Category Archives: eclipse

October 2, 2024 Eclipse Report

Shown above, via Facebook, is the view I hoped to see for myself on October 2, 2024. There was an annular eclipse of the sun that day for Easter Island, and portions of southern Argentina and Chile. Other places, it was just a partial eclipse. And as any eclipse chaser will tell you, a partial eclipse really isn’t a very big deal. The sky doesn’t get dark, and you can really see anything special.

Oct2SunriseBut there’s an exception, and that is if the eclipse takes place at sunrise (or sunset). As anyone who has ever watched a sunrise or sunset can tell you, it is safe to look at the sun momentarily. (Of course, if you do more than a momentary glance, then you should get some eclipse glasses from our sister site, MyEclipseGlasses.com.)  And you can see it’s shape. Normally, that shape is a circle as the sun hits the horizon. But if the sunrise is in the middle of a solar eclipse, then it’s not round. The sun is instead a crescent. I tried to see one in 2021, and got clouded out. And, unfortunately, I’m now zero for two when it comes to sunrise eclipses. My family travelled to Hawaii to see it, and we viewed the sunrise at a beach near Laie, Hawaii. Unfortunately, the clouds were just a little too thick, and they obscured the crescent shape. Our view, while a beautiful sunrise over the Pacific, is shown at the left. We had a nice trip to Hawaii and saw a nice sunrise. But we’re still zero for two. Our next chance will be March 29, 2025, when the Northeastern U.S. and Maritime Provinces of Canada will experience a Sunrise Eclipse.

The photo above was taken by Stan Honda, October’s artist-in-residence at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.



2 October 2024 Solar Eclipse

NYEclipseThe next solar eclipse is coming soon! On October 2, 2024, an annular eclipse will cross the Pacific Ocean, Easter Island, Chile, and Argentina. We won’t be able to make it to the path of annularity, but our official headquarters for the event will be in Hawaii.

In Hawaii and much of the Pacific, the eclipse will be “just” a partial eclipse. While interesting, it’s hardly worth traveling for a partial eclipse. But there’s an exception, and that is if the eclipse occurs at sunrise (or sunset). And in Hawaii, the eclipse will take place at sunrise. Instead of a normal sunrise, it will be a crescent sun that rises over Hawaii, and we’ll be there to see it. You can read more about the phenomenon at our sister site, SunriseEclipse.com, and, of course, there’s still time to get eclipse glasses from MyEclipseGlasses.com.

The picture shown above, without any special lenses or filters, was taken of the sunrise eclipse of June 10, 2021. That’s the view we’ll have in Hawaii (but without the Statue of Liberty).  We were rained out for the 2021 sunrise eclipse over Lake Superior, but we’ll be making up for it in Hawaii.

Sunrise eclipse. Be there. Aloha.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons photo by Anthony Quintano from Mount Laurel, United States – Statue of Liberty Annular Solar Eclipse, CC BY 2.0.



1937 and 1940 Eclipses

1944May1LifeThe solar eclipse of June 8, 1937, was the longest in over 1200 years, and this fact was verified by an expedition to Peru headed up by Clyde Fisher of the Hayden Planetarium. The expedition used precise timekeeping instruments from Longines, as pointed out in this ad in Life Magazine, 80 years ago today, May 1, 1944.

According to the ad, Longines chronometers were also used by the planetarium’s expedition to view the April 7,1940 annular eclipse, headed by William H. Barton, Jr.



April 8, 2024 Eclipse Report

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Photos and videos don’t do the eclipse justice, but the ones here give an idea of what we experienced when we viewed the eclipse on April 8.

This is my second total eclipse, and my wife’s third. We both agreed that this one was better than the 2017 version, mostly because of greater solar activity, resulting in a larger corona. Also, the length of totality and the width of the path were greater, which I think resulted in the sky getting darker.  My wife thought it was on par with the 1991 eclipse she had seen in Mexico.

We wound up viewing it from Lake Catherine State Park, Arkansas. The entire area seemed well prepared for the eclipse. The park itself had what seemed to be additional staff, I’m guessing both paid staff and volunteers, on hand. We didn’t patronize them, but another part of the park had food trucks on scene. We tried giving the staff some extra eclipse glasses to hand out, but they already had some and were giving them to anyone who needed them.

