# Solar eclipses: partial vs totality **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 20, 2017, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-eclipses-partial-vs-totality/782593 "2017-03-20T05:55:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2017, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-eclipses-partial-vs-totality/782593/101 "2017-03-28T01:23:38Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Nice. I’ll be staying with a friend who lives 20 miles north of the totality path. Same here, we’ll leave in the morning and head south based on the weather.I’ll be in the west part of the state, around Smiths Ferry. That’s exactly where we’ll be. We’ve driven through there many times, and wonder how crowded the roads will be. ---
**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 28, 2017, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-eclipses-partial-vs-totality/782593/102 "2017-03-28T04:47:24Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > That’s exactly where we’ll be. We’ve driven through there many times, and wonder how crowded the roads will be. I’ve never driven through there before but I’ll scout it out on my way up to my friend’s place in McCall. Over on expeditionPortal we’re talking about going up onto Snowbank Mountain. I certainly have not been up [that Jeep trail](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Smiths+Ferry,+ID/Snowbank+Mountain,+Idaho+83611/@44.3928685,-116.0796344,12z/data=!4m8!4m7!1m2!1m1!1s0x54af56af7c3db4e1:0x836c4010ea7d4321!1m2!1m1!1s0x54a5fddb3d9233c3:0xad07028c08f9fe31!3e0) either, and I’ll likely scout that out, too. It’d be good to be atop a mountain. Of course, the weather will determine our destination. Heck, we may end up way east, towards Obsidian, or even Chilly ID. We shall see. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2017, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-eclipses-partial-vs-totality/782593/103 "2017-03-28T05:08:01Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > If you don’t have a motel reservation yet … then you don’t have to worry about getting one … they may well be already full … the challenge will be finding a place to park along side any and all public roads … all the roads were bumper-to-bumper with parked cars _the day before_ the eclipse in 1979 … in spite the fact _it was fucking raining_ … I tried two weeks ago to get a hotel room in Salem, Oregon (the closest city of any real size) and not only did no one have openings, but on the secondary market they ran $300 and up even for divey motels. It’s a lot cheaper to get a room in Portland and then travel down to Salem. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2017, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-eclipses-partial-vs-totality/782593/104 "2017-03-28T09:26:24Z")
We made our reservations in Hopkinsville, KY _last summer,_ and had to pay $400. I’m afraid that, due to gridlock, we may have to view the eclipse from the hotel’s parking lot. In 1991, I couldn’t get a room at all, on the entire Big Island of Hawaii. I had to get a room on Maui, and fly in to the Kona Airport for the eclipse… which was mainly rained out, except for a brief break in the clouds during Totality. ---
**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 28, 2017, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-eclipses-partial-vs-totality/782593/105 "2017-03-28T11:17:40Z")
I hope there’s no gridlock in western Idaho. Just in case, I might have to get up super early, maybe 2am, to make the 90-min (according to the map) drive from McCall up to Snowbank Mountain, just to get in place super early. If I find a place, it might be 4am. We can snooze a bit in the car, and I can grill some breakfast. I’d need to bring some of my tailgating gear, comfortable chairs, and a table. Then it’s waiting it out the 5 hours until the eclipse starts at 0911. Having a bathroom nearby might be an issue. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2017, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-eclipses-partial-vs-totality/782593/106 "2017-03-29T01:51:50Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > I’ve never driven through there before but I’ll scout it out on my way up to my friend’s place in McCall. Over on expeditionPortal we’re talking about going up onto Snowbank Mountain. I certainly have not been up [that Jeep trail](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Smiths+Ferry,+ID/Snowbank+Mountain,+Idaho+83611/@44.3928685,-116.0796344,12z/data=!4m8!4m7!1m2!1m1!1s0x54af56af7c3db4e1:0x836c4010ea7d4321!1m2!1m1!1s0x54a5fddb3d9233c3:0xad07028c08f9fe31!3e0) either, and I’ll likely scout that out, too. It’d be good to be atop a mountain. Wow. That view will be awesome. > [@Bullitt](#): > > I hope there’s no gridlock in western Idaho. Just in case, I might have to get up super early, maybe 2am, to make the 90-min (according to the map) drive from McCall up to Snowbank Mountain, just to get in place super early. If I find a place, it might be 4am. We can snooze a bit in the car, and I can grill some breakfast. I’d need to bring some of my tailgating gear, comfortable chairs, and a table. > **Then it’s waiting it out the 5 hours until the eclipse starts at 0911**. Having a bathroom nearby might be an issue. Excellent plan. Not that you asked. Being old farts, Mrs. C and I will be down on the flatland with our 25’ trailer, as close as we can get to Point Zero on paved/improved roads. Idaho is relatively unpopulated north of the totality zone, and McCall is well off the beaten path; I suspect crowds will approach from the south, Boise in particular. BUT… I thought the eclipsing begins at **10:11 Mountain Daylight Time**. ?? ---
