Question For Eclipse Totality Veterans

[design_mom]

We were in totality this time and while I'm not sure it's "life-changing," I do think it's something I'll remember forever.

Our home was in the path of totality so we didn't have to travel, but we only had 1 minute 45 seconds of totality. If we'd been near the center line it would have been almost 4 minutes. I thought 1 min 45 seconds would be "plenty" to see what there was to see, but it was not. I was not ready for it to be over.

The light quality really changed as it got close to totality (it almost looked like artificial light -- very white, not nearly as yellow as normal sunlight), and then seeing the halo during totality was very cool. I got goosebumps and it wasn't from the temperature change. I dunno... I think it's one of those large-scale things that make you realize how tiny you are in the world/universe (like seeing the Grand Canyon or standing at the edge of the ocean... but even moreso.)

I would stop short of saying it was life-changing, but it was kind of a big deal. If you have the opportunity to experience it sometime, I definitely recommend it!

 

[WEDWDW]

Great responses.

I just saw what has to be the ultimate take on what it is like to view Totality.

Someone posted:

"The only thing I have done in my life that compares to watching Totality was watching the Birth of my son."

Could that response possibly be just a little "over the top"?!lol

Or could it be that great for some people so as it compares to the Birth of a Child?

We are already deciding between Spain in 2027 or Australia in 2028.

I have never seen ANYTHING described the way this thing is described-I MUST see one!

 

[irlandaise]

Great responses.

I just saw what has to be the ultimate take on what it is like to view Totality.

Someone posted:

"The only thing I have done in my life that compares to watching Totality was watching the Birth of my son."

Could that response possibly be just a little "over the top"?!lol

Or could it be that great for some people so as it compares to the Birth of a Child?

I'm not surprised that someone made that comparison. I was trying to come up with a response the other day to people who were saying, "Well, I've seen a partial eclipse, and you people who are traveling to see the total eclipse are obviously just wasting your time and your money." I wanted to tell them that someone who's never seen a total eclipse has as little standing to make that remark as someone who's never given birth or watched a birth has to make remarks that diminish the profundity of that experience.

I eventually decided that it wasn't worth my effort to argue with those people, but I was distressed to see how many online posters were making such remarks last week.

I'm very pleased to see reports here from people who did make the effort and are now urging friends to do so for a future eclipse!

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Having only seen 85% Eclipses I am intrigued as to what makes Totality so awesome with comments like "Life Changing","Greatest thing I have ever seen","It made me cry",I was speechless" being common.

For those who have experienced Totality is it the RARITY of the event that makes it so amazing or is it that the event is so beyond spectacular that nothing else in Nature compares.

Let's say that Sunsets where the Sky becomes "on fire" with spectacular colors everywhere only happened once every 18 months somewhere on the Earth and every other day the Sun just plopped down below the Horizon without a hint of any color.

And let's say that Total Eclipse with Totality happened EACH day everywhere.

Would things be reversed and people would say "I saw a Sunset in my 20s and it was the most amazing thing I have ever seen-I hope to see another one before I die.".

And would people occasionally say things like "Honey,hurry,Totality is so good today,you need to see it ,it is even better than yesterday" or "Honey I booked us a Totality Cruise when we go on Vacation this Summer."

Or would people say that seeing that once in a lifetime Sunset was really cool,but it doesn't compare to the daily Totality.

So is a big part of experiencing Totality the rarity of it or is it just so darn SPECTACULAR that the most magnificent Sunset doesn't even compare.

Life changing? Uh no. Greatest thing I have ever seen uhhhh no. Made me cry uhhhh no. Speechless? Uhhhh no.

Am I glad I got to see it? Yes. Way cool? Yes. The reason I always say if you can at all swing it, get to the path of totality is a total eclipse is just wayyyy better than an 85% or even a 99%. And nobody that hasn't experienced a total for themselves live can really evaluate just how much better it is because it is only while experiencing a total that I saw how fast the light came up once even a sliver of the sun came back out or what the sun looked like while totally eclipsed.

