Totality

[AetherDream]

We have been planning our pit barbecue for this event for a year. Some of my colleagues wrote a bunny eclipse children's story for a Pre-K workshop that we held for the early childhood teachers from the community and school district. I did the illustrations in colored pencil. I am an astronomy enthusiast, so this was really amazing for me! We shared the story on the facebook page for my college. I also posted it on my DA page just for fun.

https://aetherdreams.deviantart.com/art/Where-did-the-Sun-Go-700189552?ga_submit_new=10%3A1503358919&ga_type=edit&ga_changes=1&ga_recent=1

It has been an exciting year at my university with our physics department planning for NASA and the big event today. There were a lot of people that came to town because the totality was the longest between Clarksville TN and Hopkinsville KY. We had about 2 minutes of darkness. I am still amazed by it.

 

[Dragonsegg]

We live outside Lenoir City, Tn and had 30 people over. It was a great party, and the eclipse was amazing. My favorite part was the 360 degree sunrise, the totality next and then those crescent shadows. My dogs favorite thing was all those people that forgot their plates of food to look at the sun.

 

[AetherDream]

We live outside Lenoir City, Tn and had 30 people over. It was a great party, and the eclipse was amazing. My favorite part was the 360 degree sunrise, the totality next and then those crescent shadows. My dogs favorite thing was all those people that forgot their plates of food to look at the sun.

I felt so fortunate today for my location. I had thought to go in to work today, but APSU was slotted to be jam-packed. It was much more fun to share it with my family than stand in the middle of the stadium with all the other people. The sunrise happened so quickly. It was so strange how even a small bit of the sun peeking out could cast down so much light.

 

[Bonnie2001]

Never saw it... busy working on settings and promos! lol

How could you not have got out to see something like that, assuming it was visible from where you live? Next chance won't be until 2024 apparently.

This was the path of yesterdays Eclipse:

 

[Bonnie2001]

There was an Eclipse over ireland in 1999. I wasn't born then but my Mum remembers watching it through welder goggles that a neighbour loaned her. He was a metalworker before he retired and he handed out goggles and welder glass to all the neighbours for the Eclipse. All we got yesterday was a partial Eclipse that we couldn't see for the cloud and rain. Next chane here will be September 23, 2090 when I'll be 89. Even then I'll have to find my way to the south to see the full thing.

 

[Daio]

The totality was amazing - ended up seeing it at the Nashville Zoo. But the crescent shadows afterwards were fascinating too.

 

[Miss B]

Ohhhh, thanks for posting that Daio. Everyone's been reporting and talking about them, but I couldn't fully visualize what they were referring to.

 

[AetherDream]

I love the little eclipse shadows. I know leading up to the eclipse, my eyes felt very strange and I had trouble focusing on things on the ground.

 

[Satira Capriccio]

Oregon previously had a total eclipse in 1979. While Portland was inside the path of totality (unlike this eclipse), and Corvallis was just inside, we were outside the path of totality in Eugene/Springfield. It was also early morning (Totality was 8:12 am ... too early for this night owl with a 2-1/2 year old) with heavy clouds and drizzle. So there wasn't all that much more to see than there was in Philadelphia for this eclipse.

So sad when Mother Nature conspires against you!

 

[SndCastie]

I had read there were concerns where solar panels were used for electricity. Here where I am, Con Edison offers you the choice of using solar panel service, though it's in addition to Con Ed's service, and it saves money on your bills. That said, the solar panels they employ are further north from us (don't recall exactly where), so probably within a much lower percentage area for the Eclipse. I was concerned there might be some loss of power, but not even a hiccup, as I was online the whole time.

could be it is the city that gives us our electric here so hard telling LOL I got it back some but not completely am working on it still trying to calibrate it

 

[AetherDream]

Oregon previously had a total eclipse in 1979. While Portland was inside the path of totality (unlike this eclipse), and Corvallis was just inside, we were outside the path of totality in Eugene/Springfield. It was also early morning (Totality was 8:12 am ... too early for this night owl with a 2-1/2 year old) with heavy clouds and drizzle. So there wasn't all that much more to see than there was in Philadelphia for this eclipse.

So sad when Mother Nature conspires against you!

I have a sister who lives in Sweet Home ORE and she said she was going to get a totality there. I have not had a chance to speak with her yet to see if she had seen it.

 

[Satira Capriccio]

I'm not sure why there were concerns about the eclipse affecting solar power. I see a lot of articles questioning the impact and going from "yeah right, we produce more solar power than is used at peak, so no biggie" to ... "the sky is falling!" I only found one article about what the actual repercussions were ... which was ...yeah. No biggie.

US power grid passes a test as eclipse reduces solar generation

According to NERC, there wasn't really any cause for concern.

August Solar Eclipse Not Expected to Impact Bulk Power System

Considering total darkness didn't really last all that long, and certainly, nowhere near as long as night lasts ... which happens every day, not just once in 40 years. And the majority of the US grid didn't even experience more than what you'd get from a stormy day, it sounds like it was more a Chicken Little type situation

If the entire US power grid was solar power, and the eclipse stretched coast to coast, border to border, one might expect a major impact. But considering the US isn't and never will be totally dependent on solar power, it really looks like it was mostly media hype.


I haven't spoken to my brother in Portland yet. Another brother lives in McMinneville, so they were in the path of totality.

 

[Miss B]

I think it was more not knowing, because the last Total Eclipse was almost 100 years ago, long before solar panels existed. Then again, there are those who have them on the roof of their homes, and I'm sure those panels would've been more in jeopardy than a solar farm, where there could be 100s of them, or more.

 

[AetherDream]

Well it seems to me that people use power at night and every night it gets dark for several hours without any impact. Since it was for such a short period of time, I doubt the reduction in power was any less than a typically cloudy day.

 

[Satira Capriccio]

Yes. This was the first coast to coast US total eclipse since 1918, but there have been 14 total eclipses in the US since that 1918 coast to coast eclipse.
Most total eclipses in the US hit only a handful of states.

March 1970, the East Coast experienced a total eclipse from Florida up through Virginia.
February 1979, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota experience a total eclipse.
July 1990, the Aleutian Islands (Atka, Amlia, Seguam, and Amukta).
July 1991, Hawaii.

I thought it odd California was so concerned about the impact of the eclipse, being it would "only" be a partial eclipse in California, with LA at 60% totality and San Francisco at 70%. It wouldn't even be during peak demand. At least, I wouldn't think morning was peak demand. But maybe I'm wrong about that. I've always thought peak demand was generally in the early evening.


The concern over the impact of the eclipse on solar power was really a conspiracy to get attention off US politics :wink:

 

[Miss B]

Unfortunately Satira, it didn't work.

 

[Miss B]

Well it seems to me that people use power at night and every night it gets dark for several hours without any impact. Since it was for such a short period of time, I doubt the reduction in power was any less than a typically cloudy day.

Yes, when you think about it, they would've stored up enough power during the day to get them through the night, and then stored some more up the next day.