SOLAR ECLIPSE AUGUST 2017 - it's not too early to plan!

tiger roach

Urban Bovine Knievel
So yeah the path of totality for this one cuts right across the good 'ol USA, no international travel required. Anyone with an interest in astronomy needs to make an effort to see it, end of story. And this is a spectacle that will also wow non-astronomy buffs. So bring the kids. :wink:

The tricky part though, and the reason we should be thinking about it two years in advance, is that eclipse viewing has been getting more and more popular in recent years, and people will be flocking here from all over the world to see it. So if you wait until 2017 to plan you are going to find all the lodging and campsites along the path of totality booked up early.

I had been thinking about just striking out on my own for this one, but I changed my mind and booked a tour with the group I have seen two other eclipses with. That way I don't have to stress about finding a good viewing spot, as well as the question of where to camp or stay. Eclipse tours are expensive though, even domestic ones.

Some of you may already be all over this. If not, here are some links to get you started:

https://www.eclipse-chasers.com/php/tseCalculator.php

http://www.mreclipse.com/Special/SEprimer.html

https://www.travelquesttours.com/all-tours/
 
I read about it in an issue of Astronomy magazine.......it really is going to cut right accross the mainland of the US.

I think (if memory serves) the only place that WON'T be able to see it is Northern New England.
:annoyed:
 
P.S. Make sure you get your sun filter for your scope, because you know they're going to sell out.

Excellent suggestion. You can also get filters for some binoculars, and bins are excellent for viewing the eclipse. (I have both but I may just bring the binoculars this time).

I read about it in an issue of Astronomy magazine.......it really is going to cut right accross the mainland of the US.

I think (if memory serves) the only place that WON'T be able to see it is Northern New England.
:annoyed:

Well to see totality, you need to be somewhere along the thin line you can see at the first link I posted. Seeing the partial phases is fine when you can't do any better, but a partial eclipse is NOTHING like totality.
 
Another map with the path of totality. The closer you are to being dead center, the longer totality will last.

2017eclipse.jpg
 
Very cool. Do you get a refund on your tour if it's cloudy? Tennessee or San Francisco in August seem kind of chancy.
 
Very cool. Do you get a refund on your tour if it's cloudy? Tennessee or San Francisco in August seem kind of chancy.

No refund, it is a risk. The other two I have seen both had serious cloud danger, it was a terror unlike any other I have experienced. :grin: Although in the end both were successful.

I was disappointed that I was unable to go on the trip this spring to see that eclipse from the Faroe Islands. That one ended up being completely clouded out.

The San Francisco tour for '17 is the one I'm going on - the viewing site for eclipse day is in central Oregon, the spot with the best weather prospects of the entire eclipse path.
 
Hmm. . .the youngest will have just turned four. . .that's old enough for a road trip to the middle of Oregon, right? :grin:
 
Neen lucky enough to see 2 totals in my life by total chance and thanks to the good old US Army sending me all over for a few years.

The first one was a rare overcast day in Panama that was a letdown. Except that it got totally dark at like 1300 in Panama. And the second one totally made up for it.
 
Back
Top