April solar eclipse

[ChopAndDrop]

it was a mess for me trying to fly in the morning, had cloud cover and some storms, but Memphis Center was on a “Ground Stop” they would not issue IFR clearances. A few other planes also were stuck on the ground, even though storms had passed, but then the cloud cover prevented us from going directly there VFR. Eventually, I was running out of time and I asked to do a VFR takeoff , canceling my IFR flight plan they said no flight following or Services would be available.
I had to climb up to 10,500 feet to pick my way through /above the clouds to make it northwest towards Cape Girardeau (CGI).

Knowing where the clouds were and how much trouble I had picking my way through/ above them, I’m kinda curious if some of those planes I saw on ADS-b tracks were people saying “just send it” for a few seconds through the thin layer, we will never know. It was all-clear once I got north of TN/KY.

The Cape Girardeau FBO did a really good job organizing things. I got there pretty late because of lack of IFR services, but landed just a few minutes before totality. was able to see it with clear skies, was amazing experience.

Cannot capture how you have a black spot covering up the sun and then the white tendrils coming out from the sides. In person It looks totally different than anything you can get from a picture.

There’s a really good barbecue restaurant on the field at CGI had a good brisket sandwich while they refueled the plane then took off VFR. It was really busy a little bit like Oshkosh but everything was well organized. We got out of there OK and later in the flight was able to pickup IFR to cross the clouds coming back.

Im glad I was able to fly, I heard the traffic situation on highways was jammed.

 

[Ed Haywood]

it was a mess for me trying to fly in the morning, had cloud cover and some storms, but Memphis Center was on a “Ground Stop” they would not issue IFR clearances. A few other planes also were stuck on the ground, even though storms had passed, but then the cloud cover prevented us from going directly there VFR. Eventually, I was running out of time and I asked to do a VFR takeoff , canceling my IFR flight plan they said no flight following or Services would be available.
I had to climb up to 10,500 feet to pick my way through /above the clouds to make it northwest towards Cape Girardeau (CGI).

Where are you based?

 

[Jim K]

Im glad I was able to fly, I heard the traffic situation on highways was jammed.

We elected to drive because I was afraid of how busy the skies would be, and honestly we're close enough flying wouldn't save that much time. I kind of regret that now after hearing everyone else's stories. Driving wasn't that bad either though. We stayed off the interstate; it took us 1:30 to go down and 2:00 back up.

 

[Racerx]

Or some of the morons floating around today who have no idea why. One of The View ladies attributed it to global warming.

I heard some say the New York quake was from global warming.

 

[EdFred]

I heard some say the New York quake was from global warming.

At least with earthquakes one could make a case for that. Melted ice caps puts more water in the oceans which could put additional stress on certain fault lines. But cicadas and eclipse? YGTBSM.

 

[Skyrys62]

A lot of sh** is from global warming. Just think if we were still in the ice age

 

[AV8R_87]

Ended up flying to an airport south of the path of totality and driving, crossing the border into Canada from Vermont. The trip back was complete chaos, but the sky was absolutely clear, only a few people around us and the view was superb. I'll set a reminder for the next one in 20 years.

 

[AV8R_87]

I kinda feel bad for the folks posting the “who cares” memes as it tells me they’ve never seen a total eclipse in person. This was my first and it was as promised. The most stressful part of the who thing was figuring out where to go from VA…looking at everything from OH to Vermont. Pretty much everything in VT was pre-filled by the time I called this morning at 5:30am. Ended up going to Bucyrus OH (shout out to airport manager Kevin Detray, his crew was awesome!) and had just some high thin scattered cirrus not was a non-issue.my son just turned 9 and this was the best son-dad day trip.

The air traffic was amazing, particularly immediately after. The ATC pros were top notch working immense volumes of spam cans returning home after the big show. The ads-b traffic looked like OSH times 10.

You can never convince them until they see one in person. Pictures and videos don't do it justice.

I'm feeling a touch Humbled. I was in the I don't care crowd until I saw it. Now we're discussing a trip to Iceland in 2026 to see that one.

