# How dark will the April 8 Solar Eclipse be where I live? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 13, 2024, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dark-will-the-april-8-solar-eclipse-be-where-i-live/998782 "2024-03-13T01:46:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dark-will-the-april-8-solar-eclipse-be-where-i-live/998782/41 "2024-03-27T06:45:41Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > It is a bit exasperating for those of us who live very far from the path and are spending thousands of dollars to reach it to hear from those who are _nearly_ there already and can’t be bothered to make a short trip! Everybody doesn’t get to do everything. Last year, Mr. Rilch and I and some friends got to see Aerosmith on what was almost certainly their last tour. There are people further west than us who still have tickets that may never be used or refunded. Where we are will be somewhere between 97% and 99%. And it might rain. Also, short trips can be more exasperating in their own way than long journeys. So we’re not going anywhere, SNS. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dark-will-the-april-8-solar-eclipse-be-where-i-live/998782/42 "2024-03-27T13:54:02Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > It is a bit exasperating for those of us who live very far from the path and are spending thousands of dollars to reach it to hear from those who are _nearly_ there already and can’t be bothered to make a short trip! I wonder if it might be helpful to choose the things that exasperate you a bit better. You don’t know everything going on that can make things difficult for families. ---
**Author:** ![Honolulu\_Lulu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/87869e/32.png) [@Honolulu\_Lulu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honolulu_Lulu)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dark-will-the-april-8-solar-eclipse-be-where-i-live/998782/43 "2024-03-27T13:58:01Z")
The thrill of totality can not be described until you’ve seen one. I, myself, am driving from Albany to Rochester, NY or Vermont depending on weather that morning. Each is about 3-4 hour away and I plan to start right after breakfast. If you plan to hop in your car and get to Toledo 15 minutes before totality, you will have trouble. If you start out 3-4 hours before the eclipse and head into the eclipse, (e.g. Fremont, OH). Don’t take I-90, take US 20 instead. Have a quiet lunch and then find a football field with a good view of the sky. You won’t be alone. Five minutes after totality, the thrill is over… Beat the traffic and start home. By the time you pass through Toledo, the crowds should be gone. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dark-will-the-april-8-solar-eclipse-be-where-i-live/998782/44 "2024-03-27T16:44:41Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > It is a bit exasperating for those of us who live very far from the path and are spending thousands of dollars to reach it to hear from those who are _nearly_ there already and can’t be bothered to make a short trip! I liken it to me, if someone offered me free tickets to see Taylor Swift and I said thanks, but No Thanks. Whatever floats your boat. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dark-will-the-april-8-solar-eclipse-be-where-i-live/998782/45 "2024-03-27T17:10:15Z")
The fewer disinterested fools who are out and about hogging space in the good locations before, setting off fireworks or camera flashes during, and clogging the roads after the better. IMO YMMV etc. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dark-will-the-april-8-solar-eclipse-be-where-i-live/998782/46 "2024-03-27T21:01:37Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I wonder if it might be helpful to choose the things that exasperate you a bit better. Don’t judge me. I don’t use Facebook or watch news on TV, so I don’t get worked up nearly enough to meet FDA nutritional requirements. This sort of exasperation may be thin gruel, but it’s all I have. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dark-will-the-april-8-solar-eclipse-be-where-i-live/998782/47 "2024-03-27T22:24:16Z")
Having experienced totality in 2017, I would say the Eclipse has 3 main aspects. 1: everything up to the high 90’s is interesting as you look up. 2: from the high 90’s up to but not including 100% things seem different, shadows get strange and it gets some of a daytime darkness effect. 100% is magical with a hole in the sky. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dark-will-the-april-8-solar-eclipse-be-where-i-live/998782/48 "2024-03-27T22:30:44Z")
I can’t get the eclipse simulator site to connect. I’m in Philadelphia. I would love to drive to the opposite corner of the state to see totality. I don’t have a car. I cannot get the time off work. What will I see over the city of brotherly love please? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dark-will-the-april-8-solar-eclipse-be-where-i-live/998782/49 "2024-03-27T22:41:49Z")
