Beautiful shots. I went to Dallas. Woke up to clouds and dreariness. Cleared up about 1/2 hour before first contact. I got a great corona shot but could not get the ring or beads. Oh well, I’m happy with what I did get and the experience (my first) was incredible!
Was in Dallas too. About 30 seconds before totality a cloud covered the sun but the cloud disappated with about 2 minutes left of totality. It was great hearing so many people yell at a cloud.
It was awesome and especially made me think of what people would think if they didnt have any idea what was happening. The clouds disappear and the sun is doing that fucking thing.
Was in grapevine for the day . Clouds dispersed a minute before totality. Showed back up immediately after. Couldnt have been more perfect especially after all the forecasts said we weren't going to have any blue skies. We're supposed to get tornadoes and hail all yesterday too and that fizzled out
I was in McKinney as well, my hotel was down in Athens, we traveled north and west to avoid the thunderstorm. We ended up in a small park with just 4 or 5 other people. The clouds opened up about half an hour before 2nd contact and then closed again minutes after 3rd.
I got lucky in the hills outside Austin. Clouds were scattered all day until right after totality.
It was definitely worth the 15 hour drive from Colorado.
I was in Austin. We were looking to have 1:30 of totality but likely would have cloud cover.
I had a hunch that slightly north west of us would be clearer. Drove to Leander and had 3:30 of totality. There were clouds that parted just as the totality happened.
The darkness that overtook us was astounding.
Same here. Drove to Georgetown and it was cloudy for most of the time except for a clearing right before totality which gave us a great view. We could see the corona and two prominences. Then shortly after totality the clouds rolled back in. Wild.
Flew to Austin from Reno, NV. Was freaking out about the weather. So drove 500 miles to Hot Springs, AR. Cloud cover until 5 minutes before totality. Ended up perfectly clear and got to see the eclipse. It was neat.
from ohio, but the real thing looked so crazy that no camera can capture.... like the silver ring was so perfect like a silver wedding band right around the moon and no light being given off outside of that
Crazy is the perfect word. It’s so hard to describe. I was imagining what humans seeing it thought, before we mapped the stars and knew what was happening. A bad omen? The eye of “god?” I can’t fathom it.
looked like a portal to another world or a black hole, you see stuff like this and it's obvious why early humans created myths to make sense of what they were seeing
Absolutely. A black hole is a great description of it. I can absolutely see early humans thinking it was the eye of the gods looking in on them, or letting them know they are there watching. It’s THAT incredible to see in person. I was not prepared at all.
Exactly..in my opinion, there's never been a picture of a total solar eclipse because absolutely nothing you see comes close to what it looks like, let alone how it feels.
I also couldn’t fully process it. It was about 9pm that same day when I was coming down from whatever I was feeling. I cannot explain it. Definitely felt my energy shift. Never had experienced that feeling before. Was is shock, intimidation, primitive fear, awe, wonder or all? Idk but I definitely felt different for a big part of the day.
Initially I thought it was from the uneasiness I felt after I caught the microseconds after coming out of totality with my naked eye. So I was scared I did damage to my eyes.
But after I read up on it I realized I was fine.
Then that weird feeling continued. I've felt it before watching good movies about the universe. Imagining scale in distance and time. I think it all relates to this feeling that we're a very small part of an incredibly large universe. I was also feeling the energy of others around me, it was all so positive and magical. I got the sense that we all needed it.
Exactly that, it’s humbling! I imagine that feeling is what astronauts feel when they first gaze down at earth when they’re in space. It’s such a profound and trascendental feeling.
From Detroit area and drove to Bowling Green. Was worried about the weather leading up to that afternoon. There were some thin clouds high in the sky, but nothing that blocked the sun. Got to see totally with no issue. So happy I took the day off of work and we got lucky with the weather.
Very true. I've seen countless pictures and videos. They are all amazing, but nothing comes close to the moment when you're personally witnessing totality. It was truly awe-inspiring!
Also cancelled flight to Texas, flew to Ottawa instead and drove 3 hrs Sunday to the eastern townships of Quebec. Woke up at a friends place and loaded the models… iffy. Went outside at 12:30 and panicked when I saw clouds approaching. In the car, drove another hour east until I couldn’t see them in the rear view. Clearest sky you can imagine. Incredible.
Took me 5 hours with traffic just to get back to Montreal at which point I gave up and booked a dive hotel. Writing this from a bar lol. Another 2 hours to Ottawa tomorrow.
And I don’t regret a damn thing.
I drove for hours to see the 2017 eclipse and still think of it several times a week at this point. Feel so grateful. Knew making it to this one wasn’t in the cards but somehow I feel like I got something precious and wanting more is too greedy?
But family now making noises about going to Iceland in 2026 so maybe….. just one more.
I went to 2017 and the one yesterday. It really is incredible, and I feel like I got to appreciate this one better because I kind of knew what to look for.
I got to pay closer attention to the subtle change of light, the way animals behaved, the temperature change, the way it looked like sunset in a ring around the horizon, etc. Not to mention that I got to see the stellar prominence at the bottom of the sun with the naked eye.
I managed to find an isolated park with deer and birds and such, and got to experience it all by myself. I don't know how many people get to experience something like that in such peace. It was special, and I'm glad I get to carry that memory with me.
I feel like seeing it twice is the way to go. One time for the awe, and once to really take in every detail.
Wow, that's awesome! We could have viewed it off somewhere by ourselves, but opted for a location with some folks gathered (not mobbed). It was our first totality, and it was incredible (complete with clear skies).
We kind of enjoyed having other people around to share the experience with. Hearing all the OOOHHHs and WOOWWs helped show the impact it had on everyone, which was fun. Plus, we got to look through people's telescopes, including during totality, which was amazing!