I just kind of figured the moon was going to get in the way and it was going to get dark like most solar eclipses. I was not expecting that moment where everyone takes the glasses off and that ring is just hanging in the sky. that was just something else.

Glad we got you on the dark side now. Have fun in 2026. I'm thinking about watching one in the upside-down hemisphere, need to figure out when there will be one in Australia.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I listened to liveatc.net as I sat at our house on Lake Champlain just south of Burlington, Vermont. The frequency was busy and pilots were advised to remain clear of the Class C airspace and also told that Boston Center was not accepting VFR flight following nor IFR pop-ups.

I'd love to have had a long lens camera on the eclipse at about 50% when an aircraft flew right across the visible sun as seen through eclipse glasses. It would have been an unbelievable coincidence to have photographed it, but it was still a little surreal in real life.

A gal by the name of Kendall Rust captured American 2246 crossing over the totality in Jonesboro, AR:

The kids and I headed down to KAJG Mount Carmel, IL today. PERFECT weather, about 80 planes showed up but the crew at the airport was absolutely great and everyone had a blast! Its days like today that make me realize how fortunate we all are to have the ability to fly our own airplanes to do things like this!

Cool! That was originally going to be my destination, but I switched for several reasons. Had a very nice conversation with the airport manager there, though. Ditto on us being fortunate to be able to travel this way!

This eclipse was very different from the one in 2017; that one looked like a hole in the universe, it was scary. This one occurred during solar max so the entire sun was surrounded by a corona extending about 1/3 of the sun’s diameter in all directions; the effect made it not scary at all.

The coolest thing was a prominence we watched at about the 7 o’clock position; it was bright red and I estimate it to be 1/50th of the sun’s diameter or 16,000 miles tall—the height of two earths stacked on top of each other. In my life I’ve been privileged to see a lot of natures wonders—surfaced at the North Pole and climbed many very high mountains— but nothing compared to this.

Interesting! I liked this one more, I didn't think either was scary, but this time the totality lasted longer and the solar flares were so cool to see with the naked eye!

My former secretary took this picture along Champlain during totality. That's not a sunset because it's 3:30 in the afternoon on a sunny day, and the weird lighting was like this for 360 degrees on the horizon around you. Truly spectacular event.

Yes! I like this picture because if you look in the side windows of the plane, you can kind of get the 360º effect.
View attachment IMG_6708.JPG

They were calling this guy nonstop on guard yesterday afternoon. He flew the Chicago lakefront back to WI, well inside the VIP TFR.


A subscription to G.P. or Foreflight would of been well worth it, or check Notams.

Must have been after I landed... I listened to guard all the way home looking for some entertainment, and all I got was meows.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I'm feeling a touch Humbled. I was in the I don't care crowd until I saw it. Now we're discussing a trip to Iceland in 2026 to see that one.

I just kind of figured the moon was going to get in the way and it was going to get dark like most solar eclipses. I was not expecting that moment where everyone takes the glasses off and that ring is just hanging in the sky. that was just something else.

There was a naysayer in an eclipse group on Facebook afterwards yesterday, and there were a number of interesting responses to him about how it's different to be in totality, and how it affected various people. Here was my response:

"There really are no words that can adequately convey the experience of a total solar eclipse. I think when you're at 90% it's still kinda like the eclipse glasses are VR goggles and you're seeing something on a screen. When totality hits and the glasses come off, suddenly you're 100% in the real world and the sun is really gone and it's dark and cool and the moon has a halo and it's the middle of the day but there's sunset all around you and night above you and you can see the moon except you can't and it's the most crazy, weird, unforgettable, truly awesome few minutes most people will ever experience."

I Mooneyed to Princeton, KY to see the 2017 eclipse, and that day is the day I started planning to see this one. It is such a cool experience! I doubt we'll make the trip to Iceland, but given that I'll be 70 the next time a big eclipse happens in the USA, I wouldn't mind traveling for more. Nome, AK in 2033 might be a good one.

