Total Solar Eclipse for Northern Western Hemisphere

[not2easy]

The total solar eclipse for the northern half of the Western Hemisphere is getting started. Its continental path from northwestern Mexico to northeastern Canada diagonally crossing central US states means it will present a total solar eclipse for millions of people. Near-total for many millions more.

NASA has put up an Eclipse Explorer for viewing from any point in the path for those who are interested: [eclipse-explorer.smce.nasa.gov...]

I'll be seeing shots later online since it passes nowhere near my location. We had an Annular eclipse last October that gave us some interesting photos. If the moon had not been so distant at the time, it would have been a total eclipse, but we got much more corona than today's eclipse with total coverage will provide.

[engine]

Quite exciting, eh.
I hope it's a clear sky for those wanting to see it. Ev n if cloudy the effect will be good.

[lucy24]

Even if cloudy the effect will be good.

We had one a couple years ago that could, in theory, be seen from my area--but people who really wanted to view the eclipse took the precaution of traveling to some place like Wyoming where you could reasonably hope it wouldn't be overcast. All we got here was light-grey clouds changing briefly to dark-grey clouds.

[not2easy]

A lot of the midwest and northeast states are overcast, people go anyway, hoping for a good view. Most everyone knows better than to look at the show without eye protection, but they can ruin their phone's camera without a filter too. Clouds might help in that respect. I'll bet lots of filter salesfolks are going to be on the spot wherever they go. ;)

[tangor]

Buddy of mine captured a great photo of totality in the Dallas, TX area. Lasted all of two minutes. :)

My location was about 90 miles east under overcast skies. Didn't see a thing.

[Martin Potter]

My wife and I travelled about an hour south of Ottawa, Canada, to be within the path of totality but without crossing the border. Unfortunately it was partly cloudy along the St Lawrence River (thin to moderate density stratus), so we didn't see the sun's corona during totality, but the partial phases were all quite viewable. And the approach, passing, and departure of the umbral shadow was absolutley awe-inspiring! The very blackness of the clouds and the speed with which the shadow arrived all gave me no doubt at all about why many ancient civilizations (pre-Greek and Arabic, I guess) feared these events so much.

It was my first total solar eclipse and, despite not being able to see the corona, I will remember it for a long time.

[lucy24]

many ancient civilizations (pre-Greek and Arabic, I guess)

There's a science fiction story about a man who time-travels back to some ancient Mesoamerican civilization, let’s say Maya. The people are getting ready to kill him, as ancient Mesoamericans were wont to do, when he declares that he is a god, and this afternoon he will make the sun go dark to prove it.

So they go ahead and kill him, because they’d been predicting eclipses for several centuries.

[Martin Potter]

Point taken, Lucy.
So, if not Neolithic, then Lithic, I guess.