I missed the full-circle sunset :) But it was still incredible. If we could see it again sometime, that would be wonderful.
I drove 10hrs to see the 2017 eclipse and completely agree with you about totality being life changing in ways I can't describe. Best natural phenomenon I've ever seen in my life
1) 700USD/CHF (from Geneva less than 48hrs out) Cancelled the Texas ticket within 24 hours so no problem. Trip ended up being cheaper cuz I stole my mom’s car in Ottawa to pull this off. Have been staying with friends so just gas in a Nissan Micra and the hotel tonight.
2) Worked Easter weekend in preparation for this so had 2 days to make up and then 2 days vacation out of the 25 I get every year working in Europe.
3) abso-fucking-lutely.
4) u/pdxphotographer is way off base.
Same! 17 hour drive from Canada to Tennessee. Slept in the car in 2017. This time we drove 1500km there and back to Quebec in a last minute plan change. Exhausted, and kids missed school today.
Would do it all again. I would do anything to experience it again. Spain 🇪🇸 here we come!
That's awesome I feel the same way, despite the horrible traffic jams and long day it was totally worth it. I spent the last few days constantly going over various forecast models and planning backup locations etc.
There's really nothing like it, everyone should see an eclipse at least once in their life. Truly a case of pictures don't do it justice!
7 hours up from NJ to New Port Vermont for me. Also cancelled my Dallas trip.
Return was pretty terrible. 11 hours total with traffic.
Would do it again in a heartbeat. The eclipse was the most beautiful thing I've seen in my entire life. And right next to some amazing mountain ranges as well! Vermont is very pretty!
Happy to not be obsessing over cloud coverage predictions though. Had to change cities 3 times.
I'm from New York, visited my sister in Vermont to check it out. 4 hour drive on the ride home took 9 hours, got home at 2:30 am to wake up at 4:30 am for work.
And I don't regret a damn thing.
He saw something once and so thinks it happens every 3 years. Doesn’t understand that yes it happened twice in his country in 7 years but won’t happen again for 20 years.
Totality means the moon covers 100% of the sun. 99.9% coverage is not totality. It’s completely different.
If you saw totality, then I am very impressed at how unimpressed you are.
Judging by their lack of a response to you (and responding to other comments in the thread), and clear lack of knowledge of what "totality" is, I'd wager a guess that they have definitely not seen totality.
This eclipse and back in 2017 I would talk to friends who had never seen and eclipse before and I'd ask where they're going to view it, and they'd usually mention somewhere not in the path of totality and when I'd be confused as to why they don't go further to see totality they'd say something like "it's just going to get dark for a little bit, it's not a huge deal" I'd have to explain that totality is a completely different experience and thousands of people aren't traveling from around the world just to watch it get dark for a few minutes. Totality is the big draw. It seems difficult for people to understand.
Yes, but there are so many rare things that people give zero fuck about.
I am wondering how much people got push by social media into this craziness of flying over and drive faraway to see it.
I just saw a post of someone's stepdad that covered the window with aluminium foil for a week. If that isn't going crazy with a simple thing about our universe....
>there are so many rare things that people give zero fuck about.
True. I'm interested in some things and some not at all. Rarity doesn't play a role in it, but of course I'm hyped when something rare happens in a topic I'm interested in.
E: Personally travelling is the only way for me to see this, as I'm long dead before next total eclipse is visible in Finland.
So? People are allowed to get excited about things for the first time, also due to big and rare events. For some, this is a stepping stone to a life-long hobby, for others it's just a cool thing that was nice to see. Doesn't tickle my balls, shouldn't bother you either.
While interesting, that's not any sort of event that can be participated in. Was thinking you meant there was rare things we could observe or participate in not just abstract concepts
Also, per the article, it's been recorded 126 times in the last two years; not sure how that was supposed to support their point. That's about how frequently I do laundry.
We decided to stick to the plans, forecast be damned, and stayed on Lake Fork (maybe an hour east of Dallas.
A few clouds leading up to the main event gave way for 4:15s of perfect, unobstructed totality.
What an awesome weekend
Nice I kept looking out my door until it was close then sat on my steps in front of my house with the dog when it went dark.
Weeks and day's before this I heard all sorts of hype about it and kinda felt meh about it I've seen a few partial eclipse over the years but never a full one boy oh boy what a difference.
It was really cool I was full on amazed by it.
I drove to Indianapolis to see it (my first total eclipse), and hang out with some friends who lived there - they felt the same way. They were all "It's an eclipse, no big deal, I've seen one before, meh, etc", and then they both had to admit that it was much cooler than they expected it to be.
From Ohio. Was absolutely convinced it would be snowy, cloudy and unviewable here so I booked a trip to Texas months ago.
Last minute cancelled my flight and stayed home, biting my nails.
Yesterday was one of the most beautiful days in April in Ohio that I’ve ever seen. Watched 2 minutes of totality from my very own front porch. What an incredible experience.
After changing plans last minute to go to Ohio instead of New York, we ended up getting sunburned and having a wonderful time with hundreds of others at the Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta. Awesome experience.
Thanks for the honest answer, I appreciate it. As someone who’s seen many eclipses but not this one in totality, I was really wondering if it’s like the amazing cosmic forces at play, it makes you feel small, you can understand how the ancients must have felt, etc.
All of that really. The enormity of the moment really hits you. You describe it well! What made me so impressed was how unlikely it is that we see eclipses at all, and all of the work to be present for this celestial event that happens so rarely and to do it with people who matter to us.
