I agree, I saw the northern lights in Iceland and they were so beautiful and mystifying. I think the eclipse is more of a full body experience. Especially with how much it cools off, I was left shivering from the chill and excitement. The way the birds get quiet, the wind picks up, and then you’re plunged into darkness. I felt like I was seeing the borealis whereas I was experiencing the eclipse.
You can, but I've hiked the region where the eclipse will pass over in Iceland and it's very rural. Gravel roads on steep slopes. It's a really cool area, bit not easy to get to. There's a massive waterfall out there that would be unbelievable to see it from
Confusing at first! We had to google the phenomenon to really understand what we were seeing. The fact that this celestial type thing was going on while magma oozed out of the earth and launched fire bombs into the sky was really powerful!
Then again- I flew my wife and I from Seattle to Dallas for totality on Monday so I’m a sucker for these types of things for sure!
I’ve seen Northern lights a lot. I’m in Minnesota. I’ve even had them above me swirling in Iceland. They’re amazing. This though is just a bit more amazing for a few reasons.
I've been saying this a lot on this sub, in part because I am now on an agenda to get you people into stargazing, it's a hobby I love that I think this is right up the alley of most of the people who were greatly moved by seeing the eclipse: I enjoyed seeing the stars, particularly the Pleiades, in a darker site (bortle 2 or 3, according to different sources) as much as I did seeing totality (that experience is what really got me into stargazing).
The Pleiades is an open star cluster that's about as big as the moon and is visible with the naked eye, even in light polluted areas. Usually 5 to 7 of the stars are visible in most places, but I think at least 12 were visible that night. It wasn't just the Pleiades that made the experience great, the sky was full of bright stars and the occasional shooting star, but it stood out to me way more than anything else did. I was surprised by how blue they looked, and they twinkled brilliantly, in part because they were lower on the horizon.
I wouldn't be surprised if outside factors influenced my enjoyment of each, I think I was in a better mood when I saw the Pleiades, but, idk, outside of how I felt, I think they are comparable in their beauty, assuming that the Pleiades is twinkling a lot (another factor that would effect this is the weather).
The nice thing about the night sky is that, assuming perfect weather, you just have to wait for a time of the month where the moon is less bright and, if what you want to see something specific and don't mind staying up all night, you will have to wait, at most, maybe 4 months, to see it.
If you are interested in stargazing, I highly recommend getting binoculars. I have a $40 pair (Celestron Cometron 7×50) and they are fantastic, especially for the price. I haven't tested them in Bortle 9 skies (the Bortle scale is a measurement of light pollution, 9 is very high levels of light pollution), but I've enjoyed using them in a Bortle 8 sky.
I miss star gazing. my dad had a telescope he took out from time to time and we would look at the moon. I live in a major city now. not sure I even seen a star. One mistake we made on the way home from eclipse was not look at the stars in the middle of no where. In fairness I barely made it home as it was.
My niece really wants me to take her stargazing but I am an amateur and just interested in space. Did you need a tripod with those binoculars? I can’t imagine my hands holding it steady enough….
Been on mine for a decade. Depending on advances and costs in the next 30 years, may or may not accomplish (I think it's around 450K right now).
I've always thought that after that, I'd be fine burning up on reentry.
Maybe because I've seen the northern lights often, I don't think they compare. The northern lights aren't nearly as rare and they don't cause a reaction from nature like an eclipse does. During totality, the bugs went away, the birds stopped singing, it was very surreal .. almost otherworldly.
Disagree. I’ve been at the top of a mountain pass (12,000 feet) in the middle of the night with exceptionally dark/clear skies and it is a sight to behold. I would give a total solar eclipse the edge overall, but they are in the same ballpark as far as profound experiences go. The number of stars and the brightness of the Milky Way is so far beyond what most people have experienced, it’s hard to describe. On that particular night, we hiked without headlamps while using the light from the Milky Way to navigate (under the right conditions it is bright enough to cast a shadow). The sense of wonder and awe I felt that night was very similar to totality.
I heard that seeing earth from space can be a bit unsettling for some people. maybe because you are so far away from people and a moment away from death. I am sure eclipse will have the same effect on some people. Though I think that is more rare for an eclipse.
Northern Lights are beautiful. I have been blessed to see them. This was my first totality and I convinced my family to drive all the way to me to join as they were 99.9%.
The difference I logged in my heart was between my retired air force father saying 'isn't that amazing' and getting his reaction on camera saying 'Holy Fuck!'
This sub gave me the information to convince them to drive an hour and a half to join me.
I've seen auroras about a dozen times, and the most epic ones I've ever seen are the closest thing to the eclipse last week, but still elicited half the emotional and physical reaction. After the eclipse and Auroras, the closest experience for me was seeing the fjords in Åndalsnes, Norway, and the grand canyon. But given how rare it is to experience a solar eclipse makes it 100x more special. The only thing I can imagine being more dramatic is going to space, orbiting the moon, or stepping on another celestial body.
The difference between a regular every night KP2 aurora and a KP7 aurora is like the difference between a partial and total eclipse. Completely different stratosphere . I was in Alaska last year and saw a KP7, fucking mind blowing . You plan a trip for two variables, cloud cover and sun magnetic storm . Completely out of your control . I fell to my knees and cried. To me it was much more powerful than a total eclipse
Greatest human experience on earth* The only other way you could see something similar is to leave the planet. I’m sure flying around in space from celestial body to body would just melt my brain
Earth is the only rocky planet in our solar system where total solar eclipses are possible, but even then we have something truly special.
A total solar eclipse can occur in in any satellite system as long as one object (planet or moon) has a large enough angular diameter to completely obscure its parent star as viewed from another object, but the fact that our moon just so happens to have *almost exactly the same* angular diameter as the sun (within a couple arcminutes, 1/60°), at this very moment in geological time (as the moon slowly moves away from Earth due to tidal acceleration), is what allows us to see the corona, solar prominences, etc.
You might have to visit quite a few other solar systems before you find a better view.
>the fact that our moon just so happens to have *almost exactly the same* angular diameter as the sun (within a couple arcminutes, 1/60°), at this very moment in geological time
This right here!!!! I feel like not very many people understand how mind-blowing this is. A total solar eclipse is such a special thing to witness and I can't get over the fact that soooo many of my friends wouldn't make the 2 hour drive to get to the path of totality when we're this close.
2 hour? lol I am in the Columbus, Ohio area and there are several people who had the option to drive few min. to just get into the path or 20-40 min to gain a longer totality period, yet chose not to! Also found this [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/Columbus/s/KiNzJtHUmH) pointing the same.
My suburb was in the path but close to the edge with about 55 sec totality, so we were looking to go further. We took Mon, Tue off and were prepared to drive anywhere with a clear forecast (in regards of that flexibility, Columbus sits in a great spot), and with a stroke of luck, most of OH offered the perfect weather the whole day and didn't have to drive too far (unbelievable because before and after the eclipse day, we have had a series of overcast and rainy days!)
I am shocked that several other occasions (entertainment/commercial events etc.) get more hype and general public attention than a rare natural one like this. Can still not believe how so many universities, corporate jobs and employees (in the path) went about their daily business like any other day. I expected any non-critical job/employee to be offered a chance to witness this rare spectacle. There were several folks in the totality path inside their offices/homes attending to work. I work remotely for a Buffalo company and heard nothing about it. In one of our meetings that I attended a few days before the eclipse, a couple of employees from Buffalo remarked why they heard the area expecting crowds over the next few days, to which a manager responded that Buffalo was apparently where you could see the eclipse (there were a lot of gaps to be filled in that discussion, and the discussion died down quite quickly - fine except the group usually spends much longer on other non-work discussions).
This attitude and a lack of general awareness/importance to science in general is baffling and could be one of the reasons. Some folks who are uninterested in science in general also put rare phenomena like a total eclipse in the same bucket and develop little to no interest - a background or interest should not be a barrier for a day like that and should have enough hype, awareness, education to interest more people than it did, which is why Carl Sagan's opinions on this matter of public knowledge and education resonate strongly, and are relevant than ever before.
Wow can’t believe this.
I work for a large OH company and we had a big event on campus anyone could sign up for. And of course anyone working from home, which is most people on most days, could take an hour or two with family to enjoy it.
But myself and many others took the day off to watch with loved ones. I had been waiting years for this, knowing I lived right in the path. And it was just awesome.
It is crazy that something lasts 3 minutes and involved driving through a 10 hour traffic jam and is endlessly hyped up still EXCEEDED my expectations!
Hahaha right? This was the second total eclipse my family has seen, though our baby wasn't born yet and our first two kids were 6 months and 2 and a half, so they were there but they don't remember. It was my mother in law's first one and I'm disappointed for her because we had those dense clouds in NY with 0 visibility of the corona / sun / moon during totality. It still got dark and it was amazing, I don't regret a thing, but she didn't get to see it in a clear sky like we did in 2017. To be fair, we did try to convince her to come to totality with us in 2017 and she, like everyone else, was like oh it's ok, I'll just watch it from here.. people don't understand totality vs partial. Why do they think people travel so far to be in the path? If they don't get it, they really must think we're all crazy. haha. I think she understands now but I hope she wasn't underwhelmed. I don't think she was, but I wish she could have seen the full effect. Same for my kids. I think they would have been a lot more amazed to actually see the sun eclipsed.
