Solar Eclipse

genna

genna

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A Total Solar Eclipse is coming to USA this summer. I've never seen one, so i'm planning on flying to Smoky Mnts in NC/TN to observe this astronomical wonder. Who else is planning on watching it?

I'm sort of debating if it is better to view it from the ground or go up in the air and view it from the plane(this is the plan if clouds roll in).
 
I have kids and grandkids in Greenville, SC and Charleston, SC. Both cities are in the path of totality. We are definitely planning to be at one or the other of those two locations and watching from the ground. It's one of those things where I want to also see the look on their faces and won't be able to do that if I'm flying the plane.
 
I'm planning on seeing it. I'm from Michigan, and to fly anywhere along it's path from Missouri to South Carolina will be pretty much the same distance for me, so I'm waiting until the last minute to decide where I will see it, based upon weather. I'll probably fly part way towards the "clearest predicted location" the day before, stay the night, then fly the rest of the way in the morning. Some are predicting that it will be quite crazy, with the number of people driving and flying in to see it...guess we'll find out.
 
tawood said:
I'm planning on seeing it. I'm from Michigan, and to fly anywhere along it's path from Missouri to South Carolina will be pretty much the same distance for me, so I'm waiting until the last minute to decide where I will see it, based upon weather. I'll probably fly part way towards the "clearest predicted location" the day before, stay the night, then fly the rest of the way in the morning. Some are predicting that it will be quite crazy, with the number of people driving and flying in to see it...guess we'll find out.
Click to expand...

My original though was to do just that, stay flexible for weather reasons. But with more people involved, hotels getting scarce, and rather longish distance to travel, I decided to make a trip out of it. My wife have never been to the Smokys and we can spend a couple of days before the eclipse riding an mc around. For that, i had to get a hotel and rent an mc... At worst, I can fly/ride to a clearer location if weather becomes a factor. Or just go up through the layer if possible.
 
genna said:
My original though was to do just that, stay flexible for weather reasons. But with more people involved, hotels getting scarce, and rather longish distance to travel, I decided to make a trip out of it. My wife have never been to the Smokys and we can spend a couple of days before the eclipse riding an mc around. For that, i had to get a hotel and rent an mc... At worst, I can fly/ride to a clearer location if weather becomes a factor. Or just go up through the layer if possible.
Click to expand...
I figure (and hope) that staying 200 nm away from the actual eclipse area the night before should cut down on the crowd. Plus, I'm not above just pitching a tent under the wing if its just one night.
 
genna said:
A Total Solar Eclipse is coming to USA this summer. I've never seen one, so i'm planning on flying to Smoky Mnts in NC/TN to observe this astronomical wonder. Who else is planning on watching it?

I'm sort of debating if it is better to view it from the ground or go up in the air and view it from the plane(this is the plan if clouds roll in).
Click to expand...
I'm planning to see it. Im in SE Tennessee, just a few miles from the predicted path. Looking forward to it.
 
Ryanb said:
I'm planning to see it. Im in SE Tennessee, just a few miles from the predicted path. Looking forward to it.
Click to expand...

If weather permits, I hope to view it from Cherohala Skyway. Right on the center line of the totality... Might be crowded though :(
 
I think I'll
"Fly my (Bonanza) up to (North Carolina)
To see the total eclipse of the sun. ...)

because I like to be where I should be all the time . . .
 
"He flew in to Nova Scotia, to see the Total Eclipse of the Sun"
 
just be sure to look at the cloud cover probability before spending any $$$ . ..

Smoky Mtns is prob the single worst place to be weatherwise on the entire path. . . .

Go look at the weather discussions for the eclipse path - they are all over the web - Fred Espenak usually is pretty accurate with probability.

If you are mobile - as in you have an airplane - then it solves the problem - just check the satellite the morning of and adjust from there -
 
genna said:
If weather permits, I hope to view it from Cherohala Skyway. Right on the center line of the totality... Might be crowded though :(
Click to expand...
That should be an excellent vantage point. Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge and the area surrounding the Smokies is always a busy and over-populated area, hopefully you'll be able to get up there for it!
 
I was a new pilot in 1979. sooo with all 4 buts in a rented cherokee 140, we watched the eclipse from 10,000 ft on an over cast day near seattle..
then,,, i ran it out of gas! another story..
this year, i will fly from seattle to oregon,, not far,,, in my new to me,,, my own cherokee.
still navent brung it home from boise,,, still at the sellers...
 
Let me tell you a story about a man named Jed . . . . er, about the weather for 1991 Solar Eclipse in Hawaii.

This was the first really hyped event I'd attended. It's also the event I learned that over-hyped = over priced and all you need to do is be patient. We got a condo on the big island last minute - paid about 1/3rd of what they were trying to get for it a month earlier. Everyone was told to drive up to the Kohala coast, sunniest spot in Hawaii, lowest amount of clouds, best view etc etc etc etc. So, 4am the morning of the eclipse the entire condo complex left - slamming doors and starting cars and yelling to remember the cooler etc etc etc.

Everyone told me later there were massive traffic jams out of Kona that day - took 2 hours to get to the Kohala coast- and - it ended up raining all morning. Low Clouds- all you saw for the eclipse was that it got dark.

OTOH, I stayed in bed until 6am. Turned on the TV, saw the HNL TV weather guessers blathering on about kona winds and leeward showers all day. It has been nasty humid the last couple of days as the trades had died out - hence my desire to stay close by and check the actual weather not the climate forecast.

Woke up - looked out the window - when the eclipse started [the partial phase] we looked for a big hole in the mid level cloud deck - I looked out to sea - and there it was - a huge hole coming onshore to our south. We jumped in the car - headed down toward Captain Cook - the road was empty heading south and jjammed heading north - we pulled over at a view point - about 715a the hole moved right over us - the 4 min eclipse started at 727, lasted til 731 - and we went out to breakfast. . .

We watched it with a bunch of native hawaiians who did the same thing - and KNEW that with Kona winds it would be raining in Kohala.

So - the moral of the story is don't be a lemming.
 
I saw the last eclipse that was visible in the US from the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon in 1979. I saw the 1999 eclipse in Hungary and met the gal that became my wife there. She's flying back to Oregon with me to see the eclipse this summer. We found a B&B in the high desert, right on the path of totality with a grass runway. We booked a cabin there 2 years ago. They sold out a few months after we booked our cabin. I wouldn't advise flying during the eclipse because you'll miss too much. To watch the eclipse unfold, you need to wear REALLY dark protective eyewear that would preclude seeing the panel or anything else outside the airplane. That would be a real waste. If you can get to high ground with a clear view in all directions you can watch the progress of the eclipse AND look back to the west to see the line of the shadow racing toward you at 3,000 mph! That is a rush! The stages of the eclipse include some remarkable views that are worth buying a small telescope and a solar filter to see. I'm not a professional photographer, but my pictures of the eclipses I've seen clearly show the solar prominences surrounding the periphery of the moon during totality. It is a remarkable natural event and the fact that is will be visible from coast to coast across the US this summer is an incredibly rare opportunity to see one of nature's most spectacular shows.
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