# Happy Solar Eclipse!



## Millie (Aug 21, 2017)

Kinda spooky!


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## Cindy2428 (Aug 21, 2017)

Maybe I'm too old, or IDK. I just don't get it the excitement. The expressions they've come up with .... "Totality???" Wasn't it called a total eclipse in the day? 

Now total saponification - that get my motor running!!


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## SunRiseArts (Aug 21, 2017)

I just came in from watching!  I thought it was pretty cool!


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## artemis (Aug 21, 2017)

Clouds passed over right during our peak viewing time.  The pinhole "cameras" worked perfectly, though.


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## toxikon (Aug 21, 2017)

One of my coworkers brought the special glasses to work so I had a good look around 2pm. Up here in Canada, we only had a partial eclipse but it was still pretty cool to see!


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## Kittish (Aug 21, 2017)

Cindy2428 said:


> Maybe I'm too old, or IDK. I just don't get it the excitement. The expressions they've come up with .... "Totality???" Wasn't it called a total eclipse in the day?
> 
> Now total saponification - that get my motor running!!



Totality simply refers to how much of the sun or moon gets covered during an eclipse. This was a total eclipse, which means that totality reached 100% if you were directly under it. To either side, totality drops from 100% until you finally get far enough north or south that you don't see anything at all. 

We had partial cloud cover here, with the thickest clouds of course being right where the sun was in the sky. :???:


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## BrewerGeorge (Aug 21, 2017)

Last night I was watching dragons roast an undead army, and now I'm supposed to care about THIS?


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## Millie (Aug 21, 2017)

Wow, you guys are jaded! Go lick some batteries or soap batter to perk up :twisted:

I didn't get the total eclipse here, but boy it was eerie when there was just a sliver of sun. Clear skies but it was dark like just before the severe rainstorms we've been getting, and the air was totally still and birds were acting like nothing was going on. Seeing the sliver of sun through glasses was pretty awesome, but it was the strange atmosphere that really got me.


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## BrewerGeorge (Aug 21, 2017)

I was just joking.  I was outside, too.


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## dibbles (Aug 21, 2017)

It rained here. We were only going to have a partial eclipse, but still...


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## Cellador (Aug 21, 2017)

I took my 5 year old daughter out to see it. She said that I was lying, that it didn't look any darker than normal (we had ~90% here). We even looked through the glasses....she said it was boring. :headbanging: 

I thought it was pretty cool.


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## NsMar42111 (Aug 21, 2017)

I was playing with a pinhole thing and it wasn't until about the 50% mark it got to the "cool" factor for me. When I thought the best was over (we only got to 80%), I walked outside and oooooooo the shadows up front were all cresents! That was cool!

Now, would I drive 12 hours to see it? Nah LOL. 

Decided I liked the sun at the 70% point, my skin didn't try to escape when I walked outside into the sunlight. 80% looked like a desk lamp light instead of sunlight so too much. :bunny:


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## DeeAnna (Aug 21, 2017)

Connie, the lady who works with me, thought I was crazy, puttering back and forth through the shop and outdoors with the hope of seeing the eclipse. We had too much cloud cover to really see anything -- the clouds diffused the light way too much -- even though my part of Iowa got to 90% + totality. The sunlight turned that odd gray/blue color that happens in an eclipse, but that was the most exciting thing we were treated to.

When I was in grad school in the early 90s, there was a partial eclipse on a nicely sunny day. The dapples of light coming through the leaves of the street trees all had moon-sized bites taken out of them. That was cool.


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## biarine (Aug 21, 2017)

Happy solar eclipse, the BBC has coverage in Oregon and awesome, just like our total solar eclipse in Philippines last 1988.


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## artemis (Aug 21, 2017)

The children decided we needed a cake for Eclipse Day.


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## Arthur Dent (Aug 21, 2017)

We had over 2 minutes of totality.  The corona was spectacular beyond description!


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## Rusti (Aug 22, 2017)

Arthur Dent said:


> We had over 2 minutes of totality.  The corona was spectacular beyond description!



I was across the river at the other regional university. We didn't get quite so long as the Dale, but our skies were totally clear and totality was both eerie and BEAUTIFUL.


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## SunRiseArts (Aug 22, 2017)

artemis, I made a cake too!  I made my family a coca cola cake!  Top with pecans.....


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## artemis (Aug 22, 2017)

SunRiseArts said:


> artemis, I made a cake too!  I made my family a coca cola cake!  Top with pecans.....


I've had Coca Cola pulled pork, but never had Coca Cola cake before! 

The kids had very specific ideas about an Eclipse Cake. It HAD TO be round and dark chocolate, and it HAD TO have a crescent of sun peaking out.