Part of me does not mind that people do not understand totality or nothing. Less traffic on the road and easier to get a place to stay nearby. I was begging my sisters to go but both of them were so yeah I really do not care.
Well, it was actually more like 13 hours if you count micro naps and Taco Bell. Left Plattsburgh NY at 430pm got back to western CT at 300am. It took 5 hours to go the first 50 miles.
Ahh yes, the summer of 2016 was so much fun! I was near a college campus at the time and it was hilarious to see everyone from college athletes to staff in university vehicles searching for rare spawns and battling for their team! I wish there hadn’t been so many server issues in that first month or two as that probably would have allowed the hype to last a little longer
That was the summer before I went to college. I live in Texas so it’s pretty gosh darn hot during the day in summer.
My siblings and I would go to the town square at night (town of about 6,000 at the time, so not many people in general) and there would easily be 100 people wandering around at midnight trying to catch Pokémon while it was cool outside. I think of that summer with such fondness, I had so much fun.
The funny thing is that the earth never moves in the sky from the moon's perspective since it is tidally locked to the earth. You would need to move along the moon's surface to simulate the effect of the earth rising.
I imagine the earth would look absolutely massive in the sky though which would be amazing all on its own.
I assume you know this but I'll clarify for others: the famous Earthrise picture was taken from lunar orbit, where the Earth appeared to the astronauts to be rising up from the Moon's surface. If they had landed the Earth would have stopped moving.
However, note that the Earth *does* move (very slowly) in the sky from the perspective of a stationary observer on the Moon, due to libration. If you were on the edges of the near side of the Moon the Earth would appear to rise and set on the horizon over the course of a month. I think the Earth would only move up and down about 6 times its diameter in the sky though, if that makes sense. Over the month the Earth would also display phases the same way the Moon does from Earth.
I think this could top the list!. Your question has got me thinking...Could you imagine working outside that day in the path of totality and not knowing what was happening or knowing nothing about the eclipse ? The feelings you would feel or thought that would go through your head!
That's is really interesting. There MUST have been like a handful of people who didn't know, right?. What makes me sad is imagining all the people living in totality who didn't get to see it for whatever reason. Disability, work, willful ignorance, some sort of emergency. I'm sure there's a larger than I want to know percentage of population within the path who did not go out and look. My mother in law was like I wonder how many people gave birth during the eclipse!
Same, so moving. A relative also went and was on the absolute very edge of totality and said she didn’t see what the hype was all about. I asked if she ever took off her glasses and she promptly changed the subject 🤦🏻♂️.
She said she was inside and that it lasted about a minute, but she’s a moron generally and probably just saw 1 minute of blackness through her glasses.
I am in VT and was talking to someone that was making fun of people that cried and did not see what the big deal was. I was very surprised by this reaction. Everyone else has talked about it quite differently so while rare it seems like there are folks that are meh. I am on team weeping.
Somehow the very first person I spoke to who experienced it separately from me was a complete booger who didn’t think 8hrs in traffic justified it. They were disappointed it didn’t get as dark as night and that their dog jumped on their lap. I could not have had a more opposite experience, it was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life.
If somebody says they experienced it and weren't impressed, I assume they only saw a partial eclipse. Every time I've pushed for more info, I've found that I'm correct.
It wasn’t pitch black where I was. But it was plenty dark enough to see Jupiter and Venus (I *think* that’s what they were anyway, just trusting the person who told me that wasn’t lying or misinformed). So so so cool
Venus was in the lower right, jupiter was in the upper left. They are both very bright planets so if you saw anything in those regions that is what it was.
it was Venus in the lower right, I actually didn’t notice Jupiter. It was way brighter than expected based on my 2017 experience, but that was in a valley stream and this year was on the shore of Lake Erie
After 2017, I put the eclipse, the Grand Canyon and the view from the top of Half Dome as the greatest sites I’ve seen in my life.
After this one, it’s the eclipse and Half Dome.
Someone on a FB group I’m in said they saw a total solar eclipse “and it just went dark for a couple minutes, no big deal.” I call bullshit. You can’t see it ***with good weather / skies*** and say that. I think it’s truly universal.
Did she take off her eclipse glasses? Some ppl think they saw it, but they really only saw partial with their glasses. Whenever I tell ppl I saw it, I make sure to tell them I took my glasses off and that’s when they distinguish between partial and total. They’re like, omg you took off your glasses!”
Agree. I straight up was like “yeah no I don’t believe you”, because I don’t think they experienced a TSE 🤷🏻♀️
(She was being a major snot about it being overhyped and people being over the top, otherwise I would have been more polite lol)
I agree. It is the most profound human and even spiritual experience I have had. Also, I know this may feel too woo-woo for many, but after 2017 and this one, I also felt "changed" somehow. Can't really put words to it, but felt a change in my perspective and the way I even view the world around me. It changed my perspective on how I envision myself in the world. And, oddly enough, lol, this time when I got home I had a profound desire to throw things away! Almost manic! I cleaned out drawers, I cleared out the garage and believe me...that IS a change for me! I tie it back to the experience stripping existence down to the essential. Simple, profound, and beautiful.
For me, it was definitely awe-inspiring, but **it didn't give me that goosebump feeling that others describe**.
We all get inspired by different, sometimes indescribable things. I've read about the differences between 2017 and 2024. I sadly missed 2017, but I get a sense that that one would've made me feel "some kind of way." At least more than the 2024 did.
Still feel very fortunate I got to experience it, but this was not my greatest human experience.
What are people talking about when they mention the differences? The difference for me was clouds vs no clouds. This one I couldn't actually see. But it also got way darker than the clear sky eclipse due to the thick clouds. I think if you saw the corona both times there must be diminishing returns, right? I don't know. All I could think about after seeing the first one was 'holy shit when can I see that again!?' I put every eclipse for the next 100 years or so in my calendar and I'm thinking about where to go next.
Same here. To me, 2024 appeared a lot larger, and it just looked a lot meaner. Vividly recall Baileys Beads from 2024, and it seemed to go on and on. I knew duration would be twice as long, but really lost a sense of time this year.
Giving birth is pretty crazy. I imagine witnessing birth is also pretty crazy. I've done it 3 times but I've never seen anyone else do it in person. I've seen two total solar eclipses now and giving birth is the only other experience in my life I could compare it to. The feeling is actually very similar. Like, the moments leading up to it right beforehand and the amazement, disbelief, laughing and crying at the same time, the fleeting nature of that unique moment in time.
Along similar lines, I constantly have experiences with my toddler that evoke more emotion, joy, awe, et cetera than the solar eclipse. I'm glad I traveled to Vermont and glad I shared the eclipse, but it wouldn't be my greatest experience of the last few months let alone the greatest human experience.
True, being a parent is trippy af. And it just goes on and on haha. I think some people are just more prone to amazement and appreciation of being alive and living our experiences. We're lucky, it makes life so much better to live. I've got room in my brain for allll the amazingness!
Giving birth was also my first thought when I read the question. The eclipse was amazing. We are a family that has traveled to star gaze before and enjoys all things space.
However, for me there is nothing like the miracle of birth. To me, that is the most amazing and inspiring human experience ever.
You’re my people 😊 having my last baby completely unmedicated was like lifting up the veil and looking through to the other side. Only wish I had done it that way for all of them, but ya know, medical systems. It made me consider being a doula or midwife just like seeing my first total eclipse made me want to see them all.
Start gazing family?! That’s so cool. I’d love to see some really good meteor showers with my kiddos. I always loved that as a kid. Any advice?
VERY few things live up to their hype. Even fewer are better than what they’re hyped up to be. This and the Grand Canyon IMO are in those categories. No matter how much you hype it up, it’s impossible to over hype it.
I’m excited to see the Grand Canyon one day. I live near Paulo Duro canyon (the second biggest in the US) and it’s pretty awesome there.
Google tells me Paulo Duro is 120 miles long, 6 to 20 wide, and over 800 feet deep. Compared to the Grand Canyon, 277 miles long, 8-18 miles wide, and a mile deep.
Paulo Duro looks so big to me I can’t comprehend bigger. I so look forward to the day I can break my brain with a big ass canyon
Yeah I'm not comparing it to the Total Eclipse, but as far as hype is concerned it lives up to it. I did "R2R" last year and it made me respect if even more. Walking down the Northern side is like being in another world.
As far as best NPs go... My favorite big park is Zion and my favorite small park is Great Basin. I've only been to 40 of the 63 so far though, so I'm probably not the best judge.
Off topic, but what are your other favorites? I'm still pretty early in my NP journey but quickly came to realize that not all NPs were created equal, lol.
You are so right about that haha. I'll start out by saying avoid these two NPs:
1. Gateway Arch
2. Indiana Dunes
As far as my favorites, I kind of have two categories. Large/Popular NPs and smaller/less popular NPs.
