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Solar Eclipse 2017 Discussion Thread

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crgildart

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@crgildart While not engineered for the sun and thus not recommended, arc welding lenses offer protection. Gas welder glasses do not offer enough protection. Eclipse glasses will be best (as long as they aren't fakes - unfortunately there are some fake eclipse glasses so be aware).

Eric

The ones I bought are listed as dual argon "arc welding glasses". Perhaps we could wear BOTH those and the sketchy Amazon ones doubled up hahaha. Pretty sure we will feel discomfort and look away for a bit if the sun is damaging our eye more than it does at 10K on a bluebird day without any sun glasses at all..
 

Tricia

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The ones I bought are listed as dual argon "arc welding glasses". Perhaps we could wear BOTH those and the sketchy Amazon ones doubled up hahaha. Pretty sure we will feel discomfort and look away for a bit if the sun is damaging our eye more than it does at 10K on a bluebird day without any sun glasses at all..

From this CNN Article:
Want to go old school and look through welding filters? Make sure they are Shade 12, 13 or 14 -- although some people say Shade 12 leaves the sun too bright and Shade 14 makes the sun too dim, which leaves only the hard-to-find Shade 13 as the Goldilocks filter. Know that most welders' helmets that might be lying around in garages probably won't have those filters.
 

nemesis256

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Those fake glasses are scary. It sucks to say this but it doesn't surprise me that there are assholes out there who made those. I hope we don't end up with hundreds of people with permanent blindness because of these.
 

TonyC

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Xavier Jubier's Eclipse Maps lists some reputable sellers of eclipse glasses:
https://www.rainbowsymphonystore.co...-glasses-safe-solar-viewers?rfsn=461623.92701
https://www.eclipseglasses.com/collections/eclipse-glasses-stock
I have always read on Solar Eclipse Mailing List that welder's glass needs to be #14.

Rainbow Symphony is in Reseda, maybe 20 minutes from my house and on the way to Zuma and other beaches. I picked up 200 shades there a year ago at a bulk discount. I dropped in about a month ago for binocular filters and of course they were swamped and had stopped taking mail order requests. If you show up in person they can accommodate you. It will say on the eclipse shades if Rainbow Symphony made them if you buy from a reseller.

Hoping it's not overcast. Montreal is barely on the edge, so there's Whiteface, Gore, Eastern Townships, Northern Vermont, Sugarloaf .... and Marble Mountain NL that will be in the dark. Ski areas near Buffalo might not make it that late.
There are indeed lots of ski area options in 2024. People should be monitoring the weather forecasts in that time frame in the upcoming years to see how reliable cloud predictions are. Many northeastern skiers are quite fanatical about scrutinizing weather forecasts anyway, so this should be no big deal for them.
 

MadPatSki

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There are indeed lots of ski area options in 2024. People should be monitoring the weather forecasts in that time frame in the upcoming years to see how reliable cloud predictions are. Many northeastern skiers are quite fanatical about scrutinizing weather forecasts anyway, so this should be no big deal for them.

The only problem is that all the ski areas in the 2024 eclipse path are generally influenced by the same weather system (so, all your eggs in the same basket), unfortunately the North of the St. Lawrence Valley isn't in this path. Shit, I just realized, I'll be almost 59 at that time.
 

DanoT

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Eclipse fans vs. those that are not, I liken it to trying to evoke excitement and passion for bottomless powder and face shots on every turn from a non skier.

In this discussion I am one of the "non skiers". I will be returning home from camping out for the weekend at the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival when the Eclipse occurs, halfway between Revelstoke and Kamloops B.C.
 

D'Ann

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92% is still pretty damned cool. I'd compare it to being at Yellowstone and seeing 92% of the park but not seeing Old Faithful blow. Usually takes another hour or two to check the schedule, negotiate the park road traffic which can suck if everyone is stopped to look at stuff, park a quarter mile away, get there at least 20 minutes early to find a good spot to see it from, etc..