I was down at Carbondale's MDH and the controllers did an awesome job routing all of their VFR and IFR traffic. I couldn't pick up my clearance in the air (as predicted). There were probably 70ish airplanes parked on 24. It was well worth the trip, and burning 0.5 hobbs on the taxi out.
View attachment 127650

Hah! I see myself and my plane in that pic. If you look at the gap in the planes facing away right above the taxiway sign, I'm the one facing toward you, I'm standing near the wingtip on the left. MDH did a really good job, with some festivities, lots of parking, and great controllers.

There were some pilots that didn't do so hot, but that's to be expected when there's enough of us in one location. But, ATC sorted everything out and some of us got a bit of extra flight time.

 

[iamtheari]

I missed my chance to see the 2017 eclipse. The totality centerline was within 400 nm of my home, so it was kind of dumb not to make the minimal effort it would have taken. I thought for sure I'd miss the chance to see this one, too, and have to wait 20 years for the next eclipse to come to me. I started out last January thinking that I should book a hotel or AirBnB in Niagara Falls. I ended up not doing that, and I'm glad I didn't given the stories I've heard about reservations getting cancelled for spurious reasons (all because the profiteers didn't plan ahead like their reserved guests did) although my main reasons were lack of buy-in from my family to meet up there and the relative likelihood of cloud cover in that location.

As it was, I just barely got a plan scraped together at the last minute and departed on the first leg of the flight to see the eclipse on Thursday morning with about a 50-50 chance of scrubbing and just going home after my meeting that day. We finally got back in the air around 5:00 p.m. and had to play a bit of an escape room game to get to our lodging 8 hours later. We repositioned a couple days later to stay with family slightly closer to the eclipse path without imposing on them quite so long. And then, yesterday, called for my IFR clearance and departed into a wild adventure dodging storms. We didn't get to the centerline, but made it comfortably into the totality band and out of the clouds in time for the show. A helpful controller at Little Rock (who, after I thanked him for letting us fly the wrong direction for 10 minutes, said he stepped out and got to see the eclipse as well) and a healthy altitude a couple miles up gave us a great show.

We stopped two more times for fuel and food along the way home and dodged some more weather (snow this time) for a landing just before 3:00 a.m. Then I had to get up and drive a couple hours for a meeting at 9:00 a.m. today. I would be exhausted even without the 2,560 nm of flying (not counting diversions) that added 19.9 hours, 2.0 IMC, and 8.1 night to my logbook. I won't mention which FBO outside but near the path of totality had let some very discourteous person take the courtesy car for a 3-hour drive to a "fly-out" event to see the eclipse, but I hope he at least had the excuse of his plane having blown an engine that exact morning.

I have no basis for comparison with viewing from the ground. But watching from the air was awesome. Even in our plane 2 miles up, it got markedly cooler during totality. As the moon swept over the sun, the lighting and colors started to feel very wrong. Totality was awesome. If any of my pictures turn out, I'll try to post them here.

This was not an easy trip and the outcome was in doubt until the sunlight began to dim. But I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

ETA:

 

[Feh]

Hah! I see myself and my plane in that pic. If you look at the gap in the planes facing away right above the taxiway sign, I'm the one facing toward you, I'm standing near the wingtip on the left. MDH did a really good job, with some festivities, lots of parking, and great controllers.

There were some pilots that didn't do so hot, but that's to be expected when there's enough of us in one location. But, ATC sorted everything out and some of us got a bit of extra flight time.

So funny, sorry for the blurry pic lol .. Speaking of getting out, I was trying to pick up my IFR clearance and spent like 15 minutes with a "comm issue" lol, turns out I was wearing my wife's headset and vice versa *HEADPALM* .. but never seen such professional ATC and Ground Control, definitely no Oshkosh but it was a considerable line getting out but Ground churned out like 20 clearances in less than half an hour. A TBM850 in front of me had a rejected takeoff in front of me. Hope he was OK after.

 

[OKDonn]

We flew to just north of 4O4, Idabel OK, circled for about 8 minutes and came straight home. Had to climb over a layer of clouds, with a thin cirrus layer above us. We ended up at 13k ft. The view of the sunlit area around the totality was really cool. The photos don't do it justice. This one was shot with an 11mm lens - 126° field of view. We're just on the NE edge of the totality here. Great fun!