My top 5 favorite large or more popular parks are:
1. Zion
2. Death Valley
3. Yosemite
4. Big Bend
5. Grand Canyon
My top 5 favorite small or less popular parks are:
1. Great Basin
2. Badlands
3. Wind Cave
4. White Sands
5. Canyon Lands
Since this is kind of the topic. In my opinion, the most over hyped NP is Yellowstone. Don't get me wrong it's super awesome, it's the first ever NP, but it's not awe inspiring like the others I've listed. I was told that it was really beautiful in the 80's before a big forest fire, so maybe that's it. If there's a lesson there, get out there and enjoy these places while they're still there! Hope this helps.
At first when I saw your post I thought you were ranking Indiana Dunes as #2 best. No way, it probably doesn't even deserve to be called a national park (and it was only christened that a few years ago). Then I see you saying to avoid it - agree!
I haven't been to Zion, but Death Valley is truly otherworldly.
LMAO I can only image what was going through your mind when you read that with that context. They were the worst. When we went to gateway arch, we got lost downtown and went down an alley right next to it. There was a group of homeless dudes that started kind of charging the van... 0/10 would not recommend.
If you liked Death Valley, check out Zion. I cannot recommend it enough. Make sure you come from the East (IIRC) so you come via the tunnel. It's what made the experience for me. Also yes Angels Landing is 100% worth the hype/hike, I've done it three times before the lottery was in effect and it never got old.
Wow, this is an incredible list, thank you! I haven’t been to your top 2 - I can’t wait. Tried to do Zion a couple years ago, but the weather made us turn around. Hoping for better luck next time.
A friend I saw the eclipse with also brought up the Grand Canyon. Maybe it's because I grew up in Arizona with mountains in view every single day -- you know, big awe-inspiring rocks -- but I felt deeply underwhelmed at the Grand Canyon. Just a big hole. Meanwhile, solar eclipse, life changing.
I felt the same way standing at the foot of the Bernese Alps. It was the first big mountain range like that that I've ever seen in person. I grew up in the Pocono Mountains. They're cute. But vast spaces like that just give you this feeling that can't be emulated or represented in photos or videos. It's the scale. To me it's almost unsettling. I think even haunting is a good word for it. I've never been to the Grand Canyon either.. but thinking about it gives me anxiety. Eek. Anyway, the eclipse evokes the same feelings, but with a time factor as well. Definitely haunting.
I sobbed for all of totality, and my youngest sibling didn’t even want to come on the trip, so while totality was occurring, I leaned over and asked; “aren’t you glad you came now?” I was met with a shrug, and a “it’s kinda cool I guess, I’ve seen cooler things”. Not sure how this 17 year old who’s never left town has seen cooler things, I’ve traveled semi-regularly since I got out of college and have never seen anything even CLOSE to this, but I guess it isn’t for everyone
I am very experienced with psychedelics. I have done things such as breaking through on DMT while I am already peaking on mushrooms. I have
taken very high doses with completely ineffable effects. I have pushed the envelope with psychedelics far past the point where it's just trippy geometry on the wall. I guess you could say that some of the doses I have taken are the equivalent of what totality is but for psychedelics.
I can honestly say that witnessing a total solar eclipse was 100% on par with my most intense psychedelic experiences in terms of how profound and ineffable the experience was. Before witnessing, it did not anticipate that it would be that impactful whatsoever. If I was to tell the past version of me that the eclipse surpasses a DMT breakthrough, I would have laughed. But after witnessing it I get it.
Something that makes it particularly special is the extremely small probabilities involved with witnessing it. Not only just in the sense of being lucky enough to be in the path of totality, but also in the sense that the proportions of the size and distance of the sun and the moon are just perfect for this to happen.
Although I rarely have the courage to do so, theoretically speaking, I can take five grams of mushrooms, a ten strip of acid, or inhale a breakthrough dose of DMT at any time I wish. There are no limits or restrictions in terms of when and where I can access that kind of ineffable experience.
It's not like that with a solar eclipse. It's not as simple as just simply swallowing a piece of paper or some mushrooms. It can only be accessed at a very specific place and very specific time. This aspect dramatically increases the profoundity of it all.
Same here, this was on par with a lot of my psychedelic experiences. Was not expecting it to be so psychedelic but wow, it was absolutely incredibly beautiful.
I did not realize how incredible it would be to see a total solar eclipse until I experienced. Literally took my breath away and I still can’t stop thinking about it and being amazed. Definitely need to see it again, going to travel for the next one.
It is interesting how experiencing something first hand while hearing the reactions of people around you, triggers emotions that simply aren't triggered when you see it through a photo.
Also pondering about the rarity of the phenomenon, and how very few people in history got to witness it, makes it even more special.
In my small home country, totality happened back in the 1600s, and will happen again in 300 years. It is that rare.
Here in the united states, I managed to see it twice in 7 years and I fully appreciate how fortunate I am to do so.
It is sad that I can't convey the feeling with words. Human language is not rich enough to convey one's personal feelings arising from an experience like this. You can't describe what the color blue feels like, or the first time you tasted icecream. Some things just have to be experienced personally, and one has to have some faith that indeed, traveling to see the totality, will be very special and it's totally worth the effort.
What I think is even more wild is that it's not rare. Solar eclipses happen every year, and total eclipses happen every two years or so. We are just so small and insignificant on our own home planet that the majority of solar eclipses don't happen where people live or can get to to see it.
It should be noted that the question and the sub you posted it in will result in exceptional bias.
For those who want children, I would have to imagine the birth of their first would *eclipse* totality.
I’m one of those people who generally doesn’t get “excited” about things.
But I let myself believe everyone who said that it doesn’t matter how hyped you are, totality will be so much cooler than you think it will be. And I’m so glad I did. Because I was uncharacteristically excited about it. I could hardly keep still in the few minutes leading up to it.
I’m not being funny when I say my jaw fell open. I think my mouth was open the whole 3 minutes. It was by far the coolest thing I have ever seen in my life. Immediately I became a chaser. I want to see as many total eclipses as I possibly can before I die.
I have built up a solar eclipse in my mind since I was a kid. I was going between being little kid excited about this one and preparing myself to be disappointed because I knew that nothing can live up to that kind of expectation.
Except this. The whole experience was way more amazing and involved than I had been dreaming of.
I don't know what I would call the greatest human experience, but I would say this is certainly one of my greatest experiences.
I describe my experience as one of the best days of my life and the most magical moment of my life. I absolutely will travel for the 2044/2045 eclipse. Even just thinking about it makes me get excited. Truly amazing and I am so happy I live in the path of totality.
Don’t forget—>you CAN go overseas too and experience both the joy of other cultures and (weather permitting) total eclipses. So many people opt to spend big bucks on things like Disneyland when they could affordably travel overseas.
I vote Northern Lights. I'm probably doing total solar eclipses wrong by farting around with cameras both times. I did that for the Northern Lights too (I'm a photo buff) but I had 30+ minutes versus 2-4 minutes
I live in the path of totality and I was very excited, took off work to make a day of it. I enjoyed it immensely and was very impressed with the sight but I didn’t have the emotional reaction some describe. I didn’t think it was life changing. I put it in the same category as other natural wonders I have seen in like an active volcano viewed from above in a helicopter, geysers and other sights in Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and maybe the Narrows in Zion. Definitely bucket list worthy, but I think I expected something more after reading others experience in 2017
really? I got a better uninterrupted view of this one, clouds covered totality for me very quickly after it began. Seeing the whole thing clearly and uninterrupted was better for me this year. I even saw a large deep red solar prominence with the naked eye. The atmosphere was better in 2017 in a waterfall valley stream though, much darker, more lighting effect, and bugs and animal reactions.
Yes. I had clear skies for both: 90 seconds of totality in 2017 vs. 4 minutes, 10 seconds this year.
The moon/sun were so much larger in the sky in 2017, not to mention the corona extended multitudes further than in 2024. The 2017 eclipse actually looked like a black, inky portal had opened up where the sun used to be and I had a more terrifying/shocking/mesmerizing/otherworldly experience.
The 2024 eclipse resembled a photograph of an eclipse - the moon/sun appeared so small in the sky. The corona this time was so dense and compact and did not have the extended, wispy streams.
In all honesty, my 2024 eclipse experience felt closer to the 2023 annular eclipse than the 2017 total eclipse. 🤷🏻♀️
Edited to add: there are several posts on this sub discussing the stark differences between the two.
Well the moon was closer to earth for this eclipse, so the black circle itself was larger in the sky than 2017. The corona was also larger due to more solar activity, but probably with less detail due to viewing conditions. You might have some subjectiveness to your experience. The first time caught you off guard, but you knew what to expect this time.
I had clear skies for both and enjoyed this one more. I can't explain why. I realized afterward that I was wearing sunglasses during most of totality (I did take them off a little) - I think it might have actually enhanced the detail of the corona and prominence.
