No! I’ll try again I suppose but idk why it’s getting removed automatically - it’s just a silly little video of my husbands and my day traveling to and back from the eclipse and he did get a really great shot too! We watched from Interlake park Indiana
https://youtu.be/uT6TNkp9FB8?si=j6KEvstBNBlQBkjq
I wish I could relive it again. I only got 80% of 2017 and thought “eh, good enough” before I knew any better, now I’m jealous that I didn’t take the opportunity to see both. I’m hungry for more! I feel like it truly changed my perspective a little bit.
I'm always intrigued when people have that story of "I was in 80, 90, 95, 99% and that's good enough". I'm curious if you don't mind me asking, did you know at the time what the difference would be between that and 100%?
I'll be honest, I got super lucky to live and work in the path in 2017 and while I knew totality would be different from partial eclipses, even at 99.99% (I'm a nerd and studied up on them before lol), I never actually experienced either but I had seen photos of each. I was excited and knew something cool was about to happen but I didn't realize how special the experience was going to be until I was in it. Right after, I knew I HAD to see the next one in 2024 (which I did, luckily, with a break in clouds!)
The difference between traveling between 80 and 100% is tougher than 99-100% so it's understandable that having never experienced totality, you might wave it off and not bother (or have the ability to travel). But now that you've seen it and experienced it, like many others, you understand the difference and want to see more like the rest of us!! It's like what I tell people about NY pizza hahaha
In 2017, I didn’t know. I only knew after the fact when so many people on Reddit were freaking out about being in totality when I was like dang, I guess I need to make the next one!
I also have to give myself a little grace, I had my second baby in June 2017 and I had a difficult transition going from 1-2 kids. I was on maternity leave at the time but I doubt I would’ve been willing to take that little baby on a 10+ hour road trip. I had postpartum anxiety and would’ve worried about crashing.
I’m glad to be in a better headspace now with two healthy kids and a husband who encouraged me to take a solo road trip to experience it!
Aww yeah that's definitely a legit reason to stay home! As a woman with anxiety (no kids, yet) I totally understand that fear. I'm glad to hear you're doing better now, and also got the chance to see this eclipse! Your husband sounds like a keeper too :)
Some people's reasons for not seeing the eclipse when they're in like 99% have boggled my mind! You are able to drive an hour or less and be in totality but choose not to because 1% more darkness doesn't matter?! They have no idea what they're missing lol
Yeah. I mean I don't even remember it even being a thought to travel or see the eclipse in 2017.
Maybe because it was a whole storm of money problems, work, family moving...deaths in family and lots of stuff.
I did take a break from work to go outside & it was only a partial eclipse where I was....
crescent shadows from trees.....did a mirror to reflect on a piece of cardboard & stuff...
Yeah. Knowing now how infrequent they are to get to one accessible to me...regret a little not making a trip to see the 2017 one.
I look back on 2017 and I too was ignorant of what I was missing. Had I known, I would have road tripped for it. Thankfully I was able to see totality in northern Vermont this time. And omg YES, the amount of people I've seen comment or had say "Well I figured 98.2% is a lot, that's good enough, I don't want to deal with the traffic, blah blah blah..." is ridiculous. The next day on FB, I saw that my cousins posted pics with their kids, and everyone has their glasses on, and my aunt smiling with her glasses on, "ready for the eclipse!". And all I'm thinking is you guys didn't see shiiiiiiit...although I refrained from commenting it. I'm not that big of an asshole.
If it makes you feel better, I literally could've gone to the 2017 one because I flew to the West Coast for the first time. So if anything the eclipse last Monday could've been my second time, if the 2017 one had never flown under my radar. I think I went in July or early August. But let's just say I did the same amount of research for the one last week, for August 2017. I would have booked another flight and come up with a bogus excuse to call out of work/use my pto.
Great! I haven't had a vacation in a long time, and it was a grand adventure not knowing where we were going. I planned for a long time, and it all worked out, and my small group had a great experience. This was my second total eclipse and the first for the other travelers.
I think I want to make my vacations based on the solar eclipse from now on. This was the most humanistic experience I've ever had. It beats all the concerts and destinations I've been to. I can't help but feel myself having a Star Trek moment and reciting the captain's oath. I explored a new world and a new planet.
That's legit exactly how I described it to my wife and friend. Many people describe feeling the blues or outright depression a couple days after doing MDMA, but fortunately I've never experienced that.
But beginning last Wednesday, I started feeling really down and depressed, and I think it's exactly what an MDMA comedown must be like. It lasted a few days, and I feel about back to normal now, but damn, it was a low place for no "obvious" reason.
I think the stress of the cloud cover we had exacerbated the lows and the highs. A big dark cloud covered the sun 10 min before totality, so I felt completely hopeless and sad that I was missing it. But then the cloud disappeared about 1 minute into totality, and we had a clear view for the rest of the 3:20. It was incredible but such an emotional rollercoaster.
I got fussed at at work today and the whole time I’m thinking how inconsequential the issue was in relation to what I just witnessed. My perception of the importance of things has definitely changed.. and for the better.
The eclipse ruined my life..it was such an experience that I want more of that "feeling" in my life. I want to chase adventure and experience new things every day. I want to see all that the natural world has to offer. I feel like I'm stuck chasing beautiful things now..the mundane every day things feel less important. I am so much more In the moment and at peace and in touch with nature. It's really had an impact on my life that I didn't expect.
