Reuss Griffiths Loc: Ravenna, Ohio

In the US we are about halfway between total solar eclipses. The next one is exactly 3 years from this day. I attended the last one in 2017 in Cross Plains, TN about 35 miles north of Nashville. I live near Cleveland, Ohio and it was a 7 hr drive the day before. I spent a lot of time researching exactly where I wanted to be. I selected Cross Plains because it was a small town off the beaten path to avoid crowds which were guaranteed for any large venue but most importantly, the local ball park was only 400 yds from the centerline of the eclipse. Translation, maximizes the time for totality. Longest time for totality in US was 2 min 40 sec. Where I was, it was 2 min 30 sec. AND IT WASN'T LONG ENOUGH !!!

This was one of the most magical, spiritual experiences of my eighty years. The local ballpark I chose was exactly what I was hoping for, well-maintained with restrooms and drinking fountains, etc. In the hours prior, people did what they normally do in places like this including worrying about the weather and clouds forming up at the last minute. As E hour approached, we made final preparations and everyone grew quiet in anticipation. In the final minute or two prior to the eclipse, the color drained out of a bright blue sky (eclipse about 2:30 PM) and we were left with the most pale unsaturated light you can imagine. Thru filter glasses, the sun was the thinnist cresent but to the unaided eye was still to bright to look at. Suddenly, all the light in the sky was sucked up into a black sky and there it was. a pitch black orb separated from the a similar black sky by a glowing white corona. No one was talking at first, almost like being in church. Then a voice or two could be heard and it was annoying. Then followed the ooohs and aaahs. I began to look around expecting the whole sky to be pitch black but it wasn't. While jet black by the sun, it grew grayer the further you looked away and the horizon looked like sunset but for 360 degrees. Then I noticed Jupiter and it was bright red. Don't know why. My wife and I were sitting side by side, commenting on this and that when suddenly the process reversed. Brilliant light spilled out over the edges of the dark sun and in an instant, the sky filled with light and it was over. I repeat with emphasis, IT WASN'T LONG ENOUGH !

Then began the thrid leg of our journey. It took 7 hrs to get to Cross Plains and at that point, I thought the trip home would probably be longer. We got into the worst traffic jam I've ever been in or seen. We left at 4 PM and I arrived home at 6 AM the following morning, 14 hours. We travelled in a continuous pulse of traffic almost all the way back home. Ten hours into the trip on and interstate hwy in Ohio at 2 AM in the morning a car broke down in the northbound lane and traffic backed up for 20 miles. At one point we didn't move for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, traffic in the other direction was 1 or 2 vehicles a minute. But I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat but probably stay overnight somewhere close afterward.

The next eclipse in 3 years will pass right over my house near the center line and will last almost 4 minutes. Can't get any better than that (don't even think about weather).

Totality, with longer exposure to maximize the corona. Surprised to see the prominences.

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Totality with shorter exposure to bring out the red prominences

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Cropped for tighter view of prominences


Prior to totality, PACMAN, the moon swallowing up 5 sunspots.

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An image of the eclipse in progress on the lid of my cooler. The lens used is available to everyone but for sale to no one. Lens created by tiny rays of sunlight peeking thru the leaves on a tree.

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A collage I managed to gather images for between the ooohing and aaahing.

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The ballpark in Cross Plains. They even had a band playing live music over the PA system from that pavillion on the hill prior to the eclipse.

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Aerial view of ballpark. The red dot at top is shade tree we sat under. A sign of magic to come, we sat in clumps of 4-leaf clovers. Blue line at bottom is center line of umbra about 400 yds away.

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lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Interesting story thanks for sharing. I think we are talking about the same eclipse. Totality ran right through a friends farm in Missouri. She though of charging for admission but due to bad weather few people showed up, not even many friends or family. In Calif. we did not get to see it at all. But I saw a lot on TV as the pros tracked it across the nation.

Ballard Loc: Grass Valley, California

Thanks for bring back the memories. I went to Idaho for the 2017 eclipse and it was outstanding. I plan to go to the 2024 eclipse and watch from Texas. Here is an uglyhedgehog link to some shots I took of the 2017 eclipse.

https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-615123-1.html

Reuss Griffiths Loc: Ravenna, Ohio

Ballard, Thanks for taking the time to comment and send your images. Was 2017 your first eclipse? Your Bailey's Beads images are great. I was thinking about it but decided it was more effort than I was willing to put forward on my first eclipse. Too much other stuff to soak up. I planned to make a video of the whole eclipse with my cellphone. Had it positioned and preaimed on a table running and all set to go. I had it turned downward to protect the sensor. My thinking was to turn it over at the start of the eclipse and let it run. Got so excited when the light started fading and I went to may "real" camera and forgot to turn it over. Got great recording of my conversation with my wife thoough. I was surprised by the "unsaturated nature of the light leading in and the 360 deg "sunset" look. Wasn't expecting either.

How was your camera / telescope oriented? Mine was horizontal and pointed south. Your images seem to be rotated 90 deg clockwise. What's the focal length of your camera / telescope? Got some really nice detail in your images. I also think the differences in time between your images and mine actually show movement in the arches on the prominences.

Thanks again for sharing and commenting. Don't have to worry about moving anywhere in 2024. Weather and clouds are another matter.

Reuss Griffiths Loc: Ravenna, Ohio

It's gotta be the same eclipse. We had almost perfect weather by the time the eclipse got here. Was some fluffy clouds in the morning and we stared down every cloud that showed up on the horizon. But it worked cause there was cloud-free sky at eclipse time. Better luck on the next one weatherwise. It's going to come thru just south of St Louis.

Thanks for taking the time to look in and comment.

Ballard Loc: Grass Valley, California

Hi Reuss Griffiths
I had gone to Hawaii in 1991 for July 11th total solar eclipse there. Unfortunately the sky was very cloudy (probably due to the effects of the large eruption of Mount Pinatubo ~1 month earlier that year in the Philippines, so all I could see was the sky getting darker (for almost 7 minutes, it was a long one), couldn't see the sun at all. So the eclipse in August 2017 was the first time I actually got to see and image a total solar eclipse. The scope inverts the image and I had oriented the camera to get the moon to go ~vertically through the frame. The relative orientation remained the same throughout the eclipse since the scope was mounted on an equatorial mount that was tracking the event. The telescope had a focal reducer attached to get an equivalent focal length of 665 mm (f ratio 5.25). However the camera I was using at the time was a canon EOS 60D with an APS sized sensor which made it equivalent to ~1000mm focal length.