As for those on the net that say it's a waste of time well so is getting on a message board to say it's a waste of time. HAHA.

 

[Robber Baron]

We went to a spot with 100% totality for the 2017 eclipse. We went to Harrah's Casino in Cherokee, NC.

It was amazing. The color changes, the ripples of light on the ground, temperature drop, etc, it was just all so cool.

We were planning a trip to this years eclipse to another spot with totality and we were looking to go to San Antonio.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, after 25 years of trying we were chosen in the Masters Lottery for tickets for, guess which day?

The Masters handed out customized glasses and while very cool, it wasn't the same as before, but I guess now we have a long wait for the next one.

 

[georgina]

Life changing? Uh no. Greatest thing I have ever seen uhhhh no. Made me cry uhhhh no. Speechless? Uhhhh no.

Am I glad I got to see it? Yes. Way cool? Yes. The reason I always say if you can at all swing it, get to the path of totality is a total eclipse is just wayyyy better than an 85% or even a 99%. And nobody that hasn't experienced a total for themselves live can really evaluate just how much better it is because it is only while experiencing a total that I saw how fast the light came up once even a sliver of the sun came back out or what the sun looked like while totally eclipsed.

As for those on the net that say it's a waste of time well so is getting on a message board to say it's a waste of time. HAHA.

Agree. Well worth seeing, 6-7 hour drive for us, used a couple of hotel free night certificates on the trip. DH and his friend (who met us in Geneva OH for this eclipse) traveled for the 2017 one; I did not. Very cool thing to do. They got stuck in traffic after the 2017 one so we got the room and drove home Tuesday, his friend had no trouble getting back to Pittsburgh after.

It was a nice community atmosphere, we talked to people from many places while we waited.

 

[3rd_time_the_charm]

I've seen 100% and 90%. It is awesome and makes me feel like nobody should not experience a God moment. No offense to non believers. But, 90 was just as awesome to totality for me. It is amazing to witness.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Agree. Well worth seeing, 6-7 hour drive for us, used a couple of hotel free night certificates on the trip. DH and his friend (who met us in Geneva OH for this eclipse) traveled for the 2017 one; I did not. Very cool thing to do. They got stuck in traffic after the 2017 one so we got the room and drove home Tuesday, his friend had no trouble getting back to Pittsburgh after.

It was a nice community atmosphere, we talked to people from many places while we waited.

My wife and I were all alone for 2017. We prefer that to the massive crowds the size of which will snarl traffic. We will not be at WDW for 2045.

 

[WEDWDW]

It was a nice experience but I wouldn’t call it life changing or even awesome.

Then again I’m hard to impress.

Interesting.

Were you in Totality?

I would hate to fly all the way to Australia and have the same reaction!lol

 

[georgina]

My wife and I were all alone for 2017. We prefer that to the massive crowds the size of which will snarl traffic. We will not be at WDW for 2045.

We weren’t in a massive crowd. It was a small state park and they closed the parking lot when it was full. There were some people on the beach and some on the grassy area.

 

[design_mom]

Interesting.

Were you in Totality?

I would hate to fly all the way to Australia and have the same reaction!lol

I mean, you also have the possibility of flying to Australia and having it be cloudy. It’s a chance you’ll have to decide you want to take.

 

[RedAngie]

Interesting.

Were you in Totality?

I would hate to fly all the way to Australia and have the same reaction!lol

Yes, we were in totality.

We drove about 7 hours on Sunday, stayed overnight, then drove about 2 hours on Monday into the path.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I got to witness it. I’m just not using superlative adjectives to describe it.

 

[irlandaise]

I mean, you also have the possibility of flying to Australia and having it be cloudy. It’s a chance you’ll have to decide you want to take.