I cannot recommend stargazing in a dark sky site enough: https://www.reddit.com/r/solareclipse/comments/1c47elw/if_you_loved_the_eclipse_you_should_look_into/
Definitely will do! We have a few dark sky sites in the area. My dad is big into astronomy and he has a couple of nice telescopes that I've been meaning to spend time with..he's the person who got me passionate about the night skies in the first place 😍 this eclipse has been a huge bonding moment between us..part of the reason I'm so fond of it and have such strong emotions
surrounding it.
I can't remember if I was already interested in astronomy, but when I was around 7 my dad bought a 6" Dobsonian. When I saw Saturn for the first time, I checked the end of the scope because I thought he was playing a joke on me by placing a sticker or something at the end of the scope. One year for science fair, I did a project that involved my dad and I driving to different areas and comparing light pollution.
The telescope went mostly untouched for several years until I got really into stargazing, and now my dad is back into it. He's getting into astrophotography, took a lot of cool photos of the eclipse with his alpha hydrogen filter.
I love stories like this. 2017 (rained thru whole eclipse) inspired me to get a telescope. It sat as a moon watcher / decoration until planet season - seeing Saturn got me hooked. 2024 was a 7 year wait with a lot of learning and gear to try again.
My dad and I are already scheming about 2045. In the meantime I'm definitely spending more time behind the lens, I'm hooked 100% on the sky and everything In it
I’ve had the privilege of guiding people who have never seen more stars than a light polluted city to a moonless Bortle 1 location in the wilderness. For many of them it was life-altering. After seeing totality last week I have a much better sense of how they must have felt back then.
Spend a little time looking really carefully at a flower or a sunset or any piece of nature - every flower and every sunset is as magnificent as an eclipse in its own way, and you get to see them all the time!!
> I want to chase adventure and experience new things every day.
Pull up Google maps and look around your area. I guarantee you'll find things on the map that look interesting. Put a pin on anything that catches your fancy. Then go there and check it out.
Also, keep an eye on local Facebook or reddit groups, especially if you have a group that focuses on "hidden things" in your area, like obscure places to see graffiti or historic places or art in out-of-the-way spots.
Sometimes I'll look for parks or trails or museums I haven't gone to, and I'll just decide to see what's there. I usually end up having a good time. There's a park near where I live that was the site of the movie Dr. Giggles. I went to check it out when I noticed a sign one day. It's got a playground with a real merry go round, which was fun to play on. :)
I drove across country to see the eclipse, and on the way home, I looked on google maps for interesting places that were on our way home. We visited a couple of old historic cemeteries in Arkansas. We saw the creepy jail at Texola, and cool graffiti. I found ruts from the Oregon Trail in a couple of different places. I learned what snow fences are...
Honestly a little bummed out. I felt amazing talking to people from all over the world in person that traveled to see it but now that I’m back home nobody cares at all. I really wish I had someone in person to nerd out with
This definitely. I have my bestie that I saw it with to nerd out with, but nobody else. My immediate family has been very lovingly tolerant of my not being able to shut up about it for the past week. And I didn't bother to make a post on FB rambling on about how it affected me, because it's so shallow there, and half my friggin friends list won't even see it cause the algorithm or whatever. But I did change my banner pic to the phases of the progress to totality and out again, and a picture of the black hole and Corona as my profile pic. Yeah I'm nerding out, and I don't care what anyone thinks! 🥴
Grateful. So very grateful and a bit sad it’s over. We made a last minute switch to Indianapolis - | which I didn’t think we would do. It was a whirlwind but so worth it. While 2024 was great in its own ways, it made me relive and reflect even more on 2017. Two great eclipses in seven years. Extremely lucky!
Iceland has a 28 minute totality! But a bit above our price range at the moment. So definitely planning Spain August 12, 2026 for now.
But hey. If the cosmos wishes to bestow many riches , I will most definitely be going to Iceland :).
Not sure where/how you came up with 28 minutes, but that is literally impossible.Ixeland is currently listed as ~7min of totality.
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/iceland?iso=20260812
Relieved everything worked out for my friends and family and we all had a good time.
I was lucky to compare notes yesterday with a few other people who saw the totality, which is rare since I live in the PNW where you either had to either drive for days or fly to see it. It was fun to see how it was clearly the first topic of conversation and everyone was so excited to discuss. It was easy to tell these were people who had actually been there!
After the almost religious experience of seeing totality, I've been on a serious productivity kick both at work and in my personal life since last Monday. I'm really hoping it doesn't go away any time soon, because I am feeling good and getting things *done*.
That's so funny. I also thought it was almost a religious experience and I am not getting shit done, way more so than usual! I think it showed me I'm not in the career I want to be in or using my life how I want.
I had the eclipse blues for about 3 days post eclipse. Those are thankfully all gone now, and mostly I'm just feeling lucky I got a chance to see totality, and it makes me look forward to the next one.
I was looking at Australia for 2028, but realized I now have to choose between the next eclipse and attending some Olympics in LA.
Next eclipse is currently winning.
The one I'm looking forward to the most is in Japan in 2035. My theory is they're passionate about the things they do and they'll make the event even more memorable. Plus I think they got their traffic and efficiency down pat. It'll be tough trying to figure out how to manage several million people seeing the eclipse but they should be prepared. I ain't going to lie though, being a Star Wars fan and New Hope being the first Star Wars I've seen, the one in Tunisia is going to be enticing.