 

[Ed Haywood]

I missed my chance to see the 2017 eclipse. The totality centerline was within 400 nm of my home, so it was kind of dumb not to make the minimal effort it would have taken. I thought for sure I'd miss the chance to see this one, too, and have to wait 20 years for the next eclipse to come to me. I started out last January thinking that I should book a hotel or AirBnB in Niagara Falls. I ended up not doing that, and I'm glad I didn't given the stories I've heard about reservations getting cancelled for spurious reasons (all because the profiteers didn't plan ahead like their reserved guests did) although my main reasons were lack of buy-in from my family to meet up there and the relative likelihood of cloud cover in that location.

As it was, I just barely got a plan scraped together at the last minute and departed on the first leg of the flight to see the eclipse on Thursday morning with about a 50-50 chance of scrubbing and just going home after my meeting that day. We finally got back in the air around 5:00 p.m. and had to play a bit of an escape room game to get to our lodging 8 hours later. We repositioned a couple days later to stay with family slightly closer to the eclipse path without imposing on them quite so long. And then, yesterday, called for my IFR clearance and departed into a wild adventure dodging storms. We didn't get to the centerline, but made it comfortably into the totality band and out of the clouds in time for the show. A helpful controller at Little Rock (who, after I thanked him for letting us fly the wrong direction for 10 minutes, said he stepped out and got to see the eclipse as well) and a healthy altitude a couple miles up gave us a great show.

We stopped two more times for fuel and food along the way home and dodged some more weather (snow this time) for a landing just before 3:00 a.m. Then I had to get up and drive a couple hours for a meeting at 9:00 a.m. today. I would be exhausted even without the 2,560 nm of flying (not counting diversions) that added 19.9 hours, 2.0 IMC, and 8.1 night to my logbook. I won't mention which FBO outside but near the path of totality had let some very discourteous person take the courtesy car for a 3-hour drive to a "fly-out" event to see the eclipse, but I hope he at least had the excuse of his plane having blown an engine that exact morning.

I have no basis for comparison with viewing from the ground. But watching from the air was awesome. Even in our plane 2 miles up, it got markedly cooler during totality. As the moon swept over the sun, the lighting and colors started to feel very wrong. Totality was awesome. If any of my pictures turn out, I'll try to post them here.

This was not an easy trip and the outcome was in doubt until the sunlight began to dim. But I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

Wow, you EARNED that eclipse!

 

[Albany Tom]

Saw it from Philadelphia NY, just north of Watertown. Pretty much in the middle of the path. Very light clouds at the beginning, so we could watch the eclipse start, then cloudy, but there was a break right at totality that gave us a nice view.

The area news did several different specials on the local town's prep. Traffic was much less than expected, which was nice. They did some interviews at the Watertown airport. The airport said they expected something like 75 planes to come in, but only ended up with 20 something. We drove.

With the baby earthquake last week, and the eclipse this week, I kinda want to find a baby tornado or something next week...

 

[whitepines]

I was down at Carbondale's MDH and the controllers did an awesome job routing all of their VFR and IFR traffic. I couldn't pick up my clearance in the air (as predicted).

I can't even imagine what the controllers were going through. Spent over 45 minutes waiting in line on Alpha for IFR release on departure, it was a complete zoo with all the traffic and ZKC just couldn't accept any more departures. That was after a ground stop earlier in the day when they couldn't accept any arrivals. Coming in I got to do impromptu slow flight on approach for landing traffic, which was actually kinda fun, but you could definitely see the issues trying to sequence everyone. Side note, not Center's doing, but I never did understand why the ATIS said RNAV and tower immediately switched everyone to visual, maybe someone forgot to record a new ATIS?

The eclipse itself was absolutely worth it, and I'd rather get stuck in ground traffic in an airplane than a car. Totality is it's own animal, the near instant silence and lack of light and wind are just plain eerie. Seeing the white whispy tendrils coming off of our somewhat important fusion reactor is really cool, none of the pictures (including mine) really do them justice...