Some folks would rather just toss a fly in the river instead of going through all that to be members of the "I saw it" club.


Eclipse only happens once every 30 years across a big strip of the nation. Old Faithful happens every few hours but only in one tiny spot on the planet. Both are exclusive and expensive to see for those not in the right place at the right time otherwise.
The difference between 99% and 100% is the difference between night and day. This will be my 4th total eclipse experience. The biggest difference is you have to look through glasses all the way until totality hits...even at 99%. Only when totality hits does the sky go dark, the stars come out, you take off the glasses and see the corona of the sun peeking out from behind the moon. It's really a different experience than a partial eclipse. If you can get to the line of totality its worth it.
 

Jenny

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Our eye dotor's office was selling them for $1.00. A suspicious type would say he was drumming up future business by selling inferior glasses, but they did say they were the safe ones certified by whomever it it is that does that.
 
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crgildart

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From this CNN Article:
Want to go old school and look through welding filters? Make sure they are Shade 12, 13 or 14 -- although some people say Shade 12 leaves the sun too bright and Shade 14 makes the sun too dim, which leaves only the hard-to-find Shade 13 as the Goldilocks filter. Know that most welders' helmets that might be lying around in garages probably won't have those filters.
I already put them on and stared straight at the sun for about 30 seconds to a minute or two.. Seems OK.. Seems like the same view we got from the ones our science teacher gave us to use back in the late 70s
 

TonyC

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Eclipse fans vs. those that are not, I liken it to trying to evoke excitement and passion for bottomless powder and face shots on every turn from a non skier.
Exactly. The partial eclipse is like skiing an icy November WROD in comparison.
 

DanoT

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Exactly. The partial eclipse is like skiing an icy November WROD in comparison.

Except that to a non skier or non sky watcher, ice vs powder doesn't matter and partial vs total eclipse doesn't matter.
 

Tricia

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Time has a video simulator that will show you what the eclipse will look like from your location.
Here is a snapshot of my zip code.
Check out your zip code
http://time.com/4882923/total-solar-eclipse-map-places-view/
Screen Shot 2017-08-13 at 7.25.54 PM.png
 
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crgildart

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Tricia

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First post in the thread has the zip code based simulations. Looking that that is what got me excited and content to stay home and not miss work to travel elsewhere.
I don't know how I missed that. Thanks for pointing it out.
 

SpikeDog

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Starting to get excited about the eclipse since the weather might cooperate. Wyoming is usually pretty good about not clouding up until the afternoon.

http://www.wyoroad.info/Eclipse/WYDOTEclipse.html

Wyoming DOT eclipse page is posting all the expected construction zones. Looks like I'll have to negotiate a "pilot car" work zone on the Hoback Rim on my way up to Granite Creek, which is about 2.5 hours north of me. I bet that'll add an hour wait at least. I'm hoping to watch the eclipse while soaking in Granite Hot Springs, but that would be very lucky indeed.

I watched an almost total eclipse in April 1979 in Idaho Falls, but I was coming off a night shift at the Naval Reactors Facility, and was totally bushed. It got very dark just as I was getting off the bus. Just one more cold day in the coldest winter I've ever experienced (1978-79).

Geez, it's hard to type ECLIPSE.
 

Guy in Shorts

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I watched an almost total eclipse in April 1979 in Idaho Falls, but I was coming off a night shift at the Naval Reactors Facility, and was totally bushed. It got very dark just as I was getting off the bus. Just one more cold day in the coldest winter I've ever experienced (1978-79).
Only thing I remember about the nightshift at the Naval Reactors Facility in Windsor,Ct was the Three Mile Island meltdown on 28Mar79. I wanted the Navy to send me to Idaho so I could ski at Grand Targhee. We must have been in Orlando at the same time (Class 78-05). Did the cold make for good skiing that winter?
 

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