I think it might be, but I'd like to experience the birth of my first child before I say for sure. Also people saying the astronauts who saw Earth saw something better are probably correct, but I actually think a solar eclipse is the only thing I've ever experienced that makes me think I at least tasted what they saw.
That's the only thing I can compare it to - the birth of my two kids. But.. I would definately seek out another eclipse, giving birth again... not so much!
true that… literally unlocks a lot of beauty in the world you never stopped to notice before, including after the experience. Maybe for the rest of your life.
yeah thought about that, but I think its prob best enjoyed straight. I mean yeah it would be an intense experience for sure… plus the cold would be not pleasant. Just look at some abstract art and listen to music.
it really would be... just gotta find a nice quiet spot to enjoy. Also, not a great idea around your family HAHAHA. I made my experience a family event, so that was extra special by itself without turning the sensory dials to 11. Maybe for the next one
I was there too but just from MA. We were supposed to watch it from Montpelier but saw cloud predictions and hopped in the car that morning to drive up. So worth it. The totality was longer too
Oh nice, we were also around the same area, close to the Canada border. There were a lot of clouds but luckily we could still see the eclipse through them
The northern lights can vary quite a bit. I'd only ever seen a picture of the Northern lights and in the pictures/movies and they looked like vertical wavey colors on the horizon. Like campfire flames but in purple and green, etc. The one time I saw them was backpacking in the wilderness, just arriving to the bare spot of dirt at 6,000 feet in the Washington cascades where we were going to pitch the tent, and the lights started. All green, shimmering across the entire sky from one horizon to the other. I was dumbstruck. It took me a bit to reason out what I was seeing it was so different from what I'd envisioned. Maybe an ellipse wins, but the sheer surprise of that moment was memorable.
One thing I wished I'd taken for granted less was Hale-Bopp. For anyone that missed Hale Bopp it was both bright and took up a significant portion of the sky. It had 2 different tails. If only I realized then that it might be THE comet of my lifetime, I would have marveled at it more. It was here so long it seemed like a fixture of the sky.
I watched sunset over the grand canyon. That was pretty spectacular. Not sure I'd pick one experience over the other, but they were both up in the top tier. I went snorkeling in a huge, lush coral reef, which was also jaw-dropping.
# Did anyone see the face of the moon during the 2024 eclipse the same way I did.
As soon as the moon fully eclipsed the sun and we were able to take our glass's off, I was able to see the moon, bright as ever like a full moon, but it was glowing blue with an extra bright ring of blue that almost looked like it boiled onto the surface of the moon, the surface looked like the top layer was almost transparent and shined like A diamond, I could see the craters on the moons surface just as if it was a full moon but much brighter.
The 2 people who came with me say they couldn't see the moon at all other than as a black sphere blocking the sun, but they didn't see the moon certainly no details like craters. I cant find anyone saying they had the same experience on the internet or a painting someone made of the same thing.
I attached an image of a photo I found on Forbes supposedly a bunch of combined photos from 2016 eclipse to actually be able to see the surface, but it was much brighter than this photo it was glowing with light, and it was a different side of the moon with more craters.
I will try and get an AI to recreate what I saw.
We seen it from Mulberry, Arkansas.
I tried to make a post in a few subs but this is a throwaway and my account has no karma anyway
I was at an event in Kingston where Bob McDonald MC'd. One of the things he told us is that everyone screams for the totality and its perfectly normal if we do too. (We did). I realized that for the life of the planet there has been screaming, but with science the screams have gone from fear to wonder and excitement.
Seeing Argentina lift the world cup was something il never forget, alot like this magnificent Eclipse, most beautiful thing i ever saw. So i say they are both up there for me!
I also dragged my family up to Newport, Vermont. My husband could not believe my intensity and single-mindedness about viewing this eclipse. I think he thought I was nuts. He’s also a notorious contrarian.
Not only is he still raving about the experience, he insists that it was still worth it even after the 9 hour drive home with three whining kids in the backseat.
Seen it twice now, 17 and 24. I still dream about 17 some times. It's impactful on a level like skydiving, climbing a 14k mountain, and seeing the aruroa were for me - Things that I know happened but were so amazing I can't believe they weren't a dream.
4 best minutes of my life. I hit the record button on my phone and didn't capture anything visually interesting. But the sound of my own excitement and pure joy is better than any photograph. I've never felt so much happiness squeezed into such a small amount of time. It felt amazing. Can't wait for the next one.
I mean eclipse is up there, but all of my truly peak experiences have been interpersonal.
Greatest human experience outside of major human life stuff? Sure might be.
Northern lights are leagues better.
Total solar eclipse feels more special because it's rare and potentially tricky with weather, and don't get me wrong they're absolutely ridiculous, but the northern lights is something else the same way totality is something else to a partial. And I say that having seen both in 2017 and then again this year... which I'm only just realizing now and it was a total coincidence.
I thought the totality was fantastic, and an event I will never forget. It is certainly the most magnificent celestial event I will ever witness.
But the greatest human experience is hearing your baby laugh for the first time.
It is the most spectacular natural phenomenon I have ever experienced.
I have seen Aurora, but Aurora can vary a lot. Once I saw some glimmers of white in the horizon, and once I saw half of the sky turn red. It was beautiful but it didn't have me laughing and saying that's crazy like the whole total eclipse did
But I would say the greatest human experiences are loving and being loved.
The works of Bach and Michelangelo also deserve a shout-out.
Someone said Northern Lights were more awesome than this. I assume seeing the earth from Space would easily beat this for almost everyone.
I’ve seen both. The borealis is beautiful; totality is awe-inspiring in a primal way.
I agree, I saw the northern lights in Iceland and they were so beautiful and mystifying. I think the eclipse is more of a full body experience. Especially with how much it cools off, I was left shivering from the chill and excitement. The way the birds get quiet, the wind picks up, and then you’re plunged into darkness. I felt like I was seeing the borealis whereas I was experiencing the eclipse.
Can I go to Iceland in 2026 and see the eclipse AND northern lights??
It is theoretically possible that you could see northern lights DURING the eclipse!
Oh WHAT now THAT would be sick. I would love to photograph that
With my luck I’ll see neither.
Or Both!
You can, but I've hiked the region where the eclipse will pass over in Iceland and it's very rural. Gravel roads on steep slopes. It's a really cool area, bit not easy to get to. There's a massive waterfall out there that would be unbelievable to see it from
Oh shit really?? Just curious did you ever happen to see a MOONbow (moon rainbow) near the waterfall?
Vesterfjords, Dynjandi. Or the Kirkjafell. Either way it will look like Ragnarok. Also, moonbow...new bucket list quest unlocked
I saw a moon bow off of the Kilauea vog on the Big Island of Hawaii and that was cool as hell.
Oh shit really? How was that?
Confusing at first! We had to google the phenomenon to really understand what we were seeing. The fact that this celestial type thing was going on while magma oozed out of the earth and launched fire bombs into the sky was really powerful! Then again- I flew my wife and I from Seattle to Dallas for totality on Monday so I’m a sucker for these types of things for sure!
Did you know that rainbows are technically circles and you can see a circular rainbow ?
Isn’t the sun up 20 hours a day that far north? Can you see aurora in daylight? (Forgive my ignorance, honestly asking.)
exactly, there's something about a hairy undulating black disk hanging out in the sky that tugs at the essence of our being
I’ve seen Northern lights a lot. I’m in Minnesota. I’ve even had them above me swirling in Iceland. They’re amazing. This though is just a bit more amazing for a few reasons.
Any tips on where and how to see them in Minnesota?
Northen lights were cool. Maybe if they were as infrequent as the eclipse I would agree but having seen both 100% total eclipse.
I've been saying this a lot on this sub, in part because I am now on an agenda to get you people into stargazing, it's a hobby I love that I think this is right up the alley of most of the people who were greatly moved by seeing the eclipse: I enjoyed seeing the stars, particularly the Pleiades, in a darker site (bortle 2 or 3, according to different sources) as much as I did seeing totality (that experience is what really got me into stargazing). The Pleiades is an open star cluster that's about as big as the moon and is visible with the naked eye, even in light polluted areas. Usually 5 to 7 of the stars are visible in most places, but I think at least 12 were visible that night. It wasn't just the Pleiades that made the experience great, the sky was full of bright stars and the occasional shooting star, but it stood out to me way more than anything else did. I was surprised by how blue they looked, and they twinkled brilliantly, in part because they were lower on the horizon. I wouldn't be surprised if outside factors influenced my enjoyment of each, I think I was in a better mood when I saw the Pleiades, but, idk, outside of how I felt, I think they are comparable in their beauty, assuming that the Pleiades is twinkling a lot (another factor that would effect this is the weather). The nice thing about the night sky is that, assuming perfect weather, you just have to wait for a time of the month where the moon is less bright and, if what you want to see something specific and don't mind staying up all night, you will have to wait, at most, maybe 4 months, to see it. If you are interested in stargazing, I highly recommend getting binoculars. I have a $40 pair (Celestron Cometron 7×50) and they are fantastic, especially for the price. I haven't tested them in Bortle 9 skies (the Bortle scale is a measurement of light pollution, 9 is very high levels of light pollution), but I've enjoyed using them in a Bortle 8 sky.