 

[PPC1052]

I am still flabbergasted by our extreme luck. We live in the path of totality. My wife had several family members fly in from all over the country-- (Florida, California, Montana) to come see the eclipse and to have an excuse for a family get together. The weather was crap up until Monday, with some forecasts showing clouds for the day. But Monday, when I woke up there were almost no clouds at all. The weather warmed up to the low-mid 70s and the clouds stayed away. We had a perfect view of the eclipse from our back patio. And then we had perfect weather for a cookout with the family afterwards.

I have always thought that eclipses were cool, but I never really understood the difference between 99.9% and 100%. It was amazing. The pictures are cool, but they will never do it justice. We could really see the extremely bright red "bead" on the bottom portion of the sun.

On top of everything else lining up so perfectly, to be able to get such an amazing eclipse event (even as far as total eclipses go), I just feel incredibly lucky.

 

[Randomskylane]

Someone please tell me why the moon is bigger in some pictures than others. Is it based on quality of the filters? I don’t think the difference between ground and 5,000 feet in the air would matter much

Someone sent me a video where the moon was basically a dot blocking half the sun (like a bullseye and the next ring in a target) while the various photos here show total blockage

 

[EdFred]

Someone please tell me why the moon is bigger in some pictures than others. Is it based on quality of the filters? I don’t think the difference between ground and 5,000 feet in the air would matter much

Someone sent me a video where the moon was basically a dot blocking half the sun (like a bullseye and the next ring in a target) while the various photos here show total blockage

Camera quality.

Best I could do with a Galaxy S9 and holding some welding glass (green tint) over the camera and eclipse glasses (orange tint) over the camera. When it hit totality, it was no filters. There was a lot of messing with ISO and shutter speed to try and get something. Some pictures were shot landscape and some portrait and when copied over from the camera orientation doesn't always match up, so that's why the crescent is "wrong" in a few.

2024 Solar Eclipse - Eagle Creek, Indianapolis

 

[Ed Haywood]

Missed this one, but the 2045 path goes right over the top of BOTH my properties! I can choose between FL and CO. Assuming I make it that far, of course, as I would be 81 then. Fingers crossed!

 

[AV8R_87]

Missed this one, but the 2045 path goes right over the top of BOTH my properties! I can choose between FL and CO. Assuming I make it that far, of course, as I would be 81 then. Fingers crossed!

81 is the new 65, you'll make it with time to spare!!
Here's a stretch goal for you, stick around for the next appearance of Halley's Comet in 2061.

 

[AV8R_87]

Someone please tell me why the moon is bigger in some pictures than others. Is it based on quality of the filters? I don’t think the difference between ground and 5,000 feet in the air would matter much

Someone sent me a video where the moon was basically a dot blocking half the sun (like a bullseye and the next ring in a target) while the various photos here show total blockage

The corona (solar atmosphere) extends past the moon and can be quite bright. If the camera or phone used to take the picture used a long exposure, the corona will be even more visible and much larger than the moon. Most phones are used in automatic exposure mode, so they will severely overexpose eclipse shots, causing the corona to appear much larger. That will make it look like the moon is much smaller than the sun.

Here's a purposeful example below, showing how exposure time alone can change the image (1/1000s exposure time on the left, 1/15s on the right):

 

[EdFred]

The corona (solar atmosphere) extends past the moon and can be quite bright. If the camera or phone used to take the picture used a long exposure, the corona will be even more visible and much larger than the moon. Most phones are used in automatic exposure mode, so they will severely overexpose eclipse shots, causing the corona to appear much larger. That will make it look like the moon is much smaller than the sun.

Here's a purposeful example below, showing how exposure time alone can change the image (1/1000s exposure time on the left, 1/15s on the right):
View attachment 127697

Which are still way better than the pictures I took due to camera quality.

 

[Mxfarm]

I'd rather had av gas than the $$ spend on a 'filter' for a 'device'....

 

[iamtheari]

81 is the new 65, you'll make it with time to spare!!
Here's a stretch goal for you, stick around for the next appearance of Halley's Comet in 2061.

I'll be 62 the next time there is a total eclipse over my house. The mean age reported by tombstones in my line is 65. That's what ultimately pushed me to go the extra mile (or two) to see this one. I can hope for the longevity shown in other branches of the family but didn't want to rely solely on that.

