I appreciate this perspective, thank you. I have never experienced a TSE. I am fearful of overcast in my area at that time of year. It’s more than 50% likely on that date and will really, really piss me off. But it now makes me wonder whether a TSE with overcast skies, though visually a much lesser spectacular thing, might still be something worthwhile?
I say yes, it is worth it. I’ve only been to one TSE and one annular, but… Part of the experience includes seeing how bright your surroundings are even when the sun is blocked 75%, 80%, 90%. With cloud cover you’ll still see that but you won’t be able to tell how blocked the sun is. So have with you the info from, e.g., here:
Tap on your location in this map. If, e.g., you’ll be in Indianapolis, the eclipse start and end info is this:
| Event (ΔT=69.1s; alt.=221m) | Date | Time (UT) | Alt | Azi | P | V | [LC] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start of partial | |||||||
| eclipse (C1): | 2024/04/08 | 17:50:36.4 | +57.8° | 182.1° | 229° | 04.3 | |
| Start of total eclipse (C2): | 2024/04/08 | 19:06:06.1 | +53.2° | 214.4° | 033° | 11.8 | -0.2s |
| Maximum eclipse (MAX): | 2024/04/08 | 19:08:01.2 | +53.0° | 215.1° | 141° | 08.2 | |
| End of total eclipse (C3): | 2024/04/08 | 19:09:56.1 | +52.8° | 215.8° | 249° | 04.6 | -2.9s |
| End of partial eclipse (C4): | 2024/04/08 | 20:23:14.8 | +42.4° | 238.2° | 053° | 11.6 |
You’ll have to convert to local times and have an accurate time piece (a smart phone is enough or you can check https://time.gov.
The other aspect of the experience you’ll get even with overcast skies is the animals. As totality approaches you’ll notice some of behavior. For me in Idaho in August 2017, I remember the sounds of cattle lowing, and the sights of flocks of birds circling in the sky. But the most dramatic part of the experience is that just before totality starts, the temperature dropped about 10 degrees.
But you have to be fully in the path of totality. Not so much on the fringes of the path. Get close to path center.
I think it’s well worth it
Also, for the annular eclipse last October, when the sun was mostly blocked it was amazing how our surroundings were not that dark. I did not notice any marked dimming of the surrounding landscape. That’s pretty incredible. Here’s one of the shots my brother got.
So, even at the height of annularity the earth was still pretty well lit by the blocked sun.
From my balcony in Montreal, I’ll have almost two minutes of totality. It’s not worth the 75-minute drive to the Price Chopper parking lot in Plattsburgh NY to get an extra two minutes.
I was surprised by this too. The only real indication was weird shadows.
The human visual system has an amazing capacity to adjust to a wide range of light levels. The illuminance on a bright sunny day can be over 100,000 lux, while the illuminance on a cloudy day can be as little as 10 lux. But we don’t perceive a cloudy day as anywhere near 10,000 times dimmer than a sunny day. That’s part of the reason why partial eclipses are so underwhelming compared to total eclipses.
If I had the intestinal fortitude, I’d go to Enchanted Rock . If the weather cooperates, that’s going to be a party
Enchanted Rock isn’t that difficult a climb. Just take it a bit slow if you’re not in the greatest shape
The hike around the base is pretty nice, too, if you’ve the time for it
I remember 2017 and it wasn’t until just before totality that I noticed any change in the surroundings. it’s amazing how little surface is needed to keep things lit up.
Same here. But, see @markn_1 ’s post about 3 or 4 back. I’m pretty sure that’s what happened to us.
Ah, I didn’t quite finish my train of thought here. So if the sun is even as much as 99% covered, that takes the brightness down from 100,000 lux to 1000 lux. That’s still 100 times brighter than a very cloudy day. So no wonder we don’t really notice much diminution of brightness in a partial eclipse.
I don’t know that I have the fortitude for parties at Enchanted Rock anymore, either, but as we’re talking about the Texas hill country and looking at the sky, a bit of a diversion:
If any of you do go to Enchanted Rock on a clear night, I can highly recommend staying on top of the granite dome after the sun goes down. Lying down on the top of the dome, the ground drops away from you on all sides, so in your entire field of view, you can only see stars.
Just plan to stay up there after dark, so bring some flashlights and stuff so you can get back down.
I did that once. It is awesome
Oh I’ve been there too! And climbed it. It’s right in the path of totality. Would be so very cool to see the eclipse there.
So since I live in SE Michigan, it’s only a couple hour drive into Ohio to get myself in the path of totality. I’m thinking of playing hookey from work and taking a day trip to check it out. It’s been a long time since I experienced an eclipse, and I think the last one I did was only partial in my area.
Anybody else planning on making the trip to the path of totality, or already live in the area, and are planning to observe it?
I see on Amazon there are a wide range of eclipse glasses for sale. Are these generally safe to use? Are some better than others? If I make the trip, I want to observe it directly, not do the boring cardboard-pinhole trick from when I was a kid. But I’d also like to, ya know, not get permanently blinded.
Should I plan for heavy traffic on the way down and back? I have absolutely no idea if there will be enough other people with the same idea as me that it will cause traffic issues. Am I wildly overestimating others’ interest to take the same trip to the extent that I actually think it might cause traffic issues?
They are, provided they are not knock-offs. They are some listed branded Celestron (a well known telescope manufacturer) and sold direct by Amazon. I think that’s as safe as you can get.
The other alternative is welding glass. There doesn’t seem to be a consensus on whether #12 is dark enough to be safe, but I find the ultra-conservative recommendation of #14 is just too dark. I settled on #13, which is a little harder to find - but I wanted to get it from a specialist welding supplier rather than Amazon anyway, to be sure that it’s genuine. It’s a piece of glass, so not suitable for kids - I protect the edges with tape & cardboard.
Thanks for the recs, Riemann!
Also thanks to @John_DiFool and @puzzlegal for leading me to the proper thread 
NASA has an eclipse safety page to let you know what to look for. Any eclipse glasses should comply with ISO 12312-2
Some brands that should work include Lunt, Soluna, and Celestron as long as they aren’t fakes or knockoffs
I am going to Lake Erie College at 1, they is having a viewing event, come meet me!