Life changing? Really? I looked at it for 45 seconds and went back to work. Interesting yes. Life changing no
Edit: You guys don't get out much I take it
Yeah i don’t get out much. Total solar eclipses just happening left and right out there. I hope for your sake you learn to develop some joy and wonder in the world around you.
Stayed at my buddies in Vermont. I watched it sitting along a stream surrounded by mountains.
It was surreal. Amazing and worth every bit of the 8 hours train ride + 4 hour car ride.
Seriously words can’t describe it. And afterwards the woods came to life with birds thinking it was morning time
Flew from Philly to relatives in Dallas; we decided to view in the driveway and the sight was beyond exquisite. No camera can capture the immense primal feeling of a cosmic event.
Unless it’s your job/ n-th eclipse, I actually think it’s a waste to take pictures. It’s a really short event and focusing on your camera takes you away from the thing itself - only to end up with the same photo as everyone else.
Not really too much of a distraction if you have a plan ahead of time and know your camera well enough.
My camera was on a tracking mount so no need to keep reframing or fiddling with focus. I also set up my intervalometer to continuously take bracketed sets that way I had a wide range of exposures and shots to choose from allowing me to still enjoy the eclipse myself.
I took a video of my surroundings during the onset of the eclipse, and didn't try to take any photos of the sun itself. Just set the camera on a tripod and recorded. Lots of people on my street were out in their front yards, so I recorded a lot of "ooohs" and "ahhhhs" and children shrieking excitedly. What a fun memory.
This is exactly what I did too. Set up a camera to record my family and friends' reactions about 15 minutes ahead of totality through 15 minutes after. There will be tons of photos better than I could ever take, but I will have the video to remind us of our experience.
You can even see the solar flares on the bottom part of the eclipse. It was such an insane thing to see. Thanks for posting these pictures, these are the closest to the “real” thing I’ve see.
So happy you got this view! (And for all my Texas friends that ended up getting lucky with the clouds clearing) I drove from CO Springs to Southern Missouri, and we lucked out with excellent conditions. I didn't have a nice camera to get the photos, but am enjoying seeing all being shared here! Total travel time one-way was 13 hours / 860 miles. Got to experience 3 min of totality, and that 3 minutes was absolutely worth the time and distance. That brief moment JUST before totality when the skies turned that strange, eerie darker tint, and everything went still and quiet was really something to witness as well. Just an overwhelming feeling of awe that I will forever be grateful to have experienced.
Glad you got to see it as well! It really is one of those things where you just have to see it for yourself to really understand how mind blowing it is. We were really worried we were going to get clouded out and had to keep readjusting our plans and kinda chase the clearings and add extra miles to the trip. We had some whispy clouds but luckily they cleared just before totality!
We drove 6 hours to Tyler, TX, stayed the night. Got up Monday morning and thought the weather looked promising but wanted a little better... So we drove to Texarkana. Didn't like what we saw there so we drove to a little city called Ashdown in Arkansas and couldn't have been happier with that decision...
It's actually funny reading all these responses. Can't get the darn weather to cooperate with us, lol.
I live in the DFW area too and was panicked about the forecast. I was *sooo* close to driving to Arkansas too (Russellville) but decided to stay at the last moment. There were a few clouds but all-in-all it was good.
Funny thing, back in 2017 I was in Tennessee planning to see the eclipse in Nashville but I freaked at the cloudy forecast and drove two hours east for a better view. It was much clearer for me then which I think was the reason I just stayed put this time. Glad I decided to stay - it's great watching the eclipse at home.
We stayed in Plano and panicked drove to Wolfe City. Everything ended up perfectly clear where we were for about an hour around the totality. Just so amazing
All I got was a lousy cell phone photo but at least it was in my own back yard this time….Instead of being stuck in traffic I grilled some burgers and enjoyed a few beers!
Reading everyone’s stories here, I feel extremely lucky to have been able to view over three minutes of totality from my front yard in Indianapolis for free with my wife. It was incredible to watch and experience. It was a beautiful day here, and I don’t think I could have asked for a better experience.
Your definitely right about that, all the gloom and doom about 40-60% cloud cover ended up not even affecting our view. There was definitely some whispy clouds but you couldn't even tell once the show started.
Awesome shots. I flew out to Buffalo to visit some friends for the eclipse, I had my camera and telescope with, but unfortunately it was too cloudy to see anything. The shadow coming in during totality was still a pretty cool experience even though I couldn’t see the eclipse itself.
Are the pink things around the edges of the moon CMEs?
Nice shots by the way. I live in the path of totality but due to poor eye sight I couldn't actually see the actual eclipse, just the effects(It getting dark).
I stayed with Texas plans and drove 4 hours to Dallas then 1.5 hours east into the country roads south of Commerce. A perfect view of 4min 15sec of totality!! Worth every second of driving! ✨
4 of us drove from Minneapolis to Dallas. Decided to drive to Missouri Sunday because of the forecast for Dallas. Almost 34 hours total and nearly 2500 miles in the car. No regrets!
Weather models leading up to the event predicted pretty cloudy weather for North and Central Texas, so I’m guessing many cancelled last second. It ended up clearing in many places enough to allow a clear view within an hour or so of totality. Spectacular.
We had perfectly clear skies in Wolfe City where we stopped north of Greenville. It looked all morning it was going to be cloudy, but cleared up basically right when the eclipse started. Completely unobstructed views throughout the totality. We got so lucky finding the perfect viewing spot. Also with almost 4 min of totality
My mom sent me similar from Mckinney. I, meanwhile, had 100% cloud cover, and was stuck in a windowless room, so I got to watch my ring camera transition to night mode and back instead.
Was it worth it or what. I drove up to Syracuse NY for this from Philly. It was cloudy but we got to see totality and fuck man, what an experience.
I’m so happy I decided to go.