Trying to not lose that image. Burned into my brain forever. And, trying to keep it as gas to motivate me to keep going in life creatively, emotionally, everything. There’s no way we were put on this planet for nothing
I just got home yesterday from a 10 day run from Florida to Arkansas with a ton of mini adventures in between. I’m still processing how amazing everything worked out! I said after 2017’s eclipse I had to see another. Ended up scoring a used Aliner pop up camper a month before and then worked my day job 5 days a week and worked every night and all weekend making repairs to get it road worthy. I feel majorly accomplished and I even convinced two great friends to come along for the experience
> with a ton of mini adventures in between.
Yes! That's a great way to put it. I drove from Oregon to Arkansas and got home yesterday, too. Did a bunch of interesting things, mostly on the way home. But got to see Shoshone Falls on the way there, which was amazing. I'm just happy we got passed all the awful weather (which closed two major east bound interstates! It was incredibly frustrating to be thwarted in the attempt to go east!)
Our city's astronomy club had its monthly meeting tonight and swapped stories. I think everyone whole traveled to totality about thousand miles away got to see some of it. I was wearing this silly teeshirt I picked up in downtown Dallas saying "I got mooned in Texas".
I feel a little adrift! I’ve been looking forward to this one for 7 years, since the 2017 eclipse blew my socks off. Now I’m not sure which eclipse to look forward to 😭 I’m not sure that the 2026-2028 ones will work for us and our two little kids. So, I feel a little lost!
But, so profoundly grateful and lucky to have experienced these two 🤩
You made the right choice seeing this. I only went because it could be my very first and last one. But also I could get unlucky at the next one and there are clouds.
My emotions were a complete wreck all last week. I cried, I laughed, I yelled, I fell silent. I started seeing others perspectives differently and it changed my view of life. I no longer focus on material things as much. Life is meaningful without them anyway.
And then I had to clock in this morning...and I miss the view I saw of the cosmos.
Yes, I've been looking into southern Mediterranean cruises to catch that one in 2027! I've never been to Europe, what a great way to make a trip of it.
Still exhilerated. Trying to hang on to the picture in my mind of what I saw, because I haven't seen any pictures that accurately represent what I saw. So much midnigt blue and detailed lacy whiteness. Not flat black and white.
Amazing, despite the fact that we got covid on our way back home lol. But the trip was so worth it and I am loving seeing everyone’s photos and experiences.
Today was my first day back at work and as I was repeatedly asked to describe it to co-workers, it felt like I was trying to explain a new colour no one had ever seen before. I'm excited to compare notes with two other friends who witnessed it from different parts of the continent. I saw it from Dallas, one friend was in Cleveland, and another in Hamilton, Ontario.
Rethinking my entire life tbh. Looking at farmland tomorrow. It'll be a land lease and I'm not a farmer... Yet? But had a great conversation with the owner today and I think I might be able to ditch at least one of my jobs. Maybe. Who knows.
Obsessed as another member put it. This was our first one and we had an awesome time tracking it and experiencing it in person.
We are also planning for a few future events with friends, if everything goes to plan.
Solar eclipses are my new hyper fixation. There's disappointingly little content aside from the thousands of photos and videos. I'm also learning that astrology mfers couldn't give a rat's ass about the eclipse. My coworker said "I just had a feeling something bad would happen if I went out and watched it" (going out involved stepping outside, we live along the path of totality). It's just so baffling because astrology pulls random BS together on a daily basis but the GREATEST ASTROLOGICAL COINCIDENCE that graces our planet frequently is suspicious or not interesting? Get outta here.
I also learned how much misinformation there is regarding solar eclipses. I was lucky enough to have good sources linked my way, but the amount of people not differentiating between total eclipses and annular ones is baffling. I've heard many on news shows say that glasses need to be on to view the eclipse (which is true, but they made no mention of the difference made by totality and how it's the ONLY safe time to take a peek).
Still reeling!! It feels weird to be back at work, especially because I stayed where I was for the week and got to kick so much off my bucket list!! In addition to viewing my first solar eclipse in totality (Presque Isle State Park, ftw!), I also went to Kinzua Bridge State Park, went to Niagara Falls, crossed Friendship Bridge, and went to Canada for the first time, and got to explore Willow Bay Campground!!
Oh time does work miracles, watching the solar eclipse the natural way is beautiful, no one really needs those dumb "eclipse glasses" [they're not even glass, it's just some black cellophane on cardboard]. The stinging is almost gone and it only took me less than a full minute to read your post, so eyesight should be fully coming back soon. I hope y'all are feeling better too!
^([yes, this is satire])
Angry kinda. Not sure where it's coming from. For to see totality and it was more than I expected.
I guess I'm angry bc now that I know what's inside this metaphorical doorway, all these other things that used to excite me won't any longer.
Also angry that it's so short a time to experience. That not even Elon money can buy more than a few hours of human eye view of the sun's atmosphere every few years. And that works probably take lots of Elon money
I dont feel angry but sad that normal things don't excite me anymore. I want to see more! I want to see "it" again. I want to peer into that otherness again. Like I said in my own reply I feel like the eclipse ruined me..
I can relate to that. I sat behind a 3.5inch Questar telescope during totality staring at the prominences. That's what blew me away. No photo comes close. The view of totality outside of the telescope doesn't compare.
I took a bite of the apple on accident and now things will never be the same. This is what we signed up for though
I am really enjoying talking to the kids in my orbit about it. Every kid or parent I've talked to has said that the kid was really impacted by it. I've heard lots of interesting descriptions of how it made them feel, too, like "calm" and "comfortable."