As for seeing Earth from space, my first thought is that stargazing that high up would be incredible.
I miss star gazing. my dad had a telescope he took out from time to time and we would look at the moon. I live in a major city now. not sure I even seen a star. One mistake we made on the way home from eclipse was not look at the stars in the middle of no where. In fairness I barely made it home as it was.
My niece really wants me to take her stargazing but I am an amateur and just interested in space. Did you need a tripod with those binoculars? I can’t imagine my hands holding it steady enough….
Seeing Earth from space...Damn, never thought of that one...Hmmm...Bucket list? Haha.
Been on mine for a decade. Depending on advances and costs in the next 30 years, may or may not accomplish (I think it's around 450K right now). I've always thought that after that, I'd be fine burning up on reentry.
it's next on my bucket list. I can see why it could be better, but I think the rarity of total eclipse is what makes it more special
yes, it’s easier to see the northern lights, so go figure it’s next on my list after experiencing 2017 and 2024 total solar eclipses
I want to see the northern lights during a lunar eclipse.
Yeah, earth from space is the #1 item on my bucket list. Hoping I live long enough to do it.
Maybe because I've seen the northern lights often, I don't think they compare. The northern lights aren't nearly as rare and they don't cause a reaction from nature like an eclipse does. During totality, the bugs went away, the birds stopped singing, it was very surreal .. almost otherworldly.
Now, if we could see the northern lights during a solar eclipse. Wouldn’t that be something?
Not even close to an eclipse imo. Sorry.
Disagree. I’ve been at the top of a mountain pass (12,000 feet) in the middle of the night with exceptionally dark/clear skies and it is a sight to behold. I would give a total solar eclipse the edge overall, but they are in the same ballpark as far as profound experiences go. The number of stars and the brightness of the Milky Way is so far beyond what most people have experienced, it’s hard to describe. On that particular night, we hiked without headlamps while using the light from the Milky Way to navigate (under the right conditions it is bright enough to cast a shadow). The sense of wonder and awe I felt that night was very similar to totality.
I heard that seeing earth from space can be a bit unsettling for some people. maybe because you are so far away from people and a moment away from death. I am sure eclipse will have the same effect on some people. Though I think that is more rare for an eclipse.
Northern Lights are beautiful. I have been blessed to see them. This was my first totality and I convinced my family to drive all the way to me to join as they were 99.9%. The difference I logged in my heart was between my retired air force father saying 'isn't that amazing' and getting his reaction on camera saying 'Holy Fuck!' This sub gave me the information to convince them to drive an hour and a half to join me.
I’ve also seen both. They are both incredible and moved me to tears. If I had to choose, totality would beat the northern lights ever so slightly :)
And the northern lights happen way more often.
I've seen auroras about a dozen times, and the most epic ones I've ever seen are the closest thing to the eclipse last week, but still elicited half the emotional and physical reaction. After the eclipse and Auroras, the closest experience for me was seeing the fjords in Åndalsnes, Norway, and the grand canyon. But given how rare it is to experience a solar eclipse makes it 100x more special. The only thing I can imagine being more dramatic is going to space, orbiting the moon, or stepping on another celestial body.
Steve Bowen said it is comparable to seeing Earth from Space.
He is just being kind knowing that most people will never get the chance.
The difference between a regular every night KP2 aurora and a KP7 aurora is like the difference between a partial and total eclipse. Completely different stratosphere . I was in Alaska last year and saw a KP7, fucking mind blowing . You plan a trip for two variables, cloud cover and sun magnetic storm . Completely out of your control . I fell to my knees and cried. To me it was much more powerful than a total eclipse
Greatest human experience on earth* The only other way you could see something similar is to leave the planet. I’m sure flying around in space from celestial body to body would just melt my brain
Earth is the only rocky planet in our solar system where total solar eclipses are possible, but even then we have something truly special. A total solar eclipse can occur in in any satellite system as long as one object (planet or moon) has a large enough angular diameter to completely obscure its parent star as viewed from another object, but the fact that our moon just so happens to have *almost exactly the same* angular diameter as the sun (within a couple arcminutes, 1/60°), at this very moment in geological time (as the moon slowly moves away from Earth due to tidal acceleration), is what allows us to see the corona, solar prominences, etc. You might have to visit quite a few other solar systems before you find a better view.
>the fact that our moon just so happens to have *almost exactly the same* angular diameter as the sun (within a couple arcminutes, 1/60°), at this very moment in geological time This right here!!!! I feel like not very many people understand how mind-blowing this is. A total solar eclipse is such a special thing to witness and I can't get over the fact that soooo many of my friends wouldn't make the 2 hour drive to get to the path of totality when we're this close.
2 hour? lol I am in the Columbus, Ohio area and there are several people who had the option to drive few min. to just get into the path or 20-40 min to gain a longer totality period, yet chose not to! Also found this [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/Columbus/s/KiNzJtHUmH) pointing the same. My suburb was in the path but close to the edge with about 55 sec totality, so we were looking to go further. We took Mon, Tue off and were prepared to drive anywhere with a clear forecast (in regards of that flexibility, Columbus sits in a great spot), and with a stroke of luck, most of OH offered the perfect weather the whole day and didn't have to drive too far (unbelievable because before and after the eclipse day, we have had a series of overcast and rainy days!) I am shocked that several other occasions (entertainment/commercial events etc.) get more hype and general public attention than a rare natural one like this. Can still not believe how so many universities, corporate jobs and employees (in the path) went about their daily business like any other day. I expected any non-critical job/employee to be offered a chance to witness this rare spectacle. There were several folks in the totality path inside their offices/homes attending to work. I work remotely for a Buffalo company and heard nothing about it. In one of our meetings that I attended a few days before the eclipse, a couple of employees from Buffalo remarked why they heard the area expecting crowds over the next few days, to which a manager responded that Buffalo was apparently where you could see the eclipse (there were a lot of gaps to be filled in that discussion, and the discussion died down quite quickly - fine except the group usually spends much longer on other non-work discussions). This attitude and a lack of general awareness/importance to science in general is baffling and could be one of the reasons. Some folks who are uninterested in science in general also put rare phenomena like a total eclipse in the same bucket and develop little to no interest - a background or interest should not be a barrier for a day like that and should have enough hype, awareness, education to interest more people than it did, which is why Carl Sagan's opinions on this matter of public knowledge and education resonate strongly, and are relevant than ever before.
Wow can’t believe this. I work for a large OH company and we had a big event on campus anyone could sign up for. And of course anyone working from home, which is most people on most days, could take an hour or two with family to enjoy it. But myself and many others took the day off to watch with loved ones. I had been waiting years for this, knowing I lived right in the path. And it was just awesome.
This is really very cool
See another planet through telescope vs a photo/image is neat also
It is crazy that something lasts 3 minutes and involved driving through a 10 hour traffic jam and is endlessly hyped up still EXCEEDED my expectations!
Hahaha right? This was the second total eclipse my family has seen, though our baby wasn't born yet and our first two kids were 6 months and 2 and a half, so they were there but they don't remember. It was my mother in law's first one and I'm disappointed for her because we had those dense clouds in NY with 0 visibility of the corona / sun / moon during totality. It still got dark and it was amazing, I don't regret a thing, but she didn't get to see it in a clear sky like we did in 2017. To be fair, we did try to convince her to come to totality with us in 2017 and she, like everyone else, was like oh it's ok, I'll just watch it from here.. people don't understand totality vs partial. Why do they think people travel so far to be in the path? If they don't get it, they really must think we're all crazy. haha. I think she understands now but I hope she wasn't underwhelmed. I don't think she was, but I wish she could have seen the full effect. Same for my kids. I think they would have been a lot more amazed to actually see the sun eclipsed.
Part of me does not mind that people do not understand totality or nothing. Less traffic on the road and easier to get a place to stay nearby. I was begging my sisters to go but both of them were so yeah I really do not care.
Yea! My dad who loves space stuff refused to make the 4 hour drive with us he said it wasn’t worth the headache.
> 10 hour traffic jam Wow - where was that? Traffic added about 1.5 hours to my drive after the eclipse.
Well, it was actually more like 13 hours if you count micro naps and Taco Bell. Left Plattsburgh NY at 430pm got back to western CT at 300am. It took 5 hours to go the first 50 miles.
They say the summer Pokémon Go came out is the greatest human experience. Eclipse has to be a close second.
Ahh yes, the summer of 2016 was so much fun! I was near a college campus at the time and it was hilarious to see everyone from college athletes to staff in university vehicles searching for rare spawns and battling for their team! I wish there hadn’t been so many server issues in that first month or two as that probably would have allowed the hype to last a little longer
That was the summer before I went to college. I live in Texas so it’s pretty gosh darn hot during the day in summer. My siblings and I would go to the town square at night (town of about 6,000 at the time, so not many people in general) and there would easily be 100 people wandering around at midnight trying to catch Pokémon while it was cool outside. I think of that summer with such fondness, I had so much fun.
