# The Eclipse Day Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 21, 2017, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eclipse-day-thread/794277 "2017-08-21T14:07:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![KAndre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@KAndre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KAndre)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eclipse-day-thread/794277/61 "2017-08-21T18:40:37Z")
For us here in Houston, the real miracle was the temperature drop - we were standing around in the parking lot, marveling that it only felt like 85 degrees at 1 pm! Hell had to have frozen over! And the little crescents of the sun on the ground through the leaves of the trees. One of the joys of working in the R&D dept, we had a number of homemade viewers. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eclipse-day-thread/794277/62 "2017-08-21T18:45:13Z")
According to the internet we are having a 94% partial eclipse today. Otherwise I wouldn’t have known about it–since going outside and looking at it at the maximum it just looks like a heavily clouded day. According to the internet there were going to be massive traffic jams all over so I was thinking of starting at 5 am for a normal 4 hour drive–to get there early enough to avoid all these massive jams. But looking at Google it’s green all over (no congestion). According to the internet there was a substantial chance of cloud cover where I was thinking of going–and that turned out to be correct–so I made the correct decision in not going. ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eclipse-day-thread/794277/63 "2017-08-21T18:46:52Z")
Seattle had about 92% coverage at 10:20am. It did get slightly darker, but it was pretty subtle. Had a good view from the observation deck of my building. It was fun to see all the groups of people on the skyscraper roofs. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eclipse-day-thread/794277/64 "2017-08-21T18:48:45Z")
I have to admit, this is kind of cool. It’s only partial here but the sun is out in a clear blue sky but it’s like someone turned down the dimmer switch. Neat. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eclipse-day-thread/794277/65 "2017-08-21T18:53:05Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > I have to admit, this is kind of cool. It’s only partial here but the sun is out in a clear blue sky but it’s like someone turned down the dimmer switch. Neat. Yeh. In the Detroit area, and it’s a weird, dim reddish quality. Got some good photos of projecting the image through my binoculars on a piece of paper. And also of the crescent shaped dapples of light through the trees, and my blinds. The sunlight is very slight, even though it’s high in the sky. Other-worldly. I hope to see totality in Cleveland in April 2024. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eclipse-day-thread/794277/66 "2017-08-21T18:53:33Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > I think the clouds are going to ruin it for me…oh well, maybe in 30 years… Nevermind, I lied. Thanks to the nice ladies at the doctor’s office downstairs, we were able to look through the clouds and see it…it looked like a crescent moon, except it was the sun Thanks pediatric nurses! ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eclipse-day-thread/794277/67 "2017-08-21T18:55:40Z")
\*\*Critically IMPORTANT safety tip: If you’re driving home right away …TAKE OFF YOU ECLIPSE GLASSES\*\* Please … ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eclipse-day-thread/794277/68 "2017-08-21T18:56:38Z")
Here in western New York, we got about a 70% eclipse. Which I can now confirm is not spectacular. 30% sunlight is apparently indistinguishable from 100% sunlight. If I hadn’t know there was an eclipse occurring, I wouldn’t have noticed. Looking forward to 2024. ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eclipse-day-thread/794277/69 "2017-08-21T18:57:56Z")
97% was the peak here in Atlanta, it was kinda awesome. The most amazing thing to me wasn’t how dark it got. It’s how dark it DID NOT get. Even at peak coverage, it was still well illuminated in the parking lot outside my office. The sun is powerful, ya’know? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eclipse-day-thread/794277/70 "2017-08-21T19:03:52Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Here in western New York, we got about a 70% eclipse. Which I can now confirm is not spectacular. 30% sunlight is apparently indistinguishable from 100% sunlight. If I hadn’t know there was an eclipse occurring, I wouldn’t have noticed. > > Looking forward to 2024. Yep. I think it was only a 62% eclipse here in eastern Ontario with absolutely no distinguishable difference from any other day. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eclipse-day-thread/794277/71 "2017-08-21T19:04:33Z")
81% here in the DC area. It was cool to see the sun go from a circle to a small crescent. No definite drop in light or temperature although the clouds have come in and the rain started now. Disappointed that my patients were not excited to see it (I had extra glasses) but at least the staff and I got a look.2024 will be even closer. Maybe I’ll try to go to the totality zone then. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eclipse-day-thread/794277/72 "2017-08-21T19:05:18Z")
