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Happy total eclipse of the sun day!


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Have fun and keep those eyes safe.   I live in an area in the path of totality so I am geeking out today. 

 

My son says we need to watch the Avatar the Last Airbender episode where they attack the Fire Nation during the total solar eclipse to honor the day as true geeks. 

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We will only get the partial down here in Florida, but my daughters school decided that today would be a good day for early release so that kids could enjoy the eclipse.  She has been geeking out and researching all weekend. 

As a side note, I wonder if the DOL would object to investing pension assets in solar eclipse glasses... I saw them selling at $400 for a 10 pack on amazon last week which would be one hell of a rate of return for some flimsy cardboard glasses :D

 

 

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Up here in the Northeast, we're only getting about 2/3's. BUT, all the hype made me decide to look on the internet yesterday as to what happens in future eclipses, and it just so happens that April 8, 2024 will put where I live in the totality, so I don't have to move off my deck to observe if I so choose.

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We're just about 35-40 miles south of the totality path. Our boss hired an ice cream truck and bought us all glasses. There were heavy thunderstorms this morning, with more predicted later in the day. Luckily, we had a clear view at the height of it, with the clouds returning as the sun was returning to view.

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We had about 91.48% (NASA's interactive map...) in Indianapolis and it is amazing that we didn't experience any darkening of the sky whatsoever.  Apparently 8.52% of the sun is more than sufficient to keep things bright.

Some cloud cover - but between the clouds we got a pretty good view (through glasses, of course.  I snapped some pics on my phone covering the lens with my "glasses" and since I zoomed in all the way, the pics were a little fuzzy, but it definitely showed the silhouette of the moon mostly over the sun...

 

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We were at 63% totality and I was unable to find glasses but fortunately there was a group of people standing in front of our building who were willing to share their glasses. I have to admit it looked pretty cool, but I doubt it looked quite that cool without the glasses. I had a very hard time not looking.

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I just got back from driving to see totality.  Awesome, glorious.  All adjectives are inadequate.  I totally geeked out.

If you've never seen it, I urge you to begin planning for 2024.

I'm a retirement actuary. Nothing about my comments is intended or should be construed as investment, tax, legal or accounting advice. Occasionally, but not all the time, it might be reasonable to interpret my comments as actuarial or consulting advice.

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Greetings from Sylva, NC, where Lois and I experienced totality! Amazing. The sky was a deep blue (not black), which doesn't show up in photographs. We saw at least one planet (or maybe it was a star). The temperature dropped by about 10 degrees. The corona was very prominent. Lasted about a minute and a half, but I'll never forget it.

solar_eclipse_from_sylva.jpg

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Drove over 500 miles each to get as close to the longest totality possible in the US (Hopkinsville KY was one of the "sweet spots" camping in the middle of a private corn field). Yes, you could definitely see at least Jupiter and a few stars.   Could have driven about 100 miles and gotten a shorter totality.  But dang it, if you are going to do this, it must be done the best way per dear son the astrophotographer (and hey who doesnt' like going on a road trip and living out of the car for 3 day with a teenage boy LOL-- by the end of the third day we both stunk like teenage boys!)

It is an amazing experience and one that I would add to a bucket list.    My son is already planning 2024....He got some pictures but hasn't been able to upload them yet due to marching band practice (and honestly getting home last night at 1:15 am and then having to get his braces removed at 9:20 am)

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2 hours ago, hr for me said:

Drove over 500 miles each to get as close to the longest totality possible in the US (Hopkinsville KY was one of the "sweet spots" camping in the middle of a private corn field).

Very cool! I could have obtained another 50 seconds by driving an hour down the road to Clayton GA, but figured that 1:45 would be enough and that returning traffic would be crazy backed up ... but I think I'd probably go ahead and make the drive if I had it to do over. 1:45 went by so fast! Did you see the Baily's beads? There seemed to be more just before the totality began -- several bright dots -- than there were when it started to end (actually, don't remember any).

Another aspect that surprised me was how sharp the outline of the moon appeared once it was completely over the sun. The "resolution" was so much more than a big black dot would appear in the sharpest of monitors. Maybe I've been spending too much time at the keyboard, when that's the reference point that first comes to mind :-)

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Yes, it went by so fast. Yes, got to see Baily's beads.  And yes, the resolution was much better than I suspected.  It was an amazing experience all around (except for my sunburned neck and arms and the drive back through the mountains in the dark of night)  I am hoping some of my son's pictures (through is telescope) will turn out well once he gets them processed.

The "older" members in our astronomy club claim that once you have seen totality, you will then chase it the rest of your life!

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5 hours ago, hr for me said:

... once you have seen totality, you will then chase it the rest of your life!

Yep.

https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2024-april-8

https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/best-cities-to-visit-next-solar-eclipse-2024

I'm a retirement actuary. Nothing about my comments is intended or should be construed as investment, tax, legal or accounting advice. Occasionally, but not all the time, it might be reasonable to interpret my comments as actuarial or consulting advice.

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On Monday, August 21, 2017 at 10:25 AM, RatherBeGolfing said:

We will only get the partial down here in Florida, but my daughters school decided that today would be a good day for early release so that kids could enjoy the eclipse.  She has been geeking out and researching all weekend. 

As a side note, I wonder if the DOL would object to investing pension assets in solar eclipse glasses... I saw them selling at $400 for a 10 pack on amazon last week which would be one hell of a rate of return for some flimsy cardboard glasses :D

1.  If you got "flimsy cardboard glasses" and tried to use them during the eclipse, please have someone read the second point below to you.

2.  I just checked on eBay, and 10-packs of certified solar eclipse glasses are now below $20.  I don't think the DOL would approve of spending plan assets on an "investment" that so obviously would not retain its value. I imagine most of the "market value" goes away immediately after the eclipse passes its local peak. Besides which, the big rate of return for inadequate solar eclipse glasses goes to the manufacturer, not the purchaser.  :shades:

Always check with your actuary first!

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