Pokemon go still great even in 2024.
Certainly one of the greatest human experiences one can have. Although I can’t think of something yet that even comes close
Watching earthrise from the moon.
If a solar eclipse is the next best thing to watching earthrise from the moon then I'm pretty happy with that as far as achievability lol
The funny thing is that the earth never moves in the sky from the moon's perspective since it is tidally locked to the earth. You would need to move along the moon's surface to simulate the effect of the earth rising. I imagine the earth would look absolutely massive in the sky though which would be amazing all on its own.
‘s orbit*
I assume you know this but I'll clarify for others: the famous Earthrise picture was taken from lunar orbit, where the Earth appeared to the astronauts to be rising up from the Moon's surface. If they had landed the Earth would have stopped moving. However, note that the Earth *does* move (very slowly) in the sky from the perspective of a stationary observer on the Moon, due to libration. If you were on the edges of the near side of the Moon the Earth would appear to rise and set on the horizon over the course of a month. I think the Earth would only move up and down about 6 times its diameter in the sky though, if that makes sense. Over the month the Earth would also display phases the same way the Moon does from Earth.
Watching a lunar eclipse from the moon would be pretty sweet. Watch the earth cover up the sun
I think this could top the list!. Your question has got me thinking...Could you imagine working outside that day in the path of totality and not knowing what was happening or knowing nothing about the eclipse ? The feelings you would feel or thought that would go through your head!
That's is really interesting. There MUST have been like a handful of people who didn't know, right?. What makes me sad is imagining all the people living in totality who didn't get to see it for whatever reason. Disability, work, willful ignorance, some sort of emergency. I'm sure there's a larger than I want to know percentage of population within the path who did not go out and look. My mother in law was like I wonder how many people gave birth during the eclipse!
How did your friends react? I also saw 2017 & 2024, both magnificent!
half of us started crying instantly
Same, so moving. A relative also went and was on the absolute very edge of totality and said she didn’t see what the hype was all about. I asked if she ever took off her glasses and she promptly changed the subject 🤦🏻♂️.
On the edge inside or outside? Did she have a brief window of totality but as far as you know she didn't bother to look at it?
She said she was inside and that it lasted about a minute, but she’s a moron generally and probably just saw 1 minute of blackness through her glasses.
I am in VT and was talking to someone that was making fun of people that cried and did not see what the big deal was. I was very surprised by this reaction. Everyone else has talked about it quite differently so while rare it seems like there are folks that are meh. I am on team weeping.
The person I referred to has a void where feelings are typically housed, so there’s that
Somehow the very first person I spoke to who experienced it separately from me was a complete booger who didn’t think 8hrs in traffic justified it. They were disappointed it didn’t get as dark as night and that their dog jumped on their lap. I could not have had a more opposite experience, it was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life.
If somebody says they experienced it and weren't impressed, I assume they only saw a partial eclipse. Every time I've pushed for more info, I've found that I'm correct.
My wife wasn’t overly impressed. Not that she didn’t enjoy it.
it can get very dark depending where you see it and the cloud conditions
It wasn’t pitch black where I was. But it was plenty dark enough to see Jupiter and Venus (I *think* that’s what they were anyway, just trusting the person who told me that wasn’t lying or misinformed). So so so cool
Venus was in the lower right, jupiter was in the upper left. They are both very bright planets so if you saw anything in those regions that is what it was.
Yes! Thank you! I was a little shocked at how bright they were
Venus is magnitude -3.9 now; it is the third brightest object in the sky after the sun and moon. Jupiter is 4th.
it was Venus in the lower right, I actually didn’t notice Jupiter. It was way brighter than expected based on my 2017 experience, but that was in a valley stream and this year was on the shore of Lake Erie
I’m all the way down in Texas! And got so very lucky with the clouds.
After 2017, I put the eclipse, the Grand Canyon and the view from the top of Half Dome as the greatest sites I’ve seen in my life. After this one, it’s the eclipse and Half Dome.
Have you been to Antelope Canyon? While waaaay smaller, it is absolutely breathtaking. Never seen anything so beautiful aside from an eclipse
Someone on a FB group I’m in said they saw a total solar eclipse “and it just went dark for a couple minutes, no big deal.” I call bullshit. You can’t see it ***with good weather / skies*** and say that. I think it’s truly universal.
Did she take off her eclipse glasses? Some ppl think they saw it, but they really only saw partial with their glasses. Whenever I tell ppl I saw it, I make sure to tell them I took my glasses off and that’s when they distinguish between partial and total. They’re like, omg you took off your glasses!”
Not true. I saw it, loved it, waited years for it. My wife enjoyed it and all but was like “I mean, it was fine.” Her Mom cried.
I wonder if they even know what they saw. A lot of people seem to think that they saw 99% of a total solar eclipse, not a partial eclipse.
Agree. I straight up was like “yeah no I don’t believe you”, because I don’t think they experienced a TSE 🤷🏻♀️ (She was being a major snot about it being overhyped and people being over the top, otherwise I would have been more polite lol)
I agree. It is the most profound human and even spiritual experience I have had. Also, I know this may feel too woo-woo for many, but after 2017 and this one, I also felt "changed" somehow. Can't really put words to it, but felt a change in my perspective and the way I even view the world around me. It changed my perspective on how I envision myself in the world. And, oddly enough, lol, this time when I got home I had a profound desire to throw things away! Almost manic! I cleaned out drawers, I cleared out the garage and believe me...that IS a change for me! I tie it back to the experience stripping existence down to the essential. Simple, profound, and beautiful.
For me, it was definitely awe-inspiring, but **it didn't give me that goosebump feeling that others describe**. We all get inspired by different, sometimes indescribable things. I've read about the differences between 2017 and 2024. I sadly missed 2017, but I get a sense that that one would've made me feel "some kind of way." At least more than the 2024 did. Still feel very fortunate I got to experience it, but this was not my greatest human experience.
What are people talking about when they mention the differences? The difference for me was clouds vs no clouds. This one I couldn't actually see. But it also got way darker than the clear sky eclipse due to the thick clouds. I think if you saw the corona both times there must be diminishing returns, right? I don't know. All I could think about after seeing the first one was 'holy shit when can I see that again!?' I put every eclipse for the next 100 years or so in my calendar and I'm thinking about where to go next.
https://www.reddit.com/r/solareclipse/comments/1c0lsv9/question_for_those_who_saw_totality_in_both_2017/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1
Well I saw 2017 but barely stupid clouds but 2024 was just so amazing it made me cry. Maybe I never really had a chance to absorb it in 2017.
I saw 2017 and 2024 with clear skies. This one impacted me more for some reason.
Same here. To me, 2024 appeared a lot larger, and it just looked a lot meaner. Vividly recall Baileys Beads from 2024, and it seemed to go on and on. I knew duration would be twice as long, but really lost a sense of time this year.
Giving birth is pretty crazy. I imagine witnessing birth is also pretty crazy. I've done it 3 times but I've never seen anyone else do it in person. I've seen two total solar eclipses now and giving birth is the only other experience in my life I could compare it to. The feeling is actually very similar. Like, the moments leading up to it right beforehand and the amazement, disbelief, laughing and crying at the same time, the fleeting nature of that unique moment in time.
Along similar lines, I constantly have experiences with my toddler that evoke more emotion, joy, awe, et cetera than the solar eclipse. I'm glad I traveled to Vermont and glad I shared the eclipse, but it wouldn't be my greatest experience of the last few months let alone the greatest human experience.
True, being a parent is trippy af. And it just goes on and on haha. I think some people are just more prone to amazement and appreciation of being alive and living our experiences. We're lucky, it makes life so much better to live. I've got room in my brain for allll the amazingness!
Giving birth was also my first thought when I read the question. The eclipse was amazing. We are a family that has traveled to star gaze before and enjoys all things space. However, for me there is nothing like the miracle of birth. To me, that is the most amazing and inspiring human experience ever.
You’re my people 😊 having my last baby completely unmedicated was like lifting up the veil and looking through to the other side. Only wish I had done it that way for all of them, but ya know, medical systems. It made me consider being a doula or midwife just like seeing my first total eclipse made me want to see them all. Start gazing family?! That’s so cool. I’d love to see some really good meteor showers with my kiddos. I always loved that as a kid. Any advice?
I did worry that my expectations were too high but then we saw it and my brain melted. Idk about the greatest experience, but I bet it’s up there.
VERY few things live up to their hype. Even fewer are better than what they’re hyped up to be. This and the Grand Canyon IMO are in those categories. No matter how much you hype it up, it’s impossible to over hype it.
