Question Where are you viewing the 2023 & 2024 Solar Eclipses?

[UofMI_Divegeek]

Celestron has a variety of products for solar viewing:

Eclipse Watch | Celestron

www.celestron.com

I have used their solar smart telescope and 10 x 42 solar binoculars .... they safely filter light intensity so the solar disc is white as opposed to a solar telescope hydrogen alpha filter which renders an orange disc.

Here totality will only be 1-2 minutes, but the event is well worth experiencing.

 

[DandyDon]

Here totality will only be 1-2 minutes

Ann Arbor seems to be outside of totality with about 98% obscuration. Toledo will get almost 2 minutes, or Findlay over 3 minutes.

 

[UofMI_Divegeek]

Ann Arbor seems to be outside of totality with about 98% obscuration. Toledo will get almost 2 minutes, or Findlay over 3 minutes.

There is a Michigan tradition that all major astronomical events are sky covered by clouds, So , I will take my solar scope south into "Buckeye Land" 'cause totality is worth a bit of travel.

 

[ibj40]

I’ll be watching the 2024 one from my backyard. Welding helmets are great for eclipses, btw.

Our house is less than five miles from the centerline of totality as it passes through Central Texas.

Where we live, Hillsboro, Texas, has been declared the seventh best city for observing.

The City just announced a big plan to organize viewing venues and visitors.

Me, I’m just going to grab a beer a little earlier than I normally do and sit on the back porch.

We have some solar-powered lights in the backyard, going to be cool to see them light up in the middle of the day.

 

[DandyDon]

'cause totality is worth a bit of travel.

Yep, indeed. I know that many won't, and many won't order viewers, but I encourage all to at least order the glasses even if they'll only get to see a partial eclipse.

Where we live, Hillsboro, Texas, has been declared the seventh best city for observing.

I've been there a few times just to admire and photograph your gorgeous 1890 W. C. Dodson courthouse. I have to commend the county for completely rebuilding and restoring it after the 1993 fire that all but destroyed it.

The City just announced a big plan to organize viewing venues and visitors.

Super. I see that all of the hotels in town are sold out except for the Super 8 which is offering some that usually go for $58 but are $385 & up the weekend of the April 8 eclipse. You don't want to drive to Junction for the October 14 eclipse? Get your viewers early anyway as you'll still have 83% coverage and want to see it.

We have some solar-powered lights in the backyard, going to be cool to see them light up in the middle of the day.

I guess that your trees will have leaves in October and April. Look at their shadow during the maximum coverage and see the obscured sun pictured dozens of times on the ground.

 

[ibj40]

Don - Do you have a recommended brand of eclipse glasses?

Amazon has a ton of them, but not sure I trust their marketing.

We have two Live Oaks in our backyard, which faces North, so eclipse will be from our back, over the house.

Hoping our views will be very safe.

We didn’t move here until 2005, so courthouse was already rehabilitated prior to our arrival, but a spectacular example of classic Texas courthouses nonetheless.

Thanks!

 

[DandyDon]

Do you have a recommended brand of eclipse glasses?

Amazon has a ton of them, but not sure I trust their marketing.

Amazon is probably the most expensive place to order them. Well, I see that they carry Rainbow Symphony glasses at the same prices as ordering them direct. You want glasses that are both ISO and CE-certified safe for direct solar viewing anytime. Then ensure that they're not counterfeit by briefly looking at the sun which should look like a full moon. I ordered new, old stock glasses marked for the 2017 eclipse from Ebay, but haven't received them yet so haven't confirmed that they pass, but will.

We have two Live Oaks in our backyard, which faces North, so eclipse will be from our back, over the house.

We had a total eclipse cross us here a few years back that continued until sundown, but the October event will start around 11:40 CDT and the April eclipse will start around 1:30pm CDT in most of Texas so will be high in the sky like the 2017 event was for us. The sun rises almost due east and sets almost due west in both months. The tree leave effect should work directly under the limbs.

We didn’t move here until 2005, so courthouse was already rehabilitated prior to our arrival, but a spectacular example of classic Texas courthouses nonetheless.

Too many classic courthouses have been destroyed and replaced as building modern buildings that look like office buildings is often cheaper than restoring old buildings and bringing their facilities up to date. Adding elevators is always a challenge as well. Fortunately, we have a state courthouse organization that helps fund restorations.

 

[lexvil]

Probably the same as all the others, on line the next day.

 

[DandyDon]

Probably the same as all the others, on line the next day.

Sonora Texas is virtually on the centerline for the October Annular event and very close to the totality area for the April eclipse with 99% coverage.

 

[lexvil]

Sonora Texas is virtually on the centerline for the October Annular event and very close to the totality area for the April eclipse with 99% coverage.

Yet I’m 1500 miles away in Sonora california