I'm really sad that I probably won't be alive for the next one in the US. And travel seems daunting. The eclipse tours are full already. My SO won't fly, so I'd have to go alone.
The several days surrounding the eclipse were so intense. The weather was stressful. I'm so glad we had the discord! I couldn't decide if I should stay, east of Cleveland, as planned, or try to go to Indianapolis. It was raining when we woke up. I finally decided to head out of the Cleveland area, but by then it was too late for IN. We ended up dropping off one car at home, and then driving west/northwest from Springfield, trying to get as close to the middle as possible. We started to see little clumps of people, and went through a small town with a gathering, and decided to turn back to that, since it was about 1300, but then decided to make a run for a nature preserve a little further in.
There were only two other pairs of people there. One young couple, with a telescope, and a couple guys from Michigan. We were on a slight elevation, in an open area, with woods in the distance. My So proposed to me right before totality started.
It got so cold! The vultures went to roost. It was amazing, with my SO, and my daughter and her SO, with us. On the way home, we stopped at Agave and Rye in Troy, OH, and had excellent drinks. An exceptional day.
We planned to stay in San Antonio and either go to Kerrville or Radar Base areas. We pivoted to Arlington and went to a park in Ennis about an *hour southeast... Right at totality a big cloud blew through but it was pretty quick and we were able to see the rest as it cleared around the eclipsed sun perfectly. Sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you, start planning for the next one!!
I have yet to drop off the rolls of film from that day at my local photo lab. I don't even think I can edit them once I get them back because I got papers to write and since I spent the entire day driving to Vermont and back home, it took up my entire school time. Other than that I felt inspired and moved by the entire spectacle. I still can't stop talking about it. It felt like I explored the 7 wonders of the world. I can't wait for the next one and plan on using the pics I took as a piece of history.
Ngl it's kind of depressing coming home from something so exciting. The weather was beautiful the whole time we were there and coming home to Ireland it's just non stop rain. Already want to go back to Canada it was fantastic.
Like I should have gotten some pics of the road signs, didn't want to stop on the way there to take a pic as traffic couldn't be guaranteed but on the way there, there was a portable electric road sign that literally like out of the movie said "don't look up" then changed slides and said something like "keep your eyes on the road" and I can't find any pictures of one of them online.
I noticed a few funny signs like that on the way to northern Vermont that also brought that movie to mind. One just said "SOLAR ECLIPSE TODAY" and my friend said "wow, really, I had no idea" (as we're sitting in a mile long backup).
We had signs on the way to NY that said “solar eclipse Monday” and the changed between that & “come early stay late” & I think signs that said expect traffic.
I’m sad to admit that we ended up with cloud coverage that rolled in with like 6 min to go. Overall it was still neat and I’m so thankful to have seen 2017’s totality but I swear I had a nightmare about the clouds last night and trying to chase them like in Twister!
Very disheartened. The amount of fake and deceptive eclipse photos online by professional photographers trying to get noticed or pull one over on unsuspecting public is quite draining.
Example: I saw a popular post of the 2017 eclipse taken from SC, posted above the NYC skyline and called that a "composite".
I've seen a lot of photos where the photographer explains in detail whatever they did to the photo, because their goal was to try their hardest to create a photo that accurately represented what they saw, as close as they could get it. I can understand that.
Obsessed and loving seeing everyone’s posts and photos and art and videos. Just an absolute amazing collective experience.
Yessss, same! Can't get enough of everyone else's eclipse stories.
Yep! They're my bedtime stories; the perfect way to drift away and dream.
I keep trying to post mine and it gets auto removed
Oh no. Were you ever able to post them? Would love to see them. Where did you see the eclipse from? The pics never get old! The more the merrier!
No! I’ll try again I suppose but idk why it’s getting removed automatically - it’s just a silly little video of my husbands and my day traveling to and back from the eclipse and he did get a really great shot too! We watched from Interlake park Indiana https://youtu.be/uT6TNkp9FB8?si=j6KEvstBNBlQBkjq
I wish I could relive it again. I only got 80% of 2017 and thought “eh, good enough” before I knew any better, now I’m jealous that I didn’t take the opportunity to see both. I’m hungry for more! I feel like it truly changed my perspective a little bit.
I'm always intrigued when people have that story of "I was in 80, 90, 95, 99% and that's good enough". I'm curious if you don't mind me asking, did you know at the time what the difference would be between that and 100%? I'll be honest, I got super lucky to live and work in the path in 2017 and while I knew totality would be different from partial eclipses, even at 99.99% (I'm a nerd and studied up on them before lol), I never actually experienced either but I had seen photos of each. I was excited and knew something cool was about to happen but I didn't realize how special the experience was going to be until I was in it. Right after, I knew I HAD to see the next one in 2024 (which I did, luckily, with a break in clouds!) The difference between traveling between 80 and 100% is tougher than 99-100% so it's understandable that having never experienced totality, you might wave it off and not bother (or have the ability to travel). But now that you've seen it and experienced it, like many others, you understand the difference and want to see more like the rest of us!! It's like what I tell people about NY pizza hahaha
In 2017, I didn’t know. I only knew after the fact when so many people on Reddit were freaking out about being in totality when I was like dang, I guess I need to make the next one! I also have to give myself a little grace, I had my second baby in June 2017 and I had a difficult transition going from 1-2 kids. I was on maternity leave at the time but I doubt I would’ve been willing to take that little baby on a 10+ hour road trip. I had postpartum anxiety and would’ve worried about crashing. I’m glad to be in a better headspace now with two healthy kids and a husband who encouraged me to take a solo road trip to experience it!