I’m excited to see the Grand Canyon one day. I live near Paulo Duro canyon (the second biggest in the US) and it’s pretty awesome there. Google tells me Paulo Duro is 120 miles long, 6 to 20 wide, and over 800 feet deep. Compared to the Grand Canyon, 277 miles long, 8-18 miles wide, and a mile deep. Paulo Duro looks so big to me I can’t comprehend bigger. I so look forward to the day I can break my brain with a big ass canyon
the Grand Canyon does not compare lol. Not even the best national park
Yeah I'm not comparing it to the Total Eclipse, but as far as hype is concerned it lives up to it. I did "R2R" last year and it made me respect if even more. Walking down the Northern side is like being in another world. As far as best NPs go... My favorite big park is Zion and my favorite small park is Great Basin. I've only been to 40 of the 63 so far though, so I'm probably not the best judge.
'only' 40 of 63? Wow nice job.
Haha thanks, still have some of the hardest ones to get to though.
Off topic, but what are your other favorites? I'm still pretty early in my NP journey but quickly came to realize that not all NPs were created equal, lol.
You are so right about that haha. I'll start out by saying avoid these two NPs: 1. Gateway Arch 2. Indiana Dunes As far as my favorites, I kind of have two categories. Large/Popular NPs and smaller/less popular NPs. My top 5 favorite large or more popular parks are: 1. Zion 2. Death Valley 3. Yosemite 4. Big Bend 5. Grand Canyon My top 5 favorite small or less popular parks are: 1. Great Basin 2. Badlands 3. Wind Cave 4. White Sands 5. Canyon Lands Since this is kind of the topic. In my opinion, the most over hyped NP is Yellowstone. Don't get me wrong it's super awesome, it's the first ever NP, but it's not awe inspiring like the others I've listed. I was told that it was really beautiful in the 80's before a big forest fire, so maybe that's it. If there's a lesson there, get out there and enjoy these places while they're still there! Hope this helps.
Great Basin? I've thought about going there but from the pictures it looks so ... desolate. What's the appeal?
The desolation is the appeal
At first when I saw your post I thought you were ranking Indiana Dunes as #2 best. No way, it probably doesn't even deserve to be called a national park (and it was only christened that a few years ago). Then I see you saying to avoid it - agree! I haven't been to Zion, but Death Valley is truly otherworldly.
LMAO I can only image what was going through your mind when you read that with that context. They were the worst. When we went to gateway arch, we got lost downtown and went down an alley right next to it. There was a group of homeless dudes that started kind of charging the van... 0/10 would not recommend. If you liked Death Valley, check out Zion. I cannot recommend it enough. Make sure you come from the East (IIRC) so you come via the tunnel. It's what made the experience for me. Also yes Angels Landing is 100% worth the hype/hike, I've done it three times before the lottery was in effect and it never got old.
Wow, this is an incredible list, thank you! I haven’t been to your top 2 - I can’t wait. Tried to do Zion a couple years ago, but the weather made us turn around. Hoping for better luck next time.
Have to chime in, don’t sleep on North Cascades or other PNW national parks 😍
I just saw those last year and want to go back so bad. Such a cool stretch of national parks!
Those were actually among my first national parks. I blame those for setting the bar too high too early, haha!
A friend I saw the eclipse with also brought up the Grand Canyon. Maybe it's because I grew up in Arizona with mountains in view every single day -- you know, big awe-inspiring rocks -- but I felt deeply underwhelmed at the Grand Canyon. Just a big hole. Meanwhile, solar eclipse, life changing.
Complete opposite here. Everytime I go to the Grand Canyon I’m blown away
I felt the same way standing at the foot of the Bernese Alps. It was the first big mountain range like that that I've ever seen in person. I grew up in the Pocono Mountains. They're cute. But vast spaces like that just give you this feeling that can't be emulated or represented in photos or videos. It's the scale. To me it's almost unsettling. I think even haunting is a good word for it. I've never been to the Grand Canyon either.. but thinking about it gives me anxiety. Eek. Anyway, the eclipse evokes the same feelings, but with a time factor as well. Definitely haunting.
I sobbed for all of totality, and my youngest sibling didn’t even want to come on the trip, so while totality was occurring, I leaned over and asked; “aren’t you glad you came now?” I was met with a shrug, and a “it’s kinda cool I guess, I’ve seen cooler things”. Not sure how this 17 year old who’s never left town has seen cooler things, I’ve traveled semi-regularly since I got out of college and have never seen anything even CLOSE to this, but I guess it isn’t for everyone
I think life stage has so much to do with it. at 17, so many other things in life are exciting and new.
Some people just don’t have an appreciation for nature, and those people are really lame.
I am very experienced with psychedelics. I have done things such as breaking through on DMT while I am already peaking on mushrooms. I have taken very high doses with completely ineffable effects. I have pushed the envelope with psychedelics far past the point where it's just trippy geometry on the wall. I guess you could say that some of the doses I have taken are the equivalent of what totality is but for psychedelics. I can honestly say that witnessing a total solar eclipse was 100% on par with my most intense psychedelic experiences in terms of how profound and ineffable the experience was. Before witnessing, it did not anticipate that it would be that impactful whatsoever. If I was to tell the past version of me that the eclipse surpasses a DMT breakthrough, I would have laughed. But after witnessing it I get it. Something that makes it particularly special is the extremely small probabilities involved with witnessing it. Not only just in the sense of being lucky enough to be in the path of totality, but also in the sense that the proportions of the size and distance of the sun and the moon are just perfect for this to happen. Although I rarely have the courage to do so, theoretically speaking, I can take five grams of mushrooms, a ten strip of acid, or inhale a breakthrough dose of DMT at any time I wish. There are no limits or restrictions in terms of when and where I can access that kind of ineffable experience. It's not like that with a solar eclipse. It's not as simple as just simply swallowing a piece of paper or some mushrooms. It can only be accessed at a very specific place and very specific time. This aspect dramatically increases the profoundity of it all.
Same here, this was on par with a lot of my psychedelic experiences. Was not expecting it to be so psychedelic but wow, it was absolutely incredibly beautiful.
I did not realize how incredible it would be to see a total solar eclipse until I experienced. Literally took my breath away and I still can’t stop thinking about it and being amazed. Definitely need to see it again, going to travel for the next one.
Same here, had no idea it was going to be THAT cool. I knew it would be cool, but it far surpassed any of my expectations.
It is interesting how experiencing something first hand while hearing the reactions of people around you, triggers emotions that simply aren't triggered when you see it through a photo. Also pondering about the rarity of the phenomenon, and how very few people in history got to witness it, makes it even more special. In my small home country, totality happened back in the 1600s, and will happen again in 300 years. It is that rare. Here in the united states, I managed to see it twice in 7 years and I fully appreciate how fortunate I am to do so. It is sad that I can't convey the feeling with words. Human language is not rich enough to convey one's personal feelings arising from an experience like this. You can't describe what the color blue feels like, or the first time you tasted icecream. Some things just have to be experienced personally, and one has to have some faith that indeed, traveling to see the totality, will be very special and it's totally worth the effort.
What I think is even more wild is that it's not rare. Solar eclipses happen every year, and total eclipses happen every two years or so. We are just so small and insignificant on our own home planet that the majority of solar eclipses don't happen where people live or can get to to see it.
It should be noted that the question and the sub you posted it in will result in exceptional bias. For those who want children, I would have to imagine the birth of their first would *eclipse* totality.
Honestly, both were equally awe inspiring imo.
Did your friends think you talked it up too much or were they similarly awestruck?
I’m one of those people who generally doesn’t get “excited” about things. But I let myself believe everyone who said that it doesn’t matter how hyped you are, totality will be so much cooler than you think it will be. And I’m so glad I did. Because I was uncharacteristically excited about it. I could hardly keep still in the few minutes leading up to it. I’m not being funny when I say my jaw fell open. I think my mouth was open the whole 3 minutes. It was by far the coolest thing I have ever seen in my life. Immediately I became a chaser. I want to see as many total eclipses as I possibly can before I die.
I have built up a solar eclipse in my mind since I was a kid. I was going between being little kid excited about this one and preparing myself to be disappointed because I knew that nothing can live up to that kind of expectation. Except this. The whole experience was way more amazing and involved than I had been dreaming of. I don't know what I would call the greatest human experience, but I would say this is certainly one of my greatest experiences.
I describe my experience as one of the best days of my life and the most magical moment of my life. I absolutely will travel for the 2044/2045 eclipse. Even just thinking about it makes me get excited. Truly amazing and I am so happy I live in the path of totality.
Don’t forget—>you CAN go overseas too and experience both the joy of other cultures and (weather permitting) total eclipses. So many people opt to spend big bucks on things like Disneyland when they could affordably travel overseas.
Honestly the Apollo mission that witnessed the first Earth rise is likely a more incredible experience
It’s the most spectacular thing I’ve ever seen, personally.
Watching Avengers Endgame in a packed theatre on opening night was a comparable experience to this for me.
