Thoughts on eclipse next year, April 8

[AstroBee]

I've told myself I'm not looking at another forecast until next Wednesday...

[Mike Q]

I look every day, of course I do that anyway. Have to get a general idea of when it will be time to start working ground.

[KathyNS]

I have a checklist of stuff to bring, and I plan to spend this week gathering it all in the garage ready to load up next Sunday. Today, I finished making filter holders for my binos and for all my camera lenses. I probably won't use them all - I plan to mostly look rather than hassling with equipment - but at least I will have the option if I want to take pictures.

The early forecasts look not bad, so I am cautiously optimistic for a good view.

[AstroBee]

Kathy, where do you plan on being for the eclipse?
Also, what is the V-shaped cutout for on your filter holders?

[OzEclipse]

Kathy, where do you plan on being for the eclipse?
Also, what is the V-shaped cutout for on your filter holders?

Greg,
The V cutouts are Probably so she can pull the filter sheets out of the holder
Joe

[Mike Q]

Hmmmmm.....it is heading in the right direction. We might just be able to pull this off yet. Call it 45 percent cloud cover on the 8th at the moment but that is starting to look like a clearing trend.

[KathyNS]

Kathy, where do you plan on being for the eclipse?
Also, what is the V-shaped cutout for on your filter holders?

Greg,
The V cutouts are Probably so she can pull the filter sheets out of the holder
Joe

Got it in one! The filters are mounted on cards which are in the folders with printing on them at the right of the photo. They drop into the square holders, and the v-shaped cutout allows me to remove them without a hassle. I only have two filters, thanks to an ordering mixup, so I have to be able to move them around. I have opaque squares that I can drop into the holders when the filter is out, so everything remains safe.

@AstroBee, I will be in Miramichi. NB. Climatologically, that area has the worst odds for clear skies of the entire totality track. But it is where the path is most accessible for me. And, as the long-range forecasts start to come in, the predictions are looking to be the best of anywhere on the track. (Oops, I hope I didn't jinx eastern Canada by saying that!) The actual site forecasts should start coming in tomorrow.

[gregl]

I'm going to jump in with a reminder of what I wrote in the o.p. — don't get so wrapped up with equipment that you miss out on the visual. With all the gear that I brought to Oregon the best views were naked eye and binos. This time I left all that fancy stuff at home and will just sit with the binos while the phenomenal spectacle fries my brains.

[AstroBee]

@AstroBee, I will be in Miramichi. NB.

Good luck and clear skies!

[AstroBee]

I'm going to jump in with a remi...don't get so wrapped up with equipment that you miss out on the visual.

I've got a car load of gear I'm bringing but everything is automated. All I should have to do is occasionally check focus and then right when the filters come off about 20-30 seconds before C2 I have to change a sequence that I can do in about 10 seconds. Then switch back to the original sequence about 20-30 seconds after C3.

[Mike Q]

We are using binos with filters and a 4- inch frac

[pakarinen]

I *expect* it to be cloudy, so frankly I'm not excited. I guess I should put some sort of solarscope together, just in case.

[JayTee]

Middle Texas is supposed to be cloudy Monday morning. I know that if I don't go then where I had planned to set up there will be a 4-minute clear window for the totality. So I'm going!

[Mike Q]

Well here is the current best guess from the weather gurus down in Columbus. They usually are in the parking lot of the ballpark, if not in the ballpark.

https://www.nbc4i.com/eclipse-2024/cent ... week-away/

[KathyNS]

Now that is looking good!

[AstroBee]

That's awesome news Kathy! Good luck!

[pakarinen]

And the goofballs come out of the woodwork:

https://www.iflscience.com/conspiracy-t ... vent-73671

[Bigzmey]

My totality spot is/was Dallas. I have booked trip for my family a year in advance. However, as the date approaches the chances for clear sky getting slimmer. On the other hand, our partial eclipse home location went from orange to green as far as clouds go. Looks like we will have to settle for that at the end.

https://www.accuweather.com/en/solar-ec ... ke/1636042

[Mike Q]

Well good old Ohio is doing what it does best and keeping us guessing. We have a fifty fifty shot. A big blast of high pressure would be nice, but at the moment I am not seeing that happening. The system that is parked on us just keeps going in a big circle and will not go away.

[OzEclipse]

And the goofballs come out of the woodwork:

https://www.iflscience.com/conspiracy-t ... vent-73671

Oh nothing new here. In 2012, a religious cuckoo made a whole 15 minute YouTube video featuring an eclipse preview I wrote for my website. Apparently, I am the messiah. My initials are JC and I predicted the return of the antichrist at the eclipse. How did I do that? Well I mentioned that the eclipse path was 130km wide stretching from Innisfail to Cape Tribulation. Apparently this indicated that the eclipse would mark the start of the Great Tribulation, the return of the antichrist and end of days.

The video had her voice and a mouse pointer indicating parts of my web page. My name was clearly showing. YouTube would not remove it on the basis that it was a load of manure. But I eventually got it removed on a breach of copyright because she showed my website for 8 minutes in her 15 minute video. This breached the fair use provisions.

So I kept an eye on her. She found another website and made the same video using that web site. I wrote to the owner and informed him of the process and method to get it struck off. He thanked me, did that and it was again removed.

So she did it a third time with a different website. I contacted that webmaster, got her a third strike and YouTube closed her channel.

I should point out that I have nothing against the legitimate practice of religion. My issue was with somebody using my name and others to create false panic and fear among the vulnerable and gullible.

Joe