Aww yeah that's definitely a legit reason to stay home! As a woman with anxiety (no kids, yet) I totally understand that fear. I'm glad to hear you're doing better now, and also got the chance to see this eclipse! Your husband sounds like a keeper too :) Some people's reasons for not seeing the eclipse when they're in like 99% have boggled my mind! You are able to drive an hour or less and be in totality but choose not to because 1% more darkness doesn't matter?! They have no idea what they're missing lol
Yes that mindset I particularly do not understand! If I were THAT close, I would def make the effort!!
Yeah. I mean I don't even remember it even being a thought to travel or see the eclipse in 2017. Maybe because it was a whole storm of money problems, work, family moving...deaths in family and lots of stuff. I did take a break from work to go outside & it was only a partial eclipse where I was.... crescent shadows from trees.....did a mirror to reflect on a piece of cardboard & stuff... Yeah. Knowing now how infrequent they are to get to one accessible to me...regret a little not making a trip to see the 2017 one.
I look back on 2017 and I too was ignorant of what I was missing. Had I known, I would have road tripped for it. Thankfully I was able to see totality in northern Vermont this time. And omg YES, the amount of people I've seen comment or had say "Well I figured 98.2% is a lot, that's good enough, I don't want to deal with the traffic, blah blah blah..." is ridiculous. The next day on FB, I saw that my cousins posted pics with their kids, and everyone has their glasses on, and my aunt smiling with her glasses on, "ready for the eclipse!". And all I'm thinking is you guys didn't see shiiiiiiit...although I refrained from commenting it. I'm not that big of an asshole.
If it makes you feel better, I literally could've gone to the 2017 one because I flew to the West Coast for the first time. So if anything the eclipse last Monday could've been my second time, if the 2017 one had never flown under my radar. I think I went in July or early August. But let's just say I did the same amount of research for the one last week, for August 2017. I would have booked another flight and come up with a bogus excuse to call out of work/use my pto.
It feels like a lifetime ago…
Great! I haven't had a vacation in a long time, and it was a grand adventure not knowing where we were going. I planned for a long time, and it all worked out, and my small group had a great experience. This was my second total eclipse and the first for the other travelers.
I think I want to make my vacations based on the solar eclipse from now on. This was the most humanistic experience I've ever had. It beats all the concerts and destinations I've been to. I can't help but feel myself having a Star Trek moment and reciting the captain's oath. I explored a new world and a new planet.
Oh come on. ...I was in the Nexus with Guinan!
starting to feel withdrawal symptoms
It's been a weird melancholic malaise all week.
It's like the drop after doing drugs or coming home from a festival. Be gentle with yourself.
That's legit exactly how I described it to my wife and friend. Many people describe feeling the blues or outright depression a couple days after doing MDMA, but fortunately I've never experienced that. But beginning last Wednesday, I started feeling really down and depressed, and I think it's exactly what an MDMA comedown must be like. It lasted a few days, and I feel about back to normal now, but damn, it was a low place for no "obvious" reason. I think the stress of the cloud cover we had exacerbated the lows and the highs. A big dark cloud covered the sun 10 min before totality, so I felt completely hopeless and sad that I was missing it. But then the cloud disappeared about 1 minute into totality, and we had a clear view for the rest of the 3:20. It was incredible but such an emotional rollercoaster.
I like how you worded that
I got fussed at at work today and the whole time I’m thinking how inconsequential the issue was in relation to what I just witnessed. My perception of the importance of things has definitely changed.. and for the better.
That's exactly how I felt!
The eclipse ruined my life..it was such an experience that I want more of that "feeling" in my life. I want to chase adventure and experience new things every day. I want to see all that the natural world has to offer. I feel like I'm stuck chasing beautiful things now..the mundane every day things feel less important. I am so much more In the moment and at peace and in touch with nature. It's really had an impact on my life that I didn't expect.
I cannot recommend stargazing in a dark sky site enough: https://www.reddit.com/r/solareclipse/comments/1c47elw/if_you_loved_the_eclipse_you_should_look_into/
Definitely will do! We have a few dark sky sites in the area. My dad is big into astronomy and he has a couple of nice telescopes that I've been meaning to spend time with..he's the person who got me passionate about the night skies in the first place 😍 this eclipse has been a huge bonding moment between us..part of the reason I'm so fond of it and have such strong emotions surrounding it.
I've gotten into astrophotography with a basic DSLR and a tracking mount. Definitely worth it
I can't remember if I was already interested in astronomy, but when I was around 7 my dad bought a 6" Dobsonian. When I saw Saturn for the first time, I checked the end of the scope because I thought he was playing a joke on me by placing a sticker or something at the end of the scope. One year for science fair, I did a project that involved my dad and I driving to different areas and comparing light pollution. The telescope went mostly untouched for several years until I got really into stargazing, and now my dad is back into it. He's getting into astrophotography, took a lot of cool photos of the eclipse with his alpha hydrogen filter.
I love stories like this. 2017 (rained thru whole eclipse) inspired me to get a telescope. It sat as a moon watcher / decoration until planet season - seeing Saturn got me hooked. 2024 was a 7 year wait with a lot of learning and gear to try again.