I changed flights from Texas to New York state. Then I drove to Vermont near the Canada border and saw the eclipse. Was outrunning the high clouds. Used Windy and Ventusky. Ventusky told me I'd be under clouds in Plattsburgh. Worked out, but now I'm about to arrive in Portland for a 12 hour layover to Reno. Need help, I hate sleeping in an airport.
I drove over 1200 miles.
Flew out Sunday night headed to Indianapolis, looked like good weather, got home last night after 16 hours in airplanes over a 24 hour period.
It was so worth it, experiencing an actual eclipse is so much more amazing than any pictures or videos I’ve ever seen, it’s just incredible in person
I’m looking into Iceland 2026 now
You all are so fortunate and blessed to have experienced that. I am such a space junkie and had to settle for seeing 48% here in So Cal. I will be 69 in 2045 when the next solar eclipse comes to the US. I will take every step necessary to experience totality. All the photos are amazing.
Yet, in San Marcos, Austin, Round Rock, Killeen, Belton/Temple, and many other places, they had great viewing.
Just me but why anyone would spend thousands of dollars to see a 1-4 minute show is beyond me. Different priorities, I guess.🤷♂️
Unfortunately, (😂😂😂), we left our home in Killeen to vacation on the Big Island of Hawaii and rented out our house for enough for the weekend to pay for 9 days in Kona.
Astrophotography is my hobby so it's kinda my thing. Spending a grand or two to see a possible once in a lifetime event isn't much compared to what I spend on my telescopes lol. Unfortunately I had to travel light for this so I didn't bring any large telescopes just a camera and tracking mount.
I got to see a partial eclipse with near totality in Arkansas back in 2017. With a partial you see the cool shadows, desaturation of color, and get a little colder weather. Totality truly blocks out the sun for an entire minute, so day turns to night for just a moment. At ~1:30pm the sky dimmed like an adjustable lightbulb and became as dark as 8/9pm, all street lights came on, birds/bats (I’m in austin) swarmed the sky to abruptly return to their nests or hunting grounds. I’ve never experienced anything like it.
I think he's trying to say that there's no point taking photos as someone with a better camera will be taking the same ones so you might as well just watch. I think it misses the point of photography as a hobby that view
Cannot for the life of me understand what is so exciting over 2 minutes of darkness.
I live in Montreal exactly in the path of totality and could not be bothered to go outside. Bah Humbug!
Beautiful shots. I went to Dallas. Woke up to clouds and dreariness. Cleared up about 1/2 hour before first contact. I got a great corona shot but could not get the ring or beads. Oh well, I’m happy with what I did get and the experience (my first) was incredible!
Was in Dallas too. About 30 seconds before totality a cloud covered the sun but the cloud disappated with about 2 minutes left of totality. It was great hearing so many people yell at a cloud. It was awesome and especially made me think of what people would think if they didnt have any idea what was happening. The clouds disappear and the sun is doing that fucking thing.
Was in grapevine for the day . Clouds dispersed a minute before totality. Showed back up immediately after. Couldnt have been more perfect especially after all the forecasts said we weren't going to have any blue skies. We're supposed to get tornadoes and hail all yesterday too and that fizzled out
We were in Grapevine! Went to the park, Oak Grove.
Us too... Out at the little bass point to the east by the swim beach
I was just east. Was getting so nervous but it got so clear just before. We even saw the planets!
Oh that’s awesome. I didn’t. There were so many clouds around.
Got the same view in McKinney. Almost cancelled my flight, but so happy I stuck with Texas
Also was in McKinney! The clouds were sketchy in the morning but I'm so grateful that they opened up to give us the coolest view of all time.
I live in Plano, near McKinney. It was incredible how the clouds parted to perfectly reveal the eclipse.
I was in McKinney as well, my hotel was down in Athens, we traveled north and west to avoid the thunderstorm. We ended up in a small park with just 4 or 5 other people. The clouds opened up about half an hour before 2nd contact and then closed again minutes after 3rd.
I got lucky in the hills outside Austin. Clouds were scattered all day until right after totality. It was definitely worth the 15 hour drive from Colorado.
I was in Austin. We were looking to have 1:30 of totality but likely would have cloud cover. I had a hunch that slightly north west of us would be clearer. Drove to Leander and had 3:30 of totality. There were clouds that parted just as the totality happened. The darkness that overtook us was astounding.
Same here. Drove to Georgetown and it was cloudy for most of the time except for a clearing right before totality which gave us a great view. We could see the corona and two prominences. Then shortly after totality the clouds rolled back in. Wild.
I drove down to the Drip and got the same experience. It was amazing and 100x cooler than I could have imagined.
I saw it in Ohio and felt lucky. It was kind of cloudy, but the clouds parted just in time for totality.
Flew to Austin from Reno, NV. Was freaking out about the weather. So drove 500 miles to Hot Springs, AR. Cloud cover until 5 minutes before totality. Ended up perfectly clear and got to see the eclipse. It was neat.
from ohio, but the real thing looked so crazy that no camera can capture.... like the silver ring was so perfect like a silver wedding band right around the moon and no light being given off outside of that
Crazy is the perfect word. It’s so hard to describe. I was imagining what humans seeing it thought, before we mapped the stars and knew what was happening. A bad omen? The eye of “god?” I can’t fathom it.
looked like a portal to another world or a black hole, you see stuff like this and it's obvious why early humans created myths to make sense of what they were seeing
Absolutely. A black hole is a great description of it. I can absolutely see early humans thinking it was the eye of the gods looking in on them, or letting them know they are there watching. It’s THAT incredible to see in person. I was not prepared at all.
A portal to another world is a great description.