Peak was 94%. Outside it wasn’t very noticeable, but indoors it got significantly darker, as if there was a heavy overcast. I went into a wooded area, where the gaps in the tree leaves made numerous natural pinhole cameras, so along the ground there were clusters of overlapping foot-high (30 cm) narrow crescent sun images. ---
**Author:** ![Randolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eclipse-day-thread/794277/73 "2017-08-21T19:08:08Z")
crowds mostly dispersed … very few survivors … most slain during frenzied peak but horrors kept on … down to scavenging, nothing left, nothing … ladyfingers they taste just like ladyfingers ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eclipse-day-thread/794277/74 "2017-08-21T19:10:02Z")
I think I was at 86%, and I gotta tell ya, even less impressive than Mt. Rushmore, which was the most disappointing place I’ve ever seen. Yawn. I went to the DMV, hoping it would be empty. Again, disappointment. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eclipse-day-thread/794277/75 "2017-08-21T19:11:03Z")
The three-lobed eye… ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eclipse-day-thread/794277/76 "2017-08-21T19:11:26Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Yep. I think it was only a 62% eclipse here in eastern Ontario with absolutely no distinguishable difference from any other day. Looking outside it was difficult to see a difference. The main difference that I noticed was that my apartment, which gets very little direct sunlight, was noticeably dimmer despite the sky being mostly clear. It looks more like a cloudy day in here. Nothing too exciting though. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eclipse-day-thread/794277/77 "2017-08-21T19:34:44Z")
That was pretty cool here in the path of totality (Nashville). We battled some very big cumulous clouds so it was touch and go, with the sun being obscured (eclipsed, you might say) by clouds every few minutes. But we mostly saw it, including most of the 2+ minutes of totality. One of the coolest effects was the sunset all over the horizon, and the city skyline lit up like a late summer evening. The streetlights came on, but it never did get fully night-time dark like I expected. Most like post-sunset dark. I saw one or two stars, but only the very brightest ones. Cicadas had be buzzing happily earlier, but fell silent. We saw flocks of birds scatter but who knows if that was related. It got really quiets, although we heard sirens and fireworks in the distance. It was cool. Very cool. _Totally_ cool. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eclipse-day-thread/794277/78 "2017-08-21T19:47:58Z")
The drop in light was subtle almost up to totality, and I might not have noticed if I hadn’t known about it. After maybe 60%, you could tell it was a little dimmer than it had been 5 minutes ago, but you wouldn’t notice it dimming in real time. The temperature drop was probably more noticeable. Then in the minute leading to totality, it was like someone turning down the dimmer. We saw weird ripply shadows on the wall of a building, and all we could figure was it must be thermals. And then totality hit and you see the corona hanging in the sky, and it’s simply indescribable. I’ll be hard-pressed to summon the energy to stick my head outside for a 99% partial eclipse next time, but I’ll travel days to see totality again. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eclipse-day-thread/794277/79 "2017-08-21T19:50:55Z")
Well, lost a lot of light, shadows are still hard, critters are not acting crazy, not a lot of movement this time of day anyway. Most interesting and am glad I did not drive a long ways to maybe get a better view. I am old nuff and been around nuff to have seen a few and even a total. Since I understand the science it is not awe inspiring to me. A rare occurrence for most people. The fact that things are the right sized, in the right orbits is a lot more awe inspiring to me. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eclipse-day-thread/794277/80 "2017-08-21T19:52:24Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > The drop in light was subtle almost up to totality, and I might not have noticed if I hadn’t known about it. After maybe 60%, you could tell it was a little dimmer than it had been 5 minutes ago, but you wouldn’t notice it dimming in real time. The temperature drop was probably more noticeable. > > Then in the minute leading to totality, it was like someone turning down the dimmer. **We saw weird ripply shadows on the wall of a building,** and all we could figure was it must be thermals. And then totality hit and you see the corona hanging in the sky, and it’s simply indescribable. > > I’ll be hard-pressed to summon the energy to stick my head outside for a 99% partial eclipse next time, but I’ll travel days to see totality again. Bolding mine. That’s most likely from the Bokeh Effect. You get the weirdest, coolest shadows from non-round light sources. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eclipse-day-thread/794277.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eclipse-day-thread/794277.md?page=5)