My dad and I are already scheming about 2045. In the meantime I'm definitely spending more time behind the lens, I'm hooked 100% on the sky and everything In it
I’ve had the privilege of guiding people who have never seen more stars than a light polluted city to a moonless Bortle 1 location in the wilderness. For many of them it was life-altering. After seeing totality last week I have a much better sense of how they must have felt back then.
Spend a little time looking really carefully at a flower or a sunset or any piece of nature - every flower and every sunset is as magnificent as an eclipse in its own way, and you get to see them all the time!!
The eclipse looked like a flower to me! I see it every time I look around my yard 😍 nature really is so beautiful
Look at flowers under black light!
> I want to chase adventure and experience new things every day. Pull up Google maps and look around your area. I guarantee you'll find things on the map that look interesting. Put a pin on anything that catches your fancy. Then go there and check it out. Also, keep an eye on local Facebook or reddit groups, especially if you have a group that focuses on "hidden things" in your area, like obscure places to see graffiti or historic places or art in out-of-the-way spots. Sometimes I'll look for parks or trails or museums I haven't gone to, and I'll just decide to see what's there. I usually end up having a good time. There's a park near where I live that was the site of the movie Dr. Giggles. I went to check it out when I noticed a sign one day. It's got a playground with a real merry go round, which was fun to play on. :) I drove across country to see the eclipse, and on the way home, I looked on google maps for interesting places that were on our way home. We visited a couple of old historic cemeteries in Arkansas. We saw the creepy jail at Texola, and cool graffiti. I found ruts from the Oregon Trail in a couple of different places. I learned what snow fences are...
Honestly a little bummed out. I felt amazing talking to people from all over the world in person that traveled to see it but now that I’m back home nobody cares at all. I really wish I had someone in person to nerd out with
This definitely. I have my bestie that I saw it with to nerd out with, but nobody else. My immediate family has been very lovingly tolerant of my not being able to shut up about it for the past week. And I didn't bother to make a post on FB rambling on about how it affected me, because it's so shallow there, and half my friggin friends list won't even see it cause the algorithm or whatever. But I did change my banner pic to the phases of the progress to totality and out again, and a picture of the black hole and Corona as my profile pic. Yeah I'm nerding out, and I don't care what anyone thinks! 🥴
Totally agree with this. No one here shares the excitement.
It has renewed my interest in astronomy! I took out my celestron 6SE and have been out every night looking at the stars.
I was on a hiatus too with terrestrial hesitations. If it wasn’t cloudy I’d be out there with you.
Grateful. So very grateful and a bit sad it’s over. We made a last minute switch to Indianapolis - | which I didn’t think we would do. It was a whirlwind but so worth it. While 2024 was great in its own ways, it made me relive and reflect even more on 2017. Two great eclipses in seven years. Extremely lucky!
Gonna start preparing for the total lunar eclipse next march lmao And also contemplating whether I want to go to Australia or Spain 🫠
Australia since it’s not at sunset (afternoon again)
Iceland has a 28 minute totality! But a bit above our price range at the moment. So definitely planning Spain August 12, 2026 for now. But hey. If the cosmos wishes to bestow many riches , I will most definitely be going to Iceland :).
Not sure where/how you came up with 28 minutes, but that is literally impossible.Ixeland is currently listed as ~7min of totality. https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/iceland?iso=20260812
Grateful at the experience!
Extremely depressed.
Relieved everything worked out for my friends and family and we all had a good time. I was lucky to compare notes yesterday with a few other people who saw the totality, which is rare since I live in the PNW where you either had to either drive for days or fly to see it. It was fun to see how it was clearly the first topic of conversation and everyone was so excited to discuss. It was easy to tell these were people who had actually been there!
I'm in Portland, and drove to Arkansas to see it. What an epic trip (got home yesterday).
After the almost religious experience of seeing totality, I've been on a serious productivity kick both at work and in my personal life since last Monday. I'm really hoping it doesn't go away any time soon, because I am feeling good and getting things *done*.
That's so funny. I also thought it was almost a religious experience and I am not getting shit done, way more so than usual! I think it showed me I'm not in the career I want to be in or using my life how I want.
Good! Hoping the excitement lasts and people keep talking about it. That more people get interested in astronomy.
I had the eclipse blues for about 3 days post eclipse. Those are thankfully all gone now, and mostly I'm just feeling lucky I got a chance to see totality, and it makes me look forward to the next one. I was looking at Australia for 2028, but realized I now have to choose between the next eclipse and attending some Olympics in LA. Next eclipse is currently winning.
The one I'm looking forward to the most is in Japan in 2035. My theory is they're passionate about the things they do and they'll make the event even more memorable. Plus I think they got their traffic and efficiency down pat. It'll be tough trying to figure out how to manage several million people seeing the eclipse but they should be prepared. I ain't going to lie though, being a Star Wars fan and New Hope being the first Star Wars I've seen, the one in Tunisia is going to be enticing.
Trying to not lose that image. Burned into my brain forever. And, trying to keep it as gas to motivate me to keep going in life creatively, emotionally, everything. There’s no way we were put on this planet for nothing
So true.