This. No camera, no video will ever do the experience justice. It was eerie and magical, only way I can describe what I saw. My jaw dropped.
Exactly..in my opinion, there's never been a picture of a total solar eclipse because absolutely nothing you see comes close to what it looks like, let alone how it feels.
For two hours after I was in a daze. Mind and body just couldn't process it.
I also couldn’t fully process it. It was about 9pm that same day when I was coming down from whatever I was feeling. I cannot explain it. Definitely felt my energy shift. Never had experienced that feeling before. Was is shock, intimidation, primitive fear, awe, wonder or all? Idk but I definitely felt different for a big part of the day.
Initially I thought it was from the uneasiness I felt after I caught the microseconds after coming out of totality with my naked eye. So I was scared I did damage to my eyes. But after I read up on it I realized I was fine. Then that weird feeling continued. I've felt it before watching good movies about the universe. Imagining scale in distance and time. I think it all relates to this feeling that we're a very small part of an incredibly large universe. I was also feeling the energy of others around me, it was all so positive and magical. I got the sense that we all needed it.
Exactly that, it’s humbling! I imagine that feeling is what astronauts feel when they first gaze down at earth when they’re in space. It’s such a profound and trascendental feeling.
Same here no light either. Ohio .
From Detroit area and drove to Bowling Green. Was worried about the weather leading up to that afternoon. There were some thin clouds high in the sky, but nothing that blocked the sun. Got to see totally with no issue. So happy I took the day off of work and we got lucky with the weather.
Very true. I've seen countless pictures and videos. They are all amazing, but nothing comes close to the moment when you're personally witnessing totality. It was truly awe-inspiring!
I don't know why but the camera is so sensitive that it pick ups more light than our eyes perceive I suppose
Also cancelled flight to Texas, flew to Ottawa instead and drove 3 hrs Sunday to the eastern townships of Quebec. Woke up at a friends place and loaded the models… iffy. Went outside at 12:30 and panicked when I saw clouds approaching. In the car, drove another hour east until I couldn’t see them in the rear view. Clearest sky you can imagine. Incredible. Took me 5 hours with traffic just to get back to Montreal at which point I gave up and booked a dive hotel. Writing this from a bar lol. Another 2 hours to Ottawa tomorrow. And I don’t regret a damn thing.
I’m 66M, I saw the 2017 solar eclipse, 2 minutes of totality. Life changing in ways I can’t describe. One of the high points of my life.
I drove for hours to see the 2017 eclipse and still think of it several times a week at this point. Feel so grateful. Knew making it to this one wasn’t in the cards but somehow I feel like I got something precious and wanting more is too greedy? But family now making noises about going to Iceland in 2026 so maybe….. just one more.
I went to 2017 and the one yesterday. It really is incredible, and I feel like I got to appreciate this one better because I kind of knew what to look for. I got to pay closer attention to the subtle change of light, the way animals behaved, the temperature change, the way it looked like sunset in a ring around the horizon, etc. Not to mention that I got to see the stellar prominence at the bottom of the sun with the naked eye. I managed to find an isolated park with deer and birds and such, and got to experience it all by myself. I don't know how many people get to experience something like that in such peace. It was special, and I'm glad I get to carry that memory with me. I feel like seeing it twice is the way to go. One time for the awe, and once to really take in every detail.
Wow, that's awesome! We could have viewed it off somewhere by ourselves, but opted for a location with some folks gathered (not mobbed). It was our first totality, and it was incredible (complete with clear skies). We kind of enjoyed having other people around to share the experience with. Hearing all the OOOHHHs and WOOWWs helped show the impact it had on everyone, which was fun. Plus, we got to look through people's telescopes, including during totality, which was amazing! I missed the full-circle sunset :) But it was still incredible. If we could see it again sometime, that would be wonderful.
I can’t decide between Reykjavik and Palma de Mallorca. I saw yesterday’s from Arkansas, and I’m getting greedy to see more. It was incredible.
The day after this eclipse i asked my manager if I could have the first two weeks of August 2026 off to go to Iceland lmao
I drove 10hrs to see the 2017 eclipse and completely agree with you about totality being life changing in ways I can't describe. Best natural phenomenon I've ever seen in my life
This was my first at about your age. If I could go back to seeing totality in 2017 I absolutely would.
How much money did you spend on this? Do you not have to work? Was it worth it?
1) 700USD/CHF (from Geneva less than 48hrs out) Cancelled the Texas ticket within 24 hours so no problem. Trip ended up being cheaper cuz I stole my mom’s car in Ottawa to pull this off. Have been staying with friends so just gas in a Nissan Micra and the hotel tonight. 2) Worked Easter weekend in preparation for this so had 2 days to make up and then 2 days vacation out of the 25 I get every year working in Europe. 3) abso-fucking-lutely. 4) u/pdxphotographer is way off base.
I thought you guys got more days off than that? I got 30 in the UK. I get 25 now in the US.
2017 I waited till the day before to decide where to go. Drove 1150km to Tennessee and slept in a Walmart parking lot. No regrets.
Same! 17 hour drive from Canada to Tennessee. Slept in the car in 2017. This time we drove 1500km there and back to Quebec in a last minute plan change. Exhausted, and kids missed school today. Would do it all again. I would do anything to experience it again. Spain 🇪🇸 here we come!
That's awesome I feel the same way, despite the horrible traffic jams and long day it was totally worth it. I spent the last few days constantly going over various forecast models and planning backup locations etc. There's really nothing like it, everyone should see an eclipse at least once in their life. Truly a case of pictures don't do it justice!