The original plan was to view it in Dallas, but we awoke to clouds, which were forecast to last through the eclipse. Little Rock, Arkansas, on the other hand, had a forecast of sunny skies. So at about 6:00 AM, we hit the road toward Arkansas. Fortunately, Interstate 30 was within the path of totality for its entire run from Dallas to Little Rock. So as soon as we hit consistently clear skies, we got off the interstate and headed north, which led us closer to the center path. We passed a few good viewing locations, but kept following the state park signs, knowing that we could turn back if the park didn’t prove adequate.

We were greeted at the park entrance by a ranger. We told him the obvious, that we were there to view the eclipse, and he directed us to a parking area near the campground. There were trees around, but we had a good view of the sun, so we set in for totality. There was no admission charge to the park. T here were quite a few people in the other part of the park near the food trucks, and a dozen or so cars in our parking area.

Again, words or pictures don’t do it justice. In my opinion, the total eclipse itself is on par with the Grand Canyon, or Yellowstone National Park in its beauty. But adding to the awe is its short-lived nature. We watched for about four minutes, until it was over.  Two stars (actually, the planets Venus and Jupiter, I believe) were visible, and the darkness level was consistent with after sunset.  There was a 360 degree sunset visible on the horizon.  Everyone else saw them, except for me, but I’m told that the shadow bands were very evident until almost a minute after totality.

If you learned that another Grand Canyon was going to spontaneously form, be there for four minutes, and then disappear without a trace, you would want to go see it. This is why we went to see the eclipse. The next one will be in Iceland and Spain on August 12, 2026, and I plan to be there as well.  And the August 12, 2045 eclipse will pass through Arkansas again, so maybe I’ll try to watch it from the same spot.  If you see an old guy in Lake Catherine State Park in 2045, stop by and say hello, because that will be me.

I did hear reports of extremely heavy traffic in Missouri, and in New England. In those areas, large population centers had only a few routes to totality, and they were jammed. We notice very little, if any, extra congestion on the route we took. Of course, we were within the path of totality the whole time.

The states of Texas and Arkansas were well prepared for the invasion of eclipse tourists, and everything went without a hitch.

Our viewing location near the campground highlighted one ongoing problem with state park reservation systems.  We were right next to the tent camping area, and only one of the about six sites was occupied.  On the other hand, it looked like all but one of the sites had been reserved, based upon reservation slips on the posts.  Over half the sites in the RV section of the campground were occupied, but I wasn’t able to see how many were reserved.  I’m guessing a lot of people made contingency reservations which they didn’t use.  This highlights a problem in many state park systems:  People make reservations that they don’t use.  This ties up the site, making it unavailable.  This is an ongoing problem, not just for special events.  The knee-jerk reaction is to penalize people who cancel, but this is counter-productive.  A better solution, it seems to me, would be to make it easy for people to cancel, and have a way to put the site back into circulation immediately.

Chances are, the people who made those Arkansas camping reservations were watching the eclipse in Indiana, Maine, or some other state miles away.  There’s probably no way for them to make the site available, or they didn’t have enough incentive to do so.  States with state park reservation systems should figure out a way to make these sites available.

It turns out that the skies in Dallas cleared nearly miraculously right before the eclipse, and Dallas got an excellent view.  Particular praise should be given to the Dallas Independent School District (and undoubtedly other districts in the area) that made sure all of there students were outside to experience it, and for supplying eclipse glasses to all students.  MyEclipseGlasses.com had some left over, and we donated a thousand to one parochial school to make sure their students could safely view the partial phase.  But eclipse glasses were not needed to view the most spectacular part, totality, and it appears that all children in the path had an opportunity to see it.

Another school district that deserves special praise is my alma mater, the Minneapolis Public Schools.  Not only did they supply eclipse glasses for all K-5 students, but they organized a field trip to Indiana for some lucky students to experience totality, as well as visit museums in Milwaukee and Chicago.  You can see pictures at Facebook #MPSEclipseTrip.

The photo and video above were taken by my daughter, with her cell phone camera.  The lens flare actually shows the shape of the eclipse better than the main image.  The video gives a pretty good idea of how dark it got in the area.  Again, nothing does justice to being there in person, but these give an idea of what we experienced.