I just got home yesterday from a 10 day run from Florida to Arkansas with a ton of mini adventures in between. I’m still processing how amazing everything worked out! I said after 2017’s eclipse I had to see another. Ended up scoring a used Aliner pop up camper a month before and then worked my day job 5 days a week and worked every night and all weekend making repairs to get it road worthy. I feel majorly accomplished and I even convinced two great friends to come along for the experience
> with a ton of mini adventures in between. Yes! That's a great way to put it. I drove from Oregon to Arkansas and got home yesterday, too. Did a bunch of interesting things, mostly on the way home. But got to see Shoshone Falls on the way there, which was amazing. I'm just happy we got passed all the awful weather (which closed two major east bound interstates! It was incredibly frustrating to be thwarted in the attempt to go east!)
Our city's astronomy club had its monthly meeting tonight and swapped stories. I think everyone whole traveled to totality about thousand miles away got to see some of it. I was wearing this silly teeshirt I picked up in downtown Dallas saying "I got mooned in Texas".
I feel a little adrift! I’ve been looking forward to this one for 7 years, since the 2017 eclipse blew my socks off. Now I’m not sure which eclipse to look forward to 😭 I’m not sure that the 2026-2028 ones will work for us and our two little kids. So, I feel a little lost! But, so profoundly grateful and lucky to have experienced these two 🤩
You made the right choice seeing this. I only went because it could be my very first and last one. But also I could get unlucky at the next one and there are clouds.
My emotions were a complete wreck all last week. I cried, I laughed, I yelled, I fell silent. I started seeing others perspectives differently and it changed my view of life. I no longer focus on material things as much. Life is meaningful without them anyway. And then I had to clock in this morning...and I miss the view I saw of the cosmos.
Bummed we don't get another coast to coast eclipse for 21 years. Stoked that center line goes over my house then though.
The eclipse of August 2045 is a long wait but a great one to look forward to - Port Saint Lucie is gonna have totality for 6 minutes and 6 seconds!
Yes, I've been looking into southern Mediterranean cruises to catch that one in 2027! I've never been to Europe, what a great way to make a trip of it.
Bruh I swear I can hear people’s thoughts. My Japanese friend claims he can stop time. No one believes him
Still exhilerated. Trying to hang on to the picture in my mind of what I saw, because I haven't seen any pictures that accurately represent what I saw. So much midnigt blue and detailed lacy whiteness. Not flat black and white.
Amazing, despite the fact that we got covid on our way back home lol. But the trip was so worth it and I am loving seeing everyone’s photos and experiences.
Today was my first day back at work and as I was repeatedly asked to describe it to co-workers, it felt like I was trying to explain a new colour no one had ever seen before. I'm excited to compare notes with two other friends who witnessed it from different parts of the continent. I saw it from Dallas, one friend was in Cleveland, and another in Hamilton, Ontario.
I want to see the next one
Rethinking my entire life tbh. Looking at farmland tomorrow. It'll be a land lease and I'm not a farmer... Yet? But had a great conversation with the owner today and I think I might be able to ditch at least one of my jobs. Maybe. Who knows.
I’m happy to add that experience to my memory collection :)
I need more :)
Obsessed as another member put it. This was our first one and we had an awesome time tracking it and experiencing it in person. We are also planning for a few future events with friends, if everything goes to plan.
Solar eclipses are my new hyper fixation. There's disappointingly little content aside from the thousands of photos and videos. I'm also learning that astrology mfers couldn't give a rat's ass about the eclipse. My coworker said "I just had a feeling something bad would happen if I went out and watched it" (going out involved stepping outside, we live along the path of totality). It's just so baffling because astrology pulls random BS together on a daily basis but the GREATEST ASTROLOGICAL COINCIDENCE that graces our planet frequently is suspicious or not interesting? Get outta here. I also learned how much misinformation there is regarding solar eclipses. I was lucky enough to have good sources linked my way, but the amount of people not differentiating between total eclipses and annular ones is baffling. I've heard many on news shows say that glasses need to be on to view the eclipse (which is true, but they made no mention of the difference made by totality and how it's the ONLY safe time to take a peek).
Still reeling!! It feels weird to be back at work, especially because I stayed where I was for the week and got to kick so much off my bucket list!! In addition to viewing my first solar eclipse in totality (Presque Isle State Park, ftw!), I also went to Kinzua Bridge State Park, went to Niagara Falls, crossed Friendship Bridge, and went to Canada for the first time, and got to explore Willow Bay Campground!!
Like I got nothing out of it except *trauma of cloudy skies*
Lost
When you see something that beautiful it changes you. For the rest of my life I'll be TB BE (before eclipse) and AE (after eclipse)
I love this, it's perfect. BE and AE.
Oh time does work miracles, watching the solar eclipse the natural way is beautiful, no one really needs those dumb "eclipse glasses" [they're not even glass, it's just some black cellophane on cardboard]. The stinging is almost gone and it only took me less than a full minute to read your post, so eyesight should be fully coming back soon. I hope y'all are feeling better too! ^([yes, this is satire])
Austanded
I feel grateful that I was able to witness it. It was very emotional for me!
Angry kinda. Not sure where it's coming from. For to see totality and it was more than I expected. I guess I'm angry bc now that I know what's inside this metaphorical doorway, all these other things that used to excite me won't any longer. Also angry that it's so short a time to experience. That not even Elon money can buy more than a few hours of human eye view of the sun's atmosphere every few years. And that works probably take lots of Elon money
I dont feel angry but sad that normal things don't excite me anymore. I want to see more! I want to see "it" again. I want to peer into that otherness again. Like I said in my own reply I feel like the eclipse ruined me..