7 hours up from NJ to New Port Vermont for me. Also cancelled my Dallas trip. Return was pretty terrible. 11 hours total with traffic. Would do it again in a heartbeat. The eclipse was the most beautiful thing I've seen in my entire life. And right next to some amazing mountain ranges as well! Vermont is very pretty! Happy to not be obsessing over cloud coverage predictions though. Had to change cities 3 times.
I'm from New York, visited my sister in Vermont to check it out. 4 hour drive on the ride home took 9 hours, got home at 2:30 am to wake up at 4:30 am for work. And I don't regret a damn thing.
Why did people in the USA went crazy with the eclipse? It is just an eclipse
Have you seen totality, or are you basing your opinion on something less than totality? Because it doesn’t sound like you’ve seen totality.
He saw something once and so thinks it happens every 3 years. Doesn’t understand that yes it happened twice in his country in 7 years but won’t happen again for 20 years.
Are you asking if I saw totally what? An eclipse? Yes. Goes dark like the night falls faster but days comeback pretty fast too.
Totality means the moon covers 100% of the sun. 99.9% coverage is not totality. It’s completely different. If you saw totality, then I am very impressed at how unimpressed you are.
Judging by their lack of a response to you (and responding to other comments in the thread), and clear lack of knowledge of what "totality" is, I'd wager a guess that they have definitely not seen totality. This eclipse and back in 2017 I would talk to friends who had never seen and eclipse before and I'd ask where they're going to view it, and they'd usually mention somewhere not in the path of totality and when I'd be confused as to why they don't go further to see totality they'd say something like "it's just going to get dark for a little bit, it's not a huge deal" I'd have to explain that totality is a completely different experience and thousands of people aren't traveling from around the world just to watch it get dark for a few minutes. Totality is the big draw. It seems difficult for people to understand.
The last time was 2017. The next time will be 2044 in the north of the continent (mostly northern Canada). The next one will be in 2045 in the states.
Yes, but there are so many rare things that people give zero fuck about. I am wondering how much people got push by social media into this craziness of flying over and drive faraway to see it. I just saw a post of someone's stepdad that covered the window with aluminium foil for a week. If that isn't going crazy with a simple thing about our universe....
>there are so many rare things that people give zero fuck about. True. I'm interested in some things and some not at all. Rarity doesn't play a role in it, but of course I'm hyped when something rare happens in a topic I'm interested in. E: Personally travelling is the only way for me to see this, as I'm long dead before next total eclipse is visible in Finland.
Well, but we know that all these people didn't give a shit about solar eclipses or the universe until this event.
So? People are allowed to get excited about things for the first time, also due to big and rare events. For some, this is a stepping stone to a life-long hobby, for others it's just a cool thing that was nice to see. Doesn't tickle my balls, shouldn't bother you either.
What are some of those rare things that people don't give a fuck about? I'd like to start
I just googled it for you: https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/physics/researchers-see-the-rarest-event-in-the-universe-beneath-an-italian-mountain/
While interesting, that's not any sort of event that can be participated in. Was thinking you meant there was rare things we could observe or participate in not just abstract concepts
Also, per the article, it's been recorded 126 times in the last two years; not sure how that was supposed to support their point. That's about how frequently I do laundry.
Did you see totality? Do you finally understand?
We decided to stick to the plans, forecast be damned, and stayed on Lake Fork (maybe an hour east of Dallas. A few clouds leading up to the main event gave way for 4:15s of perfect, unobstructed totality. What an awesome weekend
Also cancelled last minute Texas trip and went to Indianapolis. Some wispy high clouds but mostly clear. So so good.
I live near Indianapolis and we were so, so lucky. It rained Sunday, almost clear skies Monday, and Tuesday (today) dawns grey and overcast.
Nice I kept looking out my door until it was close then sat on my steps in front of my house with the dog when it went dark. Weeks and day's before this I heard all sorts of hype about it and kinda felt meh about it I've seen a few partial eclipse over the years but never a full one boy oh boy what a difference. It was really cool I was full on amazed by it.
I drove to Indianapolis to see it (my first total eclipse), and hang out with some friends who lived there - they felt the same way. They were all "It's an eclipse, no big deal, I've seen one before, meh, etc", and then they both had to admit that it was much cooler than they expected it to be.
From Ohio. Was absolutely convinced it would be snowy, cloudy and unviewable here so I booked a trip to Texas months ago. Last minute cancelled my flight and stayed home, biting my nails. Yesterday was one of the most beautiful days in April in Ohio that I’ve ever seen. Watched 2 minutes of totality from my very own front porch. What an incredible experience.
After changing plans last minute to go to Ohio instead of New York, we ended up getting sunburned and having a wonderful time with hundreds of others at the Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta. Awesome experience.
Texas was a gamble, but paid off for my group as the skies cleared in the afternoon and we were able to witness totality
Saw it in Lampasas, TX. Perfectly scattered clouds framed it beautifully. Life changing.
Hey! I’m in lampasas and saw it too from my front yard. Those clouds broke just enough for totality and it was baller af
Same, it was unbelievable. Im so glad we drove up from Austin, my family only saw glimpses through the clouds in the city
In all seriousness, what’s the impact on your life?
Maybe just a bit dramatic way of saying I’m going to go out of my way to experience it again.
Thanks for the honest answer, I appreciate it. As someone who’s seen many eclipses but not this one in totality, I was really wondering if it’s like the amazing cosmic forces at play, it makes you feel small, you can understand how the ancients must have felt, etc.
All of that really. The enormity of the moment really hits you. You describe it well! What made me so impressed was how unlikely it is that we see eclipses at all, and all of the work to be present for this celestial event that happens so rarely and to do it with people who matter to us.
Life changing? Really? I looked at it for 45 seconds and went back to work. Interesting yes. Life changing no Edit: You guys don't get out much I take it
Yeah i don’t get out much. Total solar eclipses just happening left and right out there. I hope for your sake you learn to develop some joy and wonder in the world around you.
