View Full Version : Total Eclipse from Big Scaly Mountain
johnspenn
10-06-2017, 15:22
A little late =) But it really was a great experience. From the blog post...
Some fun facts about a total eclipse- There are several factors that have to be just right (think Goldilocks) to see a total eclipse like the one we saw August 21st. Obviously, you have to have a luminous body (the sun), an obstructing body (the moon) and a platform to observe from (the earth). But that's just the beginning. The orbits of the earth and the moon have to coincide at just the right angles for the eclipse to be observed. The moon's size and distance to the sun relative to earth has to be in the right proportion. If not, it will either totally block the view or it will not block enough of the view. It just so happens that the moon is 400 times smaller than the sun, but the sun is 400 times farther away than the moon. This makes their observed size in the sky relatively the same. Additionally, the atmosphere has to be conducive to long range observation (i.e. clear). The calculations have been performed, and the best place in the entire solar system to observe a solar eclipse is from the earth. So, the one place that has observers has the best observation of a solar eclipse. And really that's just scratching the surface. An amazing amount of coincidences must align perfectly just for this one event. Or are they coincidences...
You can read the blog post and see pictures from the event here:
Total Eclipse- August 21st, 2017 (https://couch2trail.wordpress.com/2017/10/06/total-eclipse-august-21st-2017/)
I got to witness it from Santee state park in SC. Amazingly it was partly overcast until about 30 mins prior to the beginning of the event, then not a cloud in the sky. The Event was awesome, totally worth the 8.5 hr car ride back home.( 1.5 hrs to get there). Unfortunately no pictures to share.
johnspenn
10-07-2017, 06:16
I got to witness it from Santee state park in SC. Amazingly it was partly overcast until about 30 mins prior to the beginning of the event, then not a cloud in the sky. The Event was awesome, totally worth the 8.5 hr car ride back home.( 1.5 hrs to get there). Unfortunately no pictures to share.
It was really a spectacular event. I totally hear you about the car ride home, ours was pretty brutal as well. Happy trails!
colorado_rob
10-07-2017, 08:30
Thanks for sharing your Blog Johnspenn!
The #1 aspect of this event for myself and friends was how incredibly amazing it was, way beyond our expectations. I had anticipated it would be very cool to experience, but was unprepared for the magnitude of the experience. Hard to describe unless you've seen one of these! PLEASE, if you can, put April 8 2024 on your longer-term list of things to do for the next "once in a lifetime" front-row seat for another total eclipse swathing across the USA!
Anyway, we had the good fortune of seeing the 2017 event from just east of the Grand Teton NP, the day after climbing the Grand Teton. Perfect clear skies, a great groups of fellow climbing pals... BUT as mentioned below, the drive home was, er, problematic! We'll do it differently in 2024... just plan on spending another night at/near where you view the eclipse. Not sure what we were thinking trying to drive home right afterwards!
A couple pics attached. I took a hand-held phone video of the Grand Teton range going dark just before totality reached us, didn't work too well because the camera just kept adjusting exposure... Next time I'll figure out a better way. The totality shot worked well though, just handheld, nothing special, 300mm lens on a cheap DSLR (Canon SL1).
johnspenn
10-07-2017, 11:49
Thanks for sharing your Blog Johnspenn!
The #1 aspect of this event for myself and friends was how incredibly amazing it was, way beyond our expectations. I had anticipated it would be very cool to experience, but was unprepared for the magnitude of the experience. Hard to describe unless you've seen one of these! PLEASE, if you can, put April 8 2024 on your longer-term list of things to do for the next "once in a lifetime" front-row seat for another total eclipse swathing across the USA!
Anyway, we had the good fortune of seeing the 2017 event from just east of the Grand Teton NP, the day after climbing the Grand Teton. Perfect clear skies, a great groups of fellow climbing pals... BUT as mentioned below, the drive home was, er, problematic! We'll do it differently in 2024... just plan on spending another night at/near where you view the eclipse. Not sure what we were thinking trying to drive home right afterwards!
A couple pics attached. I took a hand-held phone video of the Grand Teton range going dark just before totality reached us, didn't work too well because the camera just kept adjusting exposure... Next time I'll figure out a better way. The totality shot worked well though, just handheld, nothing special, 300mm lens on a cheap DSLR (Canon SL1).
That's a great shot of totality- awesome =)
I have actually already looked into the next opportunity in 2024, and if able will definitely try to go see it (I'm in GA, looks like Arkansas will be my best bet). That's pretty far in the future tho, so who knows right?
I agree with you. I was prepared to be awed but i wasn't prepared for just HOW awed I would be! Thanks for checking the blog out!
Hikes in Rain
10-07-2017, 19:45
Instead of a totality photo (got several of those! ), here's a happy accident. This is just a second or two past totality. We didn't notice, but a cloud drifted over during the eclipse, and it really diffused the light of the sun sliver as totality began to end.
Hikes in Rain
10-07-2017, 19:52
Drat!!
40554
Kaptainkriz
10-07-2017, 19:58
Totality panorama! Very nice. We got to see it down in TN - profound experience for me.
A little late =) But it really was a great experience. From the blog post...
You can read the blog post and see pictures from the event here:
Total Eclipse- August 21st, 2017 (https://couch2trail.wordpress.com/2017/10/06/total-eclipse-august-21st-2017/)
johnspenn
10-08-2017, 16:08
Instead of a totality photo (got several of those! ), here's a happy accident. This is just a second or two past totality. We didn't notice, but a cloud drifted over during the eclipse, and it really diffused the light of the sun sliver as totality began to end.
That is a cool shot- thanks for posting it!
Totality panorama! Very nice. We got to see it down in TN - profound experience for me.
Yeah. Words fail really but profound is a good one =)