Eclipse 2024

Our loyal readers have noticed that we’ve been incommunicado for a few weeks. We’ve been busy stuffing envelopes with eclipse glasses at our sister site, MyEclipseGlasses.com.  It’s too late now for online orders, so we’re at OneTubeRadio.com Eclipse Headquarters in Dallas where we will view the eclipse.

We’re cautiously optimistic, but the weather forecast is currently “partly cloudy in the morning followed by scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon.” Totality here starts at about 1:40, so we’re counting on the thunderstorms coming later. And “partly” cloudy means that there are holes where you can see the sun.

Fortunately, we have mobility. To the southwest of Dallas, Interstate 35 more or less follows the path of totality all the way to San Antonio. And to the northeast, Interstate 30 stays in the path all the way to Little Rock, Arkansas. At this point, the northeast looks a bit more promising, so it’s possible we’ll view from Arkansas. But we’ll play it by ear. I’m confident we won’t be clouded out, like we were for the 2021 annular eclipse.

This is my last chance to implore you that if you live anywhere even close to the band shown above on the map, extending from Mazatlan, Mexico, to New Brunswick, Canada, that you should drop everything and go see it.  Even if you live in a place where there is 99% coverage of the sun, the experience is completely different just a few miles away in 100% totality.  That 1% of the sun that is still showing is about 100,000 times brighter than the sun’s corona.  The experience is utterly and completely different.  If possible, go see it, especially if you have kids, and even if they will have an unexcused absence.  This is one case where you know better than the school.  If you have kids, please read what I wrote in 2017.

If you are in Dallas, stop by our eclipse glasses stand at 2510 Firewheel Pkwy, Garland, TX 75040. Just look for the giant eclipse glasses.  If you live in the Midwest, it looks like you can still get eclipse glasses at Hy-Vee or Menards, which ordered quite a few this time.  Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowe’s also had them, and they still might.  In Texas, they’re a little harder to find, but you can find them.  In New England, they seem to be unobtainium.  But if you can’t find a pair, check out our 2017 post about alternatives.

If I get a chance, I’ll be on the air for the Solar Eclipse QSO Party, helping generate some date for citizen scientists to study the ionosphere.  If the weather is good, I’ll do that before totality.  If we’re chasing a hole in the clouds, then I probably won’t set up until after totality.

Enjoy the eclipse!



Eclipse Information

If you are looking for eclipse information, you’ll find all of our eclipse posts at this link.  If you’re looking for eclipse glasses, visit our sister site, MyEclipseGlasses.com.  Individual pairs are only $3.99, which includes free shipping anywhere in the world.  We also have larger quantities at even lower prices.

2023 Post-Eclipse Report

image000000 (3)My son and I were in Corpus Christi, Texas, for the annular eclipse on Saturday, October 14, 2023.  Our original plan was to view it from the Padre Island National Seashore, which we had scoped out the day before.  But when we woke up Saturday morning, it was cloudy in Corpus Christi, and weather maps showed clouds over most of the region.

There was a large break in the clouds to the north, and we decided to head that direction.  Weprojected decided to head to Rockport Beach, and this proved to be an excellent spot to view the eclipse.  This was the first time I experience an annular eclipse.  Basically, it’s a 99% partial eclipse, with the remaining 1% of the sun forming a “ring of fire”.  The photo above was taken with my son’s cell phone, using the filter from a pair of eclipse glasses.  The photo at right is using an expedient projection method.  With the pair of “cheaters” reading glasses in my pocket, I simply projected the image onto the picnic table.

rockportbeachThe phenomenon was very different from total eclipse.  It was worth the trip, but considerably less dramatic.  I could tell that it didn’t seem as bright outside as usual, but if I hadn’t known there was an eclipse in progress, I might have dismissed it as haze.  No stars were visible, although the sun didn’t seem as hot as it should.  As you can see from the photo at the left, it’s still obviously daytime.  This is very different from the total eclipse, where at least one star (the planet Venus) was visible, and there was a sunset on the horizon for 360 degrees.

The moral of the story is that if you are in an area with a 99% total eclipse, you should definitely drive a few miles to where it is 100%.  It’s worth the drive.

