US Eclipse - April 8, 2024

[kmclemore]

There's a total solar eclipse coming in April, 2024, with a center that goes DIRECTLY over our house on Lake Champlain. It promises to be an exciting event, and will be the last total solar eclipse in our area of the US for what will probably be my lifetime, so you can bet we'll be up there for it.

We're inviting folks to come join us, if they like. The lake will be far too cold to swim, but it will definitely be thawed, so boating should certainly be fine. If anyone wanted to bring their Mac, they could anchor offshore of our house or at one of many nearby marinas (assuming they reserve in advance).

We also have several acres for campers and RV's (or Mac's on trailers!) at our house, and we're right on the water, so that's also a possibility.

Anyone interested in joining us should let us know by fall of this year so that we can arrange for their visit. We will NOT have room inside our cottage, as our sons will be visiting with their girlfriends.

On the map below, our house is located where the red line crosses Lake Champlain, on the New York side of the lake (just above the "V" in Vermont on this map). We're on the tip of Point Au Fer.

[C Buchs]

This is a very generous offer. Google says that it's a 3,000 mile/45 hr drive for me. So I don't think I'll be able to bring the boat. I'm definitely planning to travel so I see this one. I just have to figure out where. I'll keep this in mind and let you know.

Jeff

[NiceAft]

This is a very generous offer. Google says that it's a 3,000 mile/45 hr drive for me. So I don't think I'll be able to bring the boat. I'm definitely planning to travel so I see this one. I just have to figure out where. I'll keep this in mind and let you know.

Jeff

If there are any generous Mac owners in Buffalo, that can cut off a couple of hours (maybe more) from your trip.

[Stickinthemud57]

Here in Grapevine, Texas we are in the path of totality for about 2 and a half minutes. This will be cool.

[kmclemore]

Reminder for this upcoming event. If you want to bring your Mac and anchor offshore, use one of our (2) marina slips at Barcomb’s Marina in Rouses Point, or just want to park your Mac on our property and use it as a camper, please let us know so we can include you. We are beginning to pull together the list of folks coming up. Thanks!

[OverEasy]

Definitely something to put in the planning tickler file!!
Sounds like a great idea!

[kmclemore]

Yep, the point of greatest darkness literally goes right over our lake house. I won’t be using either of our slips that early in the season, and they are only 3 miles north of the house. They’re up for grabs!

[OverEasy]

Hi Kmclemore!

How did it go with the eclipse?

We couldn’t make it up to Lake Champlain.
Bummer!
We are hoping that it went well even though it appeared cold in the weather app forecasts.

Due to our changing plans we’re staying in SC till the end of June or July before heading North this year. So we went to the beach to watch our partial eclipse of 70%.

Warm at the mid 70s with brilliant clear blue skies. Picked up subs and chips on the way. Got settled in plenty of time. Fair amount of people at the beach for a Monday. Local Schools had the day off too!

Had our eclipse glasses on hand and enjoyed the show! Even took a couple pictures to share…












While not a ‘totality’ the ambient light was measurably diminished and the temperature definitely dropped. There was also an observable thermal breeze shift preceding and following the event. Neat!

Best Regards to All!
Over Easy

[NiceAft]

We had 90% coverage in Philly. Not the spectacle of totality, but always fascinating to watch.

CNN posted this image a lucky photographer captured.

[Russ]

I think we had 30% and it looked like an Apple logo.

[NiceAft]

I think we had 30% and it looked like an Apple logo.

[Stickinthemud57]

We live in Grapevine, Texas (Northern tip of the triangle formed with Dallas and Forth Worth), so we were in the path of totality for the event. We were afraid that clouds were going to ruin the whole thing, but we got lucky and were able to view the eclipse through its totality (with appropriate eye protection, of course).

I have witnessed several partial eclipses, but seeing the Sun completely blotted out by a black-as-h*ll disc was a profound and surreal experience. We were amazed how relatively bright things were leading up to totality, even when there was only a sliver of the Sun showing, but when the Moon blocked it out entirely, everything went dark - similar to what you see about 30 minutes after sunset.

We live a few blocks from an elementary school, and were amused by the shouts, screams, and cheering that came up from the students as they watched.

Once in totality, I did look at the spectacle without eye protection, reasoning that all I would see would be the corona, if that. I made a point to not look for more than a split second just the same. The absolute and sharp-edged black dot that was the sun was striking. It's easy to imagine how freaked out the ancients were at the sight. I did see one of the little red "beads" at the edge. A bit of coronal ejection I think?

Not a life-changing experience, but a profound one indeed. It's interesting to note how the close apparent size match between the Moon and Sun has facilitated study of the Sun's corona and also as a tool to prove Einstein's theory of relativity.

Anyway, very cool. I'm glad I got to see it. Even with clouds trying to interfere, I got a pic.

[NiceAft]

Thanks for sharing. Great pix.

[kmclemore]

Just now seeing this thread - been busy up here on Lake Champlain with visitors and such.

It was an amazing experience. We had what I think is the perfect place to view the eclipse… at our lake house, on the tip of Point Au Fer (NY) , high on the cliff, facing south and overlooking the lake, with virtually a 360 degree view. I rarely use this word, but…. that truly was was AWESOME. No Mac folks joined us, but we had a house full of family and friends who stayed over.

The wildlife were fascinating. The cormorants usually feed during the day in King’s Bay, and at night they fly up to the old railway bridge where they roost for the night. When the sun was disappearing and it began to get truly dark, they suddenly all flew out of the bay en masse and started heading up to the bridge… then 5 minutes later they all came flying past the other way, back into the bay again. It must have been quite confusing for them!

[kmclemore]

… and a couple of videos…

https://drive.google.com/file/d/11pWTuh ... p=drivesdk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1y3DsvD ... p=drivesdk