Philadelphia will get around 90%. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2024, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dark-will-the-april-8-solar-eclipse-be-where-i-live/998782/50 "2024-03-28T01:19:05Z")
Thanks! and ooooh! ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2024, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dark-will-the-april-8-solar-eclipse-be-where-i-live/998782/51 "2024-03-28T17:42:26Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Probably better with trees and wildlife, so you can see the birds go back to their nests, hear the crickets come out, see the weird pattern the shadows of the leaves make on the ground. But the parking lot will be right there by Walmart where I can go in if I need a snack Won’t the walmart parking lot be too well lit up? Streetlights on tall poles,neon signs, headlights from cars,etc. Plus all the usual light pollution of a city. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2024, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dark-will-the-april-8-solar-eclipse-be-where-i-live/998782/52 "2024-03-28T23:21:02Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Won’t the walmart parking lot be too well lit up? > Streetlights on tall poles,neon signs, headlights from cars,etc. Plus all the usual light pollution of a city. You’re overestimating how dark it gets. I watched the 2017 eclipse from a highway rest stop, complete with lights on top of the buildings (bathrooms and whatnot), lights illuminating the paths, etc. The exterior building lights came on but that was it. Didn’t affect my enjoyment of the eclipse at all. The darkness is comparable to twilight, not dead of night. ---
**Author:** ![3AxisCtrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/ecd19e/32.png) [@3AxisCtrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3AxisCtrl)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dark-will-the-april-8-solar-eclipse-be-where-i-live/998782/53 "2024-03-29T13:17:04Z")
I agree with this, heard recently: “Settling for 99% totality is like driving 99% of the way to the Grand Canyon.” ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2024, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dark-will-the-april-8-solar-eclipse-be-where-i-live/998782/54 "2024-03-30T15:15:48Z")
I was in the path of totality for the 2017 eclipse, but it was overcast and rainy most of the day so I didn’t get a really good look at the eclipse. The thing I found fascinating was the horizon - it had that just-after-sundown glow, but _in all directions!_ So be sure to not just look up, but look around. My wife missed the last one due to work, so we’re planning on catching this one and hopefully the weather is better this time. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dark-will-the-april-8-solar-eclipse-be-where-i-live/998782/55 "2024-04-03T17:05:51Z")
A couple of relevant xkcd cartoons. [Coolness](https://xkcd.com/2914/) [Clouds](https://xkcd.com/2915/) ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2024, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dark-will-the-april-8-solar-eclipse-be-where-i-live/998782/56 "2024-04-05T02:26:59Z")
> [@Honolulu\_Lulu](#): > > The thrill of totality can not be described until you’ve seen one. I, myself, am driving from Albany to Rochester, NY or Vermont depending on weather that morning. Each is about 3-4 hour away and I plan to start right after breakfast. For those of you who aren’t following the “main” eclipse thread: I’ve posted [a map](https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=167Bs0ApCOmI4vnec4fJFIqNzi80kIzE&usp=sharing) where people can drop pins to show where they will be viewing from. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2024, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dark-will-the-april-8-solar-eclipse-be-where-i-live/998782/57 "2024-04-05T03:42:06Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > For you it’ll be as dark as the seconds just before sundown for you. For those in the path of totality, it will be as dark as just after sundown; it doesn’t get really all that dark. It’ll look odd because the direction of the light will be different (at least if the sky is clear, as people noted in the annular eclipse in the 90s). But everybody says totality is much more dramatic, and even though I’ve never see full totality\*, I believe them competely. \* To be exact, I was in the path of totality in the Gaspé Peninsula in 1973. Unfortunately, there was a thin layer of clouds, so I could see the sun blink out, but not the corona. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dark-will-the-april-8-solar-eclipse-be-where-i-live/998782.md?page=2)