There was a fairly large crowd at Rockport Beach.  It was obviously smaller than they would have on a hot summer day, but I’m sure it was much larger than a typical windy October morning.  Everyone seemed to have eclipse glasses, and one group played “Ring of Fire” during annularity, which seemed like a nice touch.
image000000 (4)After annularity, most other eclipse chasers on the beach started packing up to head home, even though the partial eclipse was still ongoing.  I made an effort to operate on the radio during the Solar Eclipse QSO Party on 40 meters CW.  Unfortunately, I had an extremely marginal antenna, as there wasn’t much to attach an antenna from my location.  As you can see, I used two broomsticks taped together as the center support.  The ends, I staked into the ground.  In Minnesota, there are always plenty of sticks on the ground to use to tie down the antenna.  South Texas, with its palm trees, doesn’t have convenient sticks on the ground.  Fortunately, I had two pencils in the car, and I used them.

But my makeshift antenna was only a few feet off the ground, and I didn’t manage to make any contacts, nor was I heard by the Reverse Beacon Network.  I made a list of calls heard, and I guess I’ll submit them.

 



October 14, 2023 Annular Eclipse

You might have noticed that we’ve been kind of incommunicado lately and not posting any new content. That’s because my son and I have been on the road, selling eclipse glasses for the annular solar eclipse, which will be visible in most of North and South America on Saturday, October 14, 2023. If you still need a pair of glasses, you can find them at one of the retailers we’ve sold to from Nevada to Texas, listed at this page.

If you don’t have glasses, see our post from 2017 showing safe projection methods of viewing the eclipse.

Our official headquarters for the eclipse will be near Corpus Christi Texas, probably at the Padre Island National Seashore, as we watch the annular eclipse leave the United States and head toward Central and South America.

For hams, please listen for us (W0IS) during the Solar Eclipse QSO Party on 40 meters CW.  We will try to set up and look for contacts, probably after annularity, or shortly after noon central time.  We will be calling CQ looking for contacts, as well as making ourselves visible on the Reverse Beacon Network.  After the eclipse, other citizen scientists will analyze the data generated to see how the eclipse affects the ionosphere.  You should be able to see where we are heard at this link.  Since we will be in a National Park and on an island, we’ll also submit our logs for POTA and WWFF, as well as US Islands and/or IOTA.

For information about the exact times that the eclipse can be viewed in your area, visit this page.  For information from NASA on safely viewing the eclipse, visit this page.



Total Solar Eclipse of September 10, 1923

1923SepSciInvA hundred years ago this month, the cover of the September 1923 issue of Science and Invention was celebrating the total solar eclipse that was to take place on September 10, 1923.

1923SepSciInv2In the U.S., the path of totality covered only a tiny sliver of southern California, including the city of San Diego, as well as Santa Catalina and the Channel Islands. The best view, however, was in Mexico, since the path extended from Baja California to Yucatan. The Mexican National Government, as well as the governments of San Luis Potosi and Mexico City were heavily involved. The National Observatory and the Mexican National Railway were also assisting in preparations, and astronomers from around the world were preparing to descend upon the country.

Of course, we have two eclipses coming up in short order. The warm-up act will be the annular eclipse of Saturday, October 14, which will extend from Oregon to Texas, then into Mexico and Central and South America. It will also be visible as a partial eclipse in most of North and South America. Since the moon is currently too far from the earth for a total eclipse, the sun will appear to be a “ring of fire” along the path. While this phenomenon is certainly interesting, it’s not really spectacular.

The spectacular event is coming up on Monday, April 8, 2024, when a total eclipse will be visible along a line from Mazatlan, Mexico, and then in the United States and Canada, along a path from Texas through Maine. While the annular eclipse isn’t worth a special trip for most people, the total eclipse certainly is, just as it was a hundred years ago.

For the annular eclipse, and for all but a few minutes of the total eclipse, you will need eye protection to view the partially eclipsed sun. Our sister site, MyEclipseGlasses.com, has approved eclipse glasses available for only $3.99, with free shipping anywhere in the world. Just like eclipse glasses in 2017 (and just like toilet paper in 2020), they’ll be in short supply, so the time to order is now.