Here's a purposeful example below, showing how exposure time alone can change the image (1/1000s exposure time on the left, 1/15s on the right):

Thank you for sharing that. I planned ahead for some of this by bringing a good camera and lens and using manual focus. I just wish I had also packed enough skills and knowledge to go full-manual and experiment with different exposures--which seems obvious today but somehow didn't come to mind in the few short minutes available on Monday. My picture (post #171 above) was full frame, 300mm, f/5.6 in aperture priority, and the camera (Sony A7 III) picked 1/320s and 1600 ISO. The full-resolution picture is better, of course. I really like seeing your less-exposed pictures of the corona.

I guess I have 20 years to build a proper solar observatory at home while I await the next total eclipse's arrival over the lower 48. (I'm not even considering a 2033 trip to Alaska.)

 

[bkspero]

We flew into Plattsburgh NY(near center of totality) on Sunday in good VFR conditions and drove to Montreal on the edge of totality . Weather was good at both spots. Plattsburgh, an ex Air Force base, has a massive ramp and a 11700+ ft long runway. When we arrived Sunday we were the 3rd plane tied down there, and the FBO told us Tuesday that they had about 50 for the eclipse. Flight home Tuesday was ideal. Clear, moderate tail wind at 8500 ft, no turbulence, and NY Bravo controllers waited until the last minute to descend us thru the Bravo into our home base.

Montreal threw a party for 100,000 at Parc Jean Drapeau. Free eclipse glasses, food trucks, entertainment, massive video screens for the entertainment (and which would have projected NASA video of the eclipse it it had been cloudy). People were having a good time enjoying the party and living with the inevitabilities of 100,000 people being all in one place at the same time. Wait for the Metro to leave was daunting...but no one was complaining or pushing for an advantage. Just enjoying an exceptional day.

 

[Chrisgoesflying]

My pictures suck. during totality the moon looks like a little dot over the sun lol. but it was spectacular in person.

 

[AV8R_87]

I'd rather had av gas than the $$ spend on a 'filter' for a 'device'....

My filter cost me a grand total of $25 and an 30 minutes to assemble. Used a cheap UV filter sized appropriately for the lens ($10) and a 4"x4" sheet of ND5 solar filter ($15). Removed the cheap glass from the filter, cut the solar filter sheet to the right diameter and mounted it in the filter frame.

I just wish I had also packed enough skills and knowledge to go full-manual and experiment with different exposures--which seems obvious today but somehow didn't come to mind in the few short minutes available on Monday.

Practice makes perfect. I honed some of the skills on the 2017 eclipse, plus a lot of reading beforehand on photography forums to make sure I got it right.
One important takeaway - use exposure bracketing on the camera for as many stops as you can. In my case, I did 7 shots spaced 2 stops apart, in RAW mode. That way I could push/pull the exposure in-between the shots if needed. ISO 100 f/8 at 400mm. Used a cable release, took pictures without even looking at the camera for the most part. It was a case of enjoying the view with the naked eye as much as possible.

My picture (post #171 above) was full frame, 300mm, f/5.6 in aperture priority, and the camera (Sony A7 III) picked 1/320s and 1600 ISO.

That is a great shot!

We flew into Plattsburgh NY(near center of totality) on Sunday

How full was it? I tried making a reservation there on Saturday, after the weather turned sour at my primary and back-up locations, and was told they were full and not accepting any more.

 

[bkspero]

That is a great shot!

How full was it? I tried making a reservation there on Saturday, after the weather turned sour at my primary and back-up locations, and was told they were full and not accepting any more.

When I drove away at 3PM EDT Sunday there were 3 planes tied up near the FBO. All 4 seat single engine piston. When I returned Tuesday, they told me that they had 50 planes there for the eclipse. That's a fair amount, but no way near filling up the ramp. Even just the ramp near the FBO. See this satellite image showing the FBO (AvFlight) near the lower left, and the small commercial terminal at the northern end of the ramp (https://www.google.com/maps/place/P...-73.4669592!16zL20vMDhndGtn!5m1!1e4?entry=ttu). There are a few small GA planes on the ramp near the FBO that you can use for scale. I think it would be pretty easy to fit 150 small GA planes on the ramp just near the FBO and not come close to encroaching on the taxi lane. But it would take a team of people to marshall and service the planes. They didn't seem to have that set up. Also, I recall them telling another pilot that they would have to watch the eclipse from outside the fence due to insurance requirements. And space there was more limited.