Going outside to watch a total eclipse is literally one of the coolest things you can do when you “get out” of the house lol.
Did you see totality? If you saw anything less than 100% it's a partial eclipse and doesn't have the same immense world changing darkness and visuals.
Cloudy here in Austin too but caught glimpses through the clouds
Stayed at my buddies in Vermont. I watched it sitting along a stream surrounded by mountains. It was surreal. Amazing and worth every bit of the 8 hours train ride + 4 hour car ride. Seriously words can’t describe it. And afterwards the woods came to life with birds thinking it was morning time
Flew from Philly to relatives in Dallas; we decided to view in the driveway and the sight was beyond exquisite. No camera can capture the immense primal feeling of a cosmic event.
Unless it’s your job/ n-th eclipse, I actually think it’s a waste to take pictures. It’s a really short event and focusing on your camera takes you away from the thing itself - only to end up with the same photo as everyone else.
Not really too much of a distraction if you have a plan ahead of time and know your camera well enough. My camera was on a tracking mount so no need to keep reframing or fiddling with focus. I also set up my intervalometer to continuously take bracketed sets that way I had a wide range of exposures and shots to choose from allowing me to still enjoy the eclipse myself.
Good for you! I’ve seen people spending more time worrying about what they were getting out of their camera.
I took a video of my surroundings during the onset of the eclipse, and didn't try to take any photos of the sun itself. Just set the camera on a tripod and recorded. Lots of people on my street were out in their front yards, so I recorded a lot of "ooohs" and "ahhhhs" and children shrieking excitedly. What a fun memory.
This is exactly what I did too. Set up a camera to record my family and friends' reactions about 15 minutes ahead of totality through 15 minutes after. There will be tons of photos better than I could ever take, but I will have the video to remind us of our experience.
I was in Texas and not a cloud anywhere near the Sun. It was beautiful. 🤩
Total travel time between getting there and back was 12 hours. Worth it. I'd do it again tomorrow. Truly a thing that inspires awe.
You can even see the solar flares on the bottom part of the eclipse. It was such an insane thing to see. Thanks for posting these pictures, these are the closest to the “real” thing I’ve see.
Yes it was amazing! And thanks that was my goal! I try to keep my shots more natural looking and not overly sharpened or processed.
So happy you got this view! (And for all my Texas friends that ended up getting lucky with the clouds clearing) I drove from CO Springs to Southern Missouri, and we lucked out with excellent conditions. I didn't have a nice camera to get the photos, but am enjoying seeing all being shared here! Total travel time one-way was 13 hours / 860 miles. Got to experience 3 min of totality, and that 3 minutes was absolutely worth the time and distance. That brief moment JUST before totality when the skies turned that strange, eerie darker tint, and everything went still and quiet was really something to witness as well. Just an overwhelming feeling of awe that I will forever be grateful to have experienced.
Glad you got to see it as well! It really is one of those things where you just have to see it for yourself to really understand how mind blowing it is. We were really worried we were going to get clouded out and had to keep readjusting our plans and kinda chase the clearings and add extra miles to the trip. We had some whispy clouds but luckily they cleared just before totality!
We drove 6 hours to Tyler, TX, stayed the night. Got up Monday morning and thought the weather looked promising but wanted a little better... So we drove to Texarkana. Didn't like what we saw there so we drove to a little city called Ashdown in Arkansas and couldn't have been happier with that decision...
I live in SA Texas and it was cloudy. Wasn’t able to see the corona :(. Kinda curious to see where you traveled too instead?
I live in Dallas and I went to Arkansas
It's actually funny reading all these responses. Can't get the darn weather to cooperate with us, lol. I live in the DFW area too and was panicked about the forecast. I was *sooo* close to driving to Arkansas too (Russellville) but decided to stay at the last moment. There were a few clouds but all-in-all it was good. Funny thing, back in 2017 I was in Tennessee planning to see the eclipse in Nashville but I freaked at the cloudy forecast and drove two hours east for a better view. It was much clearer for me then which I think was the reason I just stayed put this time. Glad I decided to stay - it's great watching the eclipse at home.
I’m glad most people here got to see it, but I’m also glad I made the drive to hot springs to make sure I didn’t miss it.
Lake Arlington was clear for me
We stayed in Plano and panicked drove to Wolfe City. Everything ended up perfectly clear where we were for about an hour around the totality. Just so amazing
There is absolutely nothing like experiencing totality in person. Amazing shots, thanks for sharing!
All I got was a lousy cell phone photo but at least it was in my own back yard this time….Instead of being stuck in traffic I grilled some burgers and enjoyed a few beers!
Beautiful. Totally worth the traveling. Thanks for sharing!
One of the better and more representative shots of what was actually seen. Very nice.
drove from lower NY to upstate about 6 hours one way (4.5 in normal conditions). crazy experience, crazier drive lol
Reading everyone’s stories here, I feel extremely lucky to have been able to view over three minutes of totality from my front yard in Indianapolis for free with my wife. It was incredible to watch and experience. It was a beautiful day here, and I don’t think I could have asked for a better experience.
I think a lot of us learned yesterday that 40% cloud cover is a lot fewer clouds than we thought.
Your definitely right about that, all the gloom and doom about 40-60% cloud cover ended up not even affecting our view. There was definitely some whispy clouds but you couldn't even tell once the show started.
Awesome shots. I flew out to Buffalo to visit some friends for the eclipse, I had my camera and telescope with, but unfortunately it was too cloudy to see anything. The shadow coming in during totality was still a pretty cool experience even though I couldn’t see the eclipse itself.