**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 29, 2017, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-eclipses-partial-vs-totality/782593/107 "2017-03-29T04:07:59Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Wow. That view will be awesome. > > Excellent plan. Not that you asked. > Being old farts, Mrs. C and I will be down on the flatland with our 25’ trailer, as close as we can get to Point Zero on paved/improved roads. > Idaho is relatively unpopulated north of the totality zone, and McCall is well off the beaten path; I suspect crowds will approach from the south, Boise in particular. > > BUT… I thought the eclipsing begins at **10:11 Mountain Daylight Time**. ?? I didn’t realize ID is on MDT not PDT. Thanks for that. And good to know about our plan! Thanks, Mr. C. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-eclipses-partial-vs-totality/782593/108 "2017-04-05T05:05:29Z")
It just occurred to me that any large parking lot within, or even relatively near, the totality zone will be packed solid, and people may make quite a bit of money charging for parking on their lawns. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-eclipses-partial-vs-totality/782593/109 "2017-04-05T10:30:06Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > It just occurred to me that any large parking lot within, or even relatively near, the totality zone will be packed solid, and people may make quite a bit of money charging for parking on their lawns. Keep in mind that the totality zone is gi-freaking-normous. Something on the order of 500,000 square kilometers. There is room for every person on Earth to fit in the totality zone with their own few hundred square feet of space. You’ll be fine. It crossed my mind last night that this may very well end up as the most photographed single event in human history. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-eclipses-partial-vs-totality/782593/110 "2017-04-05T13:40:44Z")
I would really like to see this eclipse, but have procrastinated and have no plans yet. Living in Connecticut, I’d have to fly in somewhere. Any advice as to where I might look? I need an airport within driving distance, a rental car, and a place to stay (or at least a legal campsite). I’d like to go to Yellowstone, but expect that it was booked up long ago. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-eclipses-partial-vs-totality/782593/111 "2017-04-05T14:38:05Z")
Looks like the airport in Columbia, South Carolina is in the path of totality … Nashville, Tennessee … Casper, Wyoming … I’m a little shocked at the prices, maybe driving is cheaper? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-eclipses-partial-vs-totality/782593/112 "2017-04-05T15:40:53Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Looks like the airport in Columbia, South Carolina is in the path of totality [GSP](http://www.gspairport.com/) is, too. And [Charleston](https://www.iflychs.com/). (That’s an idea–it would be fun to watch it from a beach. Too bad it misses Myrtle–I saw Hale-Bopp from there.) ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-eclipses-partial-vs-totality/782593/113 "2017-04-05T16:48:10Z")
St Louis and Kansas City are very close if not within the border of totality … maybe cheaper prices for a flight into these bigger airports … ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-eclipses-partial-vs-totality/782593/114 "2017-04-05T22:05:16Z")
I don’t think this has been addressed: where can I see a map showing the path of partial eclipse? How far north or south would I have to be not to see any eclipsing? ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-eclipses-partial-vs-totality/782593/115 "2017-04-06T01:34:10Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > I don’t think this has been addressed: where can I see a map showing the path of partial eclipse? How far north or south would I have to be not to see any eclipsing? I just Googled “2017 eclipse” and clicked the image button to get [**this page**](https://www.google.com/search?q=2017+eclipse&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwje-rXP147TAhVB5WMKHZ4SBIYQ_AUICSgC&biw=1851&bih=952) … lots of maps to choose from there … ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-eclipses-partial-vs-totality/782593/116 "2017-04-06T05:27:35Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > I don’t think this has been addressed: where can I see a map showing the path of partial eclipse? How far north or south would I have to be not to see any eclipsing? Here’s an imprecise map. In short, the entire continental U.S. will experience some degree of eclipse. [http://addins.kwwl.com/blogs/weather/2016/08/total-solar-eclipse-occurs-august-21-2017](http://addins.kwwl.com/blogs/weather/2016/08/total-solar-eclipse-occurs-august-21-2017) And here’s NASA’s site. > **[NASA - Total Solar Eclipse of 2017 Aug 21](https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2017Aug21Tgoogle.html)** > > This page is part of the NASA Eclipse Website. > It uses Google Maps to create an interactive map of the > \