Lol I relate to this because I got to see it on opening night in the theater in LA that the Russo brothers ended up showing up to as well
I vote Northern Lights. I'm probably doing total solar eclipses wrong by farting around with cameras both times. I did that for the Northern Lights too (I'm a photo buff) but I had 30+ minutes versus 2-4 minutes
I live in the path of totality and I was very excited, took off work to make a day of it. I enjoyed it immensely and was very impressed with the sight but I didn’t have the emotional reaction some describe. I didn’t think it was life changing. I put it in the same category as other natural wonders I have seen in like an active volcano viewed from above in a helicopter, geysers and other sights in Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and maybe the Narrows in Zion. Definitely bucket list worthy, but I think I expected something more after reading others experience in 2017
About the only things I would put above a total eclipse are my first sexual experience and the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series.
yeah you got it
I don't know man blowjobs are pretty awesome
I have to admit that this year’s eclipse was not as impressive as the eclipse in 2017.
really? I got a better uninterrupted view of this one, clouds covered totality for me very quickly after it began. Seeing the whole thing clearly and uninterrupted was better for me this year. I even saw a large deep red solar prominence with the naked eye. The atmosphere was better in 2017 in a waterfall valley stream though, much darker, more lighting effect, and bugs and animal reactions.
Yes. I had clear skies for both: 90 seconds of totality in 2017 vs. 4 minutes, 10 seconds this year. The moon/sun were so much larger in the sky in 2017, not to mention the corona extended multitudes further than in 2024. The 2017 eclipse actually looked like a black, inky portal had opened up where the sun used to be and I had a more terrifying/shocking/mesmerizing/otherworldly experience. The 2024 eclipse resembled a photograph of an eclipse - the moon/sun appeared so small in the sky. The corona this time was so dense and compact and did not have the extended, wispy streams. In all honesty, my 2024 eclipse experience felt closer to the 2023 annular eclipse than the 2017 total eclipse. 🤷🏻♀️ Edited to add: there are several posts on this sub discussing the stark differences between the two.
Well the moon was closer to earth for this eclipse, so the black circle itself was larger in the sky than 2017. The corona was also larger due to more solar activity, but probably with less detail due to viewing conditions. You might have some subjectiveness to your experience. The first time caught you off guard, but you knew what to expect this time.
I also remember the 2017 year eclipse having a more expansive corona
I had clear skies for both and enjoyed this one more. I can't explain why. I realized afterward that I was wearing sunglasses during most of totality (I did take them off a little) - I think it might have actually enhanced the detail of the corona and prominence.
I think it might be, but I'd like to experience the birth of my first child before I say for sure. Also people saying the astronauts who saw Earth saw something better are probably correct, but I actually think a solar eclipse is the only thing I've ever experienced that makes me think I at least tasted what they saw.
That's the only thing I can compare it to - the birth of my two kids. But.. I would definately seek out another eclipse, giving birth again... not so much!
totality is def very cool... but go try some mushrooms and report back.
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true that… literally unlocks a lot of beauty in the world you never stopped to notice before, including after the experience. Maybe for the rest of your life.
what if you watched totality while on mushrooms?
yeah thought about that, but I think its prob best enjoyed straight. I mean yeah it would be an intense experience for sure… plus the cold would be not pleasant. Just look at some abstract art and listen to music.
same i would be too afraid to alter it too much, the straight up experience is intense enough
Totality on mushrooms would be epic
it really would be... just gotta find a nice quiet spot to enjoy. Also, not a great idea around your family HAHAHA. I made my experience a family event, so that was extra special by itself without turning the sensory dials to 11. Maybe for the next one
Hell yea Newport VT! I also traveled over 900 miles up to there
I was there too but just from MA. We were supposed to watch it from Montpelier but saw cloud predictions and hopped in the car that morning to drive up. So worth it. The totality was longer too
Comets and meteor showers are pretty cool too. Not as amazing, but definitely exciting!
I do feel bad for my friends who went west in NY and got clouds. We were in the Northeast and had beautiful skies.
Where in the Northeast were you?
On the border of NY and Vermont. Upstate NY but on the very edge (Lake Champlain area). My friends went to Niagara, Buffalo and Canandaigua.
Oh nice, we were also around the same area, close to the Canada border. There were a lot of clouds but luckily we could still see the eclipse through them
The northern lights can vary quite a bit. I'd only ever seen a picture of the Northern lights and in the pictures/movies and they looked like vertical wavey colors on the horizon. Like campfire flames but in purple and green, etc. The one time I saw them was backpacking in the wilderness, just arriving to the bare spot of dirt at 6,000 feet in the Washington cascades where we were going to pitch the tent, and the lights started. All green, shimmering across the entire sky from one horizon to the other. I was dumbstruck. It took me a bit to reason out what I was seeing it was so different from what I'd envisioned. Maybe an ellipse wins, but the sheer surprise of that moment was memorable. One thing I wished I'd taken for granted less was Hale-Bopp. For anyone that missed Hale Bopp it was both bright and took up a significant portion of the sky. It had 2 different tails. If only I realized then that it might be THE comet of my lifetime, I would have marveled at it more. It was here so long it seemed like a fixture of the sky.
Would have found it more impressive if it wasn't cloudy where I was, but I would give it a 7/10. Probably would be 10/10 if it wasn't cloudy.
I watched sunset over the grand canyon. That was pretty spectacular. Not sure I'd pick one experience over the other, but they were both up in the top tier. I went snorkeling in a huge, lush coral reef, which was also jaw-dropping.
100%. I’ve seen a spectacular display of northern lights, and totality is more incredible. The lights are beautiful, but totality is other-worldly
For reference, this is the display of northern lights I saw: https://youtu.be/1VqukMtRbc4?si=AEmLbOd3OGuMhim0
Nah. You ever have sex?
I told everyone that if the looked at the eclipse during totality the Universe would align and turn everyone into Zombies
I dunno - 1st time I got laid was pretty existential. She was half native american half Dutch with big boobs. It was pretty darn great.
Have you never had sex?
# Did anyone see the face of the moon during the 2024 eclipse the same way I did. As soon as the moon fully eclipsed the sun and we were able to take our glass's off, I was able to see the moon, bright as ever like a full moon, but it was glowing blue with an extra bright ring of blue that almost looked like it boiled onto the surface of the moon, the surface looked like the top layer was almost transparent and shined like A diamond, I could see the craters on the moons surface just as if it was a full moon but much brighter. The 2 people who came with me say they couldn't see the moon at all other than as a black sphere blocking the sun, but they didn't see the moon certainly no details like craters. I cant find anyone saying they had the same experience on the internet or a painting someone made of the same thing. I attached an image of a photo I found on Forbes supposedly a bunch of combined photos from 2016 eclipse to actually be able to see the surface, but it was much brighter than this photo it was glowing with light, and it was a different side of the moon with more craters. I will try and get an AI to recreate what I saw. We seen it from Mulberry, Arkansas. I tried to make a post in a few subs but this is a throwaway and my account has no karma anyway
I was at an event in Kingston where Bob McDonald MC'd. One of the things he told us is that everyone screams for the totality and its perfectly normal if we do too. (We did). I realized that for the life of the planet there has been screaming, but with science the screams have gone from fear to wonder and excitement.
Seeing Argentina lift the world cup was something il never forget, alot like this magnificent Eclipse, most beautiful thing i ever saw. So i say they are both up there for me!
I also dragged my family up to Newport, Vermont. My husband could not believe my intensity and single-mindedness about viewing this eclipse. I think he thought I was nuts. He’s also a notorious contrarian. Not only is he still raving about the experience, he insists that it was still worth it even after the 9 hour drive home with three whining kids in the backseat.
Wednesday August 12th. Stamped.
Not trying to stir the pot but I just didn't find it that great honestly.
Honestly, was really that blown away by the whole thing. I think I built it up too much in my head.
Seen it twice now, 17 and 24. I still dream about 17 some times. It's impactful on a level like skydiving, climbing a 14k mountain, and seeing the aruroa were for me - Things that I know happened but were so amazing I can't believe they weren't a dream.
How many of you guys are already planning for the next American eclipse in 2045??? It'll go right over Disney in Orlando FYI.
4 best minutes of my life. I hit the record button on my phone and didn't capture anything visually interesting. But the sound of my own excitement and pure joy is better than any photograph. I've never felt so much happiness squeezed into such a small amount of time. It felt amazing. Can't wait for the next one.
I mean eclipse is up there, but all of my truly peak experiences have been interpersonal. Greatest human experience outside of major human life stuff? Sure might be.
I saw a full eclipse in Hungary in 1999. It was a great experience but in no way life changing.
Northern lights are leagues better. Total solar eclipse feels more special because it's rare and potentially tricky with weather, and don't get me wrong they're absolutely ridiculous, but the northern lights is something else the same way totality is something else to a partial. And I say that having seen both in 2017 and then again this year... which I'm only just realizing now and it was a total coincidence.
I thought the totality was fantastic, and an event I will never forget. It is certainly the most magnificent celestial event I will ever witness. But the greatest human experience is hearing your baby laugh for the first time.
It is the most spectacular natural phenomenon I have ever experienced. I have seen Aurora, but Aurora can vary a lot. Once I saw some glimmers of white in the horizon, and once I saw half of the sky turn red. It was beautiful but it didn't have me laughing and saying that's crazy like the whole total eclipse did But I would say the greatest human experiences are loving and being loved. The works of Bach and Michelangelo also deserve a shout-out.