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## Arthur Dent (Aug 22, 2017)

Rusti said:


> I was across the river at the other regional university. We didn't get quite so long as the Dale, but our skies were totally clear and totality was both eerie and BEAUTIFUL.



Glad you had a good spot!  Fortunately we didn't go to Carbondale, they had clouds and therefore only saw 10 seconds or so of totality.  We were a few miles south of Harrisburg, had no troubling clouds during totality.  "Eerie and beautiful" is a good description!


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## earlene (Aug 22, 2017)

*Artemis, *you and your kids nailed it!

We were in Carbondale, IL for the eclipse at the Southern Illinois University (Carbondale) with a majorly huge crowd of eclipse aficionados.  The stadium was sold out and it holds 14 or 15,000 people (depending on which publication you read).  We did have clouds during part of the viewing time, that helped decrease the intense heat for short periods of time, but for me viewing time was sufficient.  

There were several events going on at the SIU to educate anyone who so choose on the science of eclipses, demonstrations, lectures, activities for kids, etc.  It was fabulous.  Plus they gave away special eclipse glasses AND special eclipse binoculars to all to use to ensure eyesight safety.

Prior to totality, the temperature dropped noticeably, as expected with a total eclipse.  The only animals near our viewing area were swallows flying in the sky, but since I do not live, work or go to school in Carbondale, I cannot be sure they behaved differently than normal. 

Even though it was so very hot and humid there, we really enjoyed ourselves and oohed, awed, cheered and all that stuff with the rest of them.  I don't know what was more spectacular, the total eclipse, the sunset look of the entire circumference of the horizon, or seeing a planet and a star in the middle of the day.  According to the papers, Carbondale was turned into a 'Celestial SuperBowl' and I gotta say that is an accurate statement.  The crowds were phenomenal for this little college town.

We stayed in touch with my husband's cousin who was about 10 miles away in a park and he had full visibility during the whole event, with no clouds blocking it out at all.  What a difference a few miles makes.

ETA:  I forgot about the school mascots, the Saluki Greyhounds!  Here is a photo I got of them on the field.  Such gorgeous animals.


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## SunRiseArts (Aug 22, 2017)

artemis said:


> I've had Coca Cola pulled pork, but never had Coca Cola cake before!
> 
> The kids had very specific ideas about an Eclipse Cake. It HAD TO be round and dark chocolate, and it HAD TO have a crescent of sun peaking out.


 

Your cake is so cool. It did remind me of the eclipse!

We should not be drinking coca cola, but is my hubby's favorite drink. I keep complaining, but it does notgood .... he calls it his "go juice". He used to make the most amazing decorated cakes. 

If you ever want the recipe for the coca cola cake, let me know. I think is a southern type dessert. Based with coca cola, and cocoa.


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## artemis (Aug 22, 2017)

SunRiseArts said:


> Your cake is so cool. It did remind me of the eclipse!
> 
> We should not be drinking coca cola, but is my hubby's favorite drink. I keep complaining, but it does notgood .... he calls it his "go juice". He used to make the most amazing decorated cakes.
> 
> If you ever want the recipe for the coca cola cake, let me know. I think is a southern type dessert. Based with coca cola, and cocoa.


I grew up on Coke. I only drink it when we're out, these days. I guess it's my glass of wine with dinner.

The cake sounds like a chocolate Coke, my favorite.


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## Rusti (Aug 22, 2017)

earlene said:


> ...
> 
> We were in Carbondale, IL for the eclipse at the Southern Illinois University (Carbondale) with a majorly huge crowd of eclipse aficionados.  The stadium was sold out and it holds 14 or 15,000 people (depending on which publication you read).  We did have clouds during part of the viewing time, that helped decrease the intense heat for short periods of time, but for me viewing time was sufficient.
> 
> ...



It's been so weird for me the past few days seeing Carbondale talked about online in so many places where it seemed most folks kind of ignored that southern IL existed for the longest time (if I had a buck for every time I told someone I was from IL and they went 'oh, Chicago?' I'd be rich).

It's kind of neat, but also made me glad I don't work at SIU anymore (work for their 'competition' now, heh). I didn't have to deal with the zoo that Carbondale probably was yesterday.


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## annalee2003 (Aug 23, 2017)

No eclipse for us here. We're in the Bay Area and of course it was foggy the entire eclipse. We did notice it get a bit dark, kinda like right before a rainstorm. Nothing exciting though.


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## CaraBou (Aug 24, 2017)

It was way cool. I was under the path of full totality, camped in a remote area of Idaho.  I so appreciate public lands!


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