So my guess is that limited access for those reasons not not because ramp space was full.

 

[WDD]

Eclipse was nice - was is Southern Illinois to see it. Was going to fly in but day after return trip weather forecast was poor so drove 9 hours each way. Yeah - got to get my own plane so I can fly in and just sit it out without needing to get plane back for next renter.

 

[WDD]

Here is an interesting math problem that I'll let someone else figure out:

How fast would your airplane have to be to follow the eclipse path and remain in totality from Texas to Maine?

1500 mph

 

[DJTorrente]

I'm feeling a touch Humbled. I was in the I don't care crowd until I saw it. Now we're discussing a trip to Iceland in 2026 to see that one.

I'm not exactly regretting, but disappointed, I didn't make the effort to get myself into the path of totality (in NJ, saw 91%). I have ties to Rochester, NY, and was there to see an annular eclipse in 1994. I think it might be optimistic to expect to see the 2045 eclipse in the US, actuarially speaking.

I'm thinking the next best opportunities (GenAv access aside) include North Africa in 2027. The path of totality just brushes Southwest Spain on the Med, includes Morocco, actualy goes south of Algeirs, and passes almost directly over Luxor Egypt. Seeing it from the cradle of civilization, the Valley of the Gods.

In 2028 a total eclipse crosses Australia, damn near skewering Sydney and also hitting NZ.

 

[David Loftus]

Eclipse from 10,500

 

[GaryM]

This is a late trip report, as I avoid posting trip plans to social media until after I'm home.

We planned to drive to upstate NY. The forecast wasn't great, but it looked like the best odds were to get as far east as we had time for, on the southern shore of Lake Ontario. We ended up at the delightful town of Sodus Bay. In town we enjoyed a brewed-just-for-the-occasion black lager called Totality, then set up at a primo spot right on the beach. But, the overcast arrived well before the eclipse. We saw nothing of the sun, though of course it got much darker for 3 1/2 minutes.

We hedged our bets by spending the day before in Ithaca; It had been 20 years since I had a chance to wander around my grad school alma mater, then the day after we had planned a trip to Niagara Falls--my wife had never been there.

So the trip worked out ok, but if I were to post my best eclipse photo, it might be this, taken under blue skies the next day:

 

[Lowflynjack]

Spent my day at a friends place for the eclipse. We had an amazing day!

Photo taken by Darren Galatas. I'm in the bottom righthand corner sitting down by my telecope with a blue hat on.

Hopefully I'll get some of Skot's toys in the air soon to get better photos!

 

[SoonerAviator]

Spent my day at a friends place for the eclipse. We had an amazing day!

Photo taken by Darren Galatas. I'm in the bottom righthand corner sitting down by my telecope with a blue hat on.

Hopefully I'll get some of Skot's toys in the air soon to get better photos!

Eclpises AND Staggerwings? Must be something you see once in a blue moon.

 

[Lowflynjack]

Eclpises AND Staggerwings? Must be something you see once in a blue moon.

LOL, yep. I've got five Staggerwings I need to shoot! I'm way behind!

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

Anddd the expected reports suggesting eye damage from this activity when done poorly.
Plus recalled eclipse glasses sold online or at retailers.

Eye injuries after solar eclipse surge following phenomenon

A number of people sought medical treatment for their eyes following Monday's solar eclipse, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat tells Fox News Digital, while Google searched also spiked.

www.yahoo.com

 

[40YearDream]

Drove to Muncie Reese 7I2. Only a small group there. Amazing sight, well worth the 4 hour drive. The drive back to Michigan (6+ hours) was not so great. Would have flown there, but all the club airplanes were booked.
Psalm 148:3 "Praise ye him, sun and moon: Praise ye him, all ye stars of light."

 

[sourdough44]

Lots of good eclipse pictures. I took a few but nothing like those with specialty equipment.