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Last August’s (2017) eclipse was the first I experienced — my wife and I were in Midvale ID, with friends old and new. It was fantastic!
The next one is still 6 years (and 2 months) away. Its path of totality across North America will be from Mazatlan to Newfoundland, 3 countries: MEX, USA, and CAN — 5 states in Mexico, 15 states in the US, and 6 provinces in Canada. Here is its path map (with thanks to Xavier Jubier):
In MEX it will touch 5 states in this order: NA, SI, DG, CO, and CH.
(That’s Nayarit, Sinaloa, Durango, Coahuila, and Chihuahua (just barely).)
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In the USA it will touch 15 states in this order: TX, OK, AR, MO, TN, KY, IL, IN, OH, MI, PA, NY, VT, NH, and ME.
(That’s Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee (just barely), Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan (just barely), Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.)
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I’m not making any definite plans yet but it is penciled into my calendar. I guess I have rough, but not definite, plans to go.
What about you? Do you think you will go? We have some eclipse veterans here, people who’ve seen several. We also have some 1-timers like my wife and me. And for those that have never experienced one, go! Just go! I promise you, as long as you are in clear weather, that you will be amazed! Find places near you where the clouds/weather are not likely to be a factor, and go!
For us it was a 700 mile drive, San Francisco CA to Midvale ID, and it was well worth the trip (map, https://www.google.com/maps/dir/San+...e5be3b29fc!3e0). And we met and made a new friend from this forum, too. Shades_of_Idaho, are you out there? It was great meeting you!
Texas would likely have good weather. But driving out to the far eastern reaches of Newfoundland would be a cool road trip — it’s ‘only’ a 4,500 mile drive from San Francisco. But cloud cover might make it iffy there in Newfoundland.
I have studied the path of this eclipse somewhat extensively. Mexico will definitely be the place to be. It will be warm, clear and very importantly, have dark skies! Make sure to look at the map that the OP posted and select the night sky brightness tool. The United states will be very bright along most of the eclipse path, with a few dark spots from Arkansas to Illinois, and again along the US-Canada border after New York. The most iconic place along the path will of course be Niagara falls. However, April 8 is still cool and cloudy in that part of the country. In addition, bright night skies, although not as much as a deal-breaker as the weather, will not facilitate ideal eclipse viewing. With all that being said, one place I do want to be during the eclipse will be Enchanted Rock, Texas. About an hour from San Antonio, Enchanted Rock is a pink granite mountain that rises 425 feet from the surrounding Texas Hill Country. Here is a link on where I got that info,https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/e...ed-rock/nature. This park is designated a international dark sky park, despite being only one hour from San Antonio. The weather during early April averages at 78 (F) during the day. Total eclipse time will be 4 min, 25 sec, a mere 3 seconds short of the longest duration that will be found in Nazas, Mexico. Here is an awesome video of the park! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNTDHgcaOcc&t=80s
Last edited by manny9manny; 09-17-2019 at 04:42 PM..
I have studied the path of this eclipse somewhat extensively. Mexico will definitely be the place to be. It will be warm, clear and very importantly, have dark skies!
You don't need dark skies for a solar eclipse, only clear ones. (Dark skies are important for stargazing, but by definition a total solar eclipse happens during the day.)
At one point it looks like the penumbra will cover the continental US.
It will (or close to it), but the umbra is where you want to be if at all possible. A partial solar eclipse is nowhere near as magnificent as a total one.
It will (or close to it), but the umbra is where you want to be if at all possible. A partial solar eclipse is nowhere near as magnificent as a total one.
Yes, if you can get to the umbral path it will be so much better. For the August 2017 solar eclipse I was in totality and it was an excellent experience.
Umbra = totality, or total darkness ... well, you’ll still be able to see your hand, faintly, held in front of your face.
Penumbra = partial eclipse which is interesting, although it’s not stunning / awesome like totality is. You’ll still be in sunlight and you can damage your eyes if you’re not careful.
Notice that all of CONUS (the lower 48 states) will get at least a partial eclipse. In fact, all 50 states will. Parts of the Alaska panhandle and perhaps all of Hawaii will get a partial eclipse.
This site has interesting information, maps, charts, and animations. See the hamburger menu, upper right —> https://nationaleclipse.com/
Their animations page has a good animation of the August 2017 solar eclipse —> https://nationaleclipse.com/animations.html. Not the one with cartoon characters but the one showing the USA map and totality passing from Salem OR to Charleston SC.
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