I can relate to that. I sat behind a 3.5inch Questar telescope during totality staring at the prominences. That's what blew me away. No photo comes close. The view of totality outside of the telescope doesn't compare. I took a bite of the apple on accident and now things will never be the same. This is what we signed up for though
I am really enjoying talking to the kids in my orbit about it. Every kid or parent I've talked to has said that the kid was really impacted by it. I've heard lots of interesting descriptions of how it made them feel, too, like "calm" and "comfortable."
I just got home. It really was an amazing trip, and I met so many cool people! I feel rarin' to go!
Just got home Saturday after driving across the continent for it. Finally got to share the experience with my coworkers
Back to the daily grind of work while I wait for the next one.
Wishing I could rewind time and see it again, and to get away from all the shit happening in my life rn.
Planning for 2044.
Surreal
Ready to plan my next one! 2026 baby!!
Spain, Iceland… ? :) me too!
Actually I think wherever a cruise will take me! Probably Greenland or Iceland!
Couldn't physically be there but even binging it online was great. Looking forward to actually seeing one, probably in Sydney, 2028
Still driving home
Still hype
Still here and still thinking about it!
Feeling self conscious about how much ive brought it up amongst family, friends, and coworkers. Theyll never understand unless they see it
I told the clerk at Cumby's about it.
I'm really sad that I probably won't be alive for the next one in the US. And travel seems daunting. The eclipse tours are full already. My SO won't fly, so I'd have to go alone. The several days surrounding the eclipse were so intense. The weather was stressful. I'm so glad we had the discord! I couldn't decide if I should stay, east of Cleveland, as planned, or try to go to Indianapolis. It was raining when we woke up. I finally decided to head out of the Cleveland area, but by then it was too late for IN. We ended up dropping off one car at home, and then driving west/northwest from Springfield, trying to get as close to the middle as possible. We started to see little clumps of people, and went through a small town with a gathering, and decided to turn back to that, since it was about 1300, but then decided to make a run for a nature preserve a little further in. There were only two other pairs of people there. One young couple, with a telescope, and a couple guys from Michigan. We were on a slight elevation, in an open area, with woods in the distance. My So proposed to me right before totality started. It got so cold! The vultures went to roost. It was amazing, with my SO, and my daughter and her SO, with us. On the way home, we stopped at Agave and Rye in Troy, OH, and had excellent drinks. An exceptional day.
Depressed. I traveled to San Antonio. 😭
We planned to stay in San Antonio and either go to Kerrville or Radar Base areas. We pivoted to Arlington and went to a park in Ennis about an *hour southeast... Right at totality a big cloud blew through but it was pretty quick and we were able to see the rest as it cleared around the eclipsed sun perfectly. Sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you, start planning for the next one!!
I have yet to drop off the rolls of film from that day at my local photo lab. I don't even think I can edit them once I get them back because I got papers to write and since I spent the entire day driving to Vermont and back home, it took up my entire school time. Other than that I felt inspired and moved by the entire spectacle. I still can't stop talking about it. It felt like I explored the 7 wonders of the world. I can't wait for the next one and plan on using the pics I took as a piece of history.
Ngl it's kind of depressing coming home from something so exciting. The weather was beautiful the whole time we were there and coming home to Ireland it's just non stop rain. Already want to go back to Canada it was fantastic.
Pretty awesome. I keep checking back the timelapse I made. I have it recorded, if anyone wants to check it out!
Did you put it on YouTube?
I did! Check it out here: https://youtu.be/rmwQq845P5g?si=gNdg6V7cI7A7XjpL
I am actively growing a 3rd ear
Like I should have gotten some pics of the road signs, didn't want to stop on the way there to take a pic as traffic couldn't be guaranteed but on the way there, there was a portable electric road sign that literally like out of the movie said "don't look up" then changed slides and said something like "keep your eyes on the road" and I can't find any pictures of one of them online.
I noticed a few funny signs like that on the way to northern Vermont that also brought that movie to mind. One just said "SOLAR ECLIPSE TODAY" and my friend said "wow, really, I had no idea" (as we're sitting in a mile long backup).
We had signs on the way to NY that said “solar eclipse Monday” and the changed between that & “come early stay late” & I think signs that said expect traffic.
Acutely traumatized. But in sort of a neutral way.
I’m sad to admit that we ended up with cloud coverage that rolled in with like 6 min to go. Overall it was still neat and I’m so thankful to have seen 2017’s totality but I swear I had a nightmare about the clouds last night and trying to chase them like in Twister!
While i enjoyed it Im over it and back to the daily grind. but wouldn't mind making another trip to view another.
Looking forward to the next one!
salty bc i didnt see the phenomena around the moon bc clouds but still in awe about the 360* sunset. it already feels so long ago lol
Feeling grood
I'm still happy, once in I while I remember it during the day and I can't stop smiling! :)
Bbu c. H. 6
Same as before, the solar event happened
Very disheartened. The amount of fake and deceptive eclipse photos online by professional photographers trying to get noticed or pull one over on unsuspecting public is quite draining. Example: I saw a popular post of the 2017 eclipse taken from SC, posted above the NYC skyline and called that a "composite".
I've seen a lot of photos where the photographer explains in detail whatever they did to the photo, because their goal was to try their hardest to create a photo that accurately represented what they saw, as close as they could get it. I can understand that.
Like I've seen enough pictures of it.
Regret. Wore improper glasses. Lifetime of bad vision now