knew I should have gone on the cruise!
It’s pretty obvious if you are in the totality. You wouldn’t be able to see a thing with the eclipse glasses on. If you stay in your 98% backyard you’ll need to keep yours on when looking at the sun, though. You only take them off in 100% totality or risk burning your retina and permanently damaging your eyes.
My sister’s in 99.5% totality. Should have gone up there this weekend after being in GA instead of coming home.
My dad gave me a viewing device with #14 gauge welders glass. He made it for his astronomy club viewings in the past. He’s not going to make the trip this year, as he’s 87 and not feeling as energetic these days. He was in totality in 2017 at the astronomy club’s dark sky location 15 miles from home. I can BARELY see the lightbulbs in my kitchen through this glass.
We’re in AZ, so won’t get the full effect, but we did see the SpaceX rocket fly by last night. Very cool!
Well 24 hours out (and a few minutes) and we are currently looking at sunny and 72 for tomorrow - and we ARE in the 100% totality range. But it’s Ohio, in April and ANYTHING can change in 24 hours!
As a consolation prize for being far from the path of totality, I took the scenic long cut home from errands along Sunset Cliffs. Blue skies, pelicans flying by, beautiful waves, and landscape and wild flowers in full bloom.
This is cool…April 8, 2024 - In addition to the eclipse, the eight main planets will align.
“Staying focused on the eight main planets, it’s also uncommon for all eight planets to even be in the same part of the sky; this occurs every few thousand years and was last recorded in 949 C.E. Astronomers predict the next planetary alignment will occur will be on the night of May 6, 2492.”
We had an abrupt change in course from TX hill country and are now just outside Ft Worth. Our friends in Austin report it’s cloudy there so we made the right decision. Our skies have slightly filtered sun, the weather forecast is predicting 21% cloud cover at 1.40pm.
Not very exciting but (1) best view possible in California and (2) getting my money’s worth from the glasses I bought last fall.
Dallas had very heavy clouds this morning. Around 12 noon, blue skies! By totality (1:40 pm) clouds had begun moving back in, but they were the thin, fast moving kind. We were able to see and enjoy the whole thing from our back yard!
I was not prepared for how amazing this was. My heart stopped for a quick second as we reached totality and the weather was perfect.
Most striking to me was how the birds and activity on the river just went SILENT. Also how about five
Minutes before totality it just had this aura that it was about to rain - but it wasn’t! Pictures don’t do it justice.