However, they'll still be in Australia. So even if the eclipse goes badly, they'll have lots of other exciting things to do. (I thought maybe a midwinter eclipse in Oz would be cloudy, but I read somewhere that July is usually clear.)

Eclipses are a great way to nudge you into traveling. One of my first eclipse trips was a few days traveling and watching the eclipse, then a week on safari in Kenya.

 

[3rd_time_the_charm]

I'm on the fence. Driving 7 -8 hours....probably not. But then I saw the Grand Canyon (yup, hole in the ground), Hoover Dam (yup, big dam) and Niagara (yep, big falls). The Eclipse is kind of like that. Cool, awesome, bucket list...but kind of like a checkbox.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I have seen a partial and this total one. The partial was underwhelming. I did not really have high expectations for the total eclipse, but it was really nothing short of amazing. Leading up to it, it's like yea this is really cool, but when it finally got there and I took a look at it w/o glasses, I was like OMG this is the coolest thing I have ever seen. Also the temperature drop, and darkness really added a lot to the mix.

 

[sarahann77]

I've seen partials in the past and now this total. Such a vastly different experience. It's just such a neat phenomenon to see. The change in darkness, temperature and the birds' reactions just adds to it. It probably is the rarity of it. I'd consider traveling to one in the future if I'm already inclined to want to travel to that location. I wasn't emotional by this one but friends were. I just kept wondering what ancestors thought when they didn't know what was happening.

If a coworker was right and that the city next to us was only 98.9% and we'd have not seen what we saw I think we'd be disappointed when before seeing it we were okay with seeing that much since we're right at the border.

 

[Minnie1222]

So is a big part of experiencing Totality the rarity of it or is it just so darn SPECTACULAR that the most magnificent Sunset doesn't even compare.

The spectacularity for me would be the location where the eclipse is viewed. On August 2nd 2027, pending the travel advisory, we're hoping to be in Luxor (the city, not the casino). It would be a dream to see the eclipse from an area that used to be ancient Thebes.

If we're still alive in 2045, then hoping to be at Disney World.

 

[WEDWDW]

Life changing? Uh no. Greatest thing I have ever seen uhhhh no. Made me cry uhhhh no. Speechless? Uhhhh no.

Am I glad I got to see it? Yes. Way cool? Yes. The reason I always say if you can at all swing it, get to the path of totality is a total eclipse is just wayyyy better than an 85% or even a 99%. And nobody that hasn't experienced a total for themselves live can really evaluate just how much better it is because it is only while experiencing a total that I saw how fast the light came up once even a sliver of the sun came back out or what the sun looked like while totally eclipsed.

As for those on the net that say it's a waste of time well so is getting on a message board to say it's a waste of time. HAHA.

It is so interesting to see the spectrum of opinions from yours all the way to the man who says it was like watching the birth of his child!

I read that at 99.9 % the light coming from the Sun is still brighter than 1,000 Full Moons!

That is amazing.

 

[WEDWDW]

Yes, we were in totality.

We drove about 7 hours on Sunday, stayed overnight, then drove about 2 hours on Monday into the path.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I got to witness it. I’m just not using superlative adjectives to describe it.

So if you had never seen a Sunset before and you saw one of those "10 out of 10" jaw-dropping Beach Sunsets,would that experience be in the "Ballpark" of seeing Totality?

 

[WEDWDW]

Experiencing totality during a solar eclipse is indeed a unique and spectacular event. While the rarity of it adds to the excitement and anticipation, it's the sheer awe-inspiring beauty and wonder of witnessing the sun completely obscured by the moon that makes it so incredible. If it were a daily occurrence, people might still appreciate it, but perhaps not with the same level of anticipation and awe as they do now. The rarity certainly adds a special significance to the experience, but it's ultimately the breathtaking spectacle of totality itself that leaves such a lasting impression on those who witness it.

Do you think the comparison to watching Child Birth is legitimate?

I just can't wrap my head around that comparison,but I have never seen Totality.