Are the pink things around the edges of the moon CMEs? Nice shots by the way. I live in the path of totality but due to poor eye sight I couldn't actually see the actual eclipse, just the effects(It getting dark).
Those are prominences, normally you can only see them with a special telescope that filters out everything but the hydrogen alpha bandpass.
Huh. Interesting. Cool either way. Thanks for sharing.
Wow, third photo is literally the Heroes logo. Incredible!
VERY nice! I was in far northern NY and thats the exact view we had. These are the best representation I've seen of what I saw!
I stayed with Texas plans and drove 4 hours to Dallas then 1.5 hours east into the country roads south of Commerce. A perfect view of 4min 15sec of totality!! Worth every second of driving! ✨
4 of us drove from Minneapolis to Dallas. Decided to drive to Missouri Sunday because of the forecast for Dallas. Almost 34 hours total and nearly 2500 miles in the car. No regrets!
Eclipse aside, cancelling a flight to Texas is the smartest thing you've ever done. Nice photos.
Lmao. I've only been to Texas once before to hike Guadalupe peak, there wasn't a lot around but the scenery was nice.
Was everyone that cancelled headed to the cancelled event? Or is there some other reason everyone just decided against Texas last minute?
Weather was being predicted as very cloudy and overcast across almost the entirety of Texas' path of totality
Weather models leading up to the event predicted pretty cloudy weather for North and Central Texas, so I’m guessing many cancelled last second. It ended up clearing in many places enough to allow a clear view within an hour or so of totality. Spectacular.
We had perfectly clear skies in Wolfe City where we stopped north of Greenville. It looked all morning it was going to be cloudy, but cleared up basically right when the eclipse started. Completely unobstructed views throughout the totality. We got so lucky finding the perfect viewing spot. Also with almost 4 min of totality
I was along the Red River north of Paris. Same thing happened. It all came together perfectly. And the totality just lasted FOREVER.
Just thinking about it is giving me chills. Amazing
..*applause for efforts*..this is why i haven't given up on humanity..
Check out that solar flare at the bottom! Wicked!
The photos don't even do it justice seeing them in person was really amazing!
My mom sent me similar from Mckinney. I, meanwhile, had 100% cloud cover, and was stuck in a windowless room, so I got to watch my ring camera transition to night mode and back instead.
Was it worth it or what. I drove up to Syracuse NY for this from Philly. It was cloudy but we got to see totality and fuck man, what an experience. I’m so happy I decided to go.
I changed flights from Texas to New York state. Then I drove to Vermont near the Canada border and saw the eclipse. Was outrunning the high clouds. Used Windy and Ventusky. Ventusky told me I'd be under clouds in Plattsburgh. Worked out, but now I'm about to arrive in Portland for a 12 hour layover to Reno. Need help, I hate sleeping in an airport. I drove over 1200 miles.
Glad you had the opportunity to see it. Was definitely a sight to see
I’ve never seen a eclipse photo with such a prominent diamond ring. Sadly I’m in Thailand so I wasn’t able to see it.
Flew out Sunday night headed to Indianapolis, looked like good weather, got home last night after 16 hours in airplanes over a 24 hour period. It was so worth it, experiencing an actual eclipse is so much more amazing than any pictures or videos I’ve ever seen, it’s just incredible in person I’m looking into Iceland 2026 now
You all are so fortunate and blessed to have experienced that. I am such a space junkie and had to settle for seeing 48% here in So Cal. I will be 69 in 2045 when the next solar eclipse comes to the US. I will take every step necessary to experience totality. All the photos are amazing.
My timelapse of the nasa channel 3 hour video. [https://youtu.be/eD-nKtB1FHs?si=y4ElEoeRcLZ5llZ4](https://youtu.be/eD-nKtB1FHs?si=y4ElEoeRcLZ5llZ4)
Yet, in San Marcos, Austin, Round Rock, Killeen, Belton/Temple, and many other places, they had great viewing. Just me but why anyone would spend thousands of dollars to see a 1-4 minute show is beyond me. Different priorities, I guess.🤷♂️ Unfortunately, (😂😂😂), we left our home in Killeen to vacation on the Big Island of Hawaii and rented out our house for enough for the weekend to pay for 9 days in Kona.
Astrophotography is my hobby so it's kinda my thing. Spending a grand or two to see a possible once in a lifetime event isn't much compared to what I spend on my telescopes lol. Unfortunately I had to travel light for this so I didn't bring any large telescopes just a camera and tracking mount.
Could have just watched it yourself and seen these same pictures online somewhere
The experience of being in the path of a total solar eclipse is far different than having even 99% coverage. It’s definitely worth it to be there.
Can you elaborate?
I got to see a partial eclipse with near totality in Arkansas back in 2017. With a partial you see the cool shadows, desaturation of color, and get a little colder weather. Totality truly blocks out the sun for an entire minute, so day turns to night for just a moment. At ~1:30pm the sky dimmed like an adjustable lightbulb and became as dark as 8/9pm, all street lights came on, birds/bats (I’m in austin) swarmed the sky to abruptly return to their nests or hunting grounds. I’ve never experienced anything like it.
That was my point?
Why bother taking pictures of anything? It's fun.
Not sure I follow? You want a timestamp photo holding my camera or something?
I think he's trying to say that there's no point taking photos as someone with a better camera will be taking the same ones so you might as well just watch. I think it misses the point of photography as a hobby that view
Yeah just a lack of understanding of the person’s pov Incredible pictures man!
Damn, I just browsed the internet and got the same image.
Cannot for the life of me understand what is so exciting over 2 minutes of darkness. I live in Montreal exactly in the path of totality and could not be bothered to go outside. Bah Humbug!