Saturday, August 26, 2017

Still Life with Robin: If You Missed the Eclipse

Photo by Jon Sullivan
Public Domain
by Peggy Robin

Monday’s spectacle in the sky left me with some lasting impressions – reinforced by a whole lot of amazing photos taken by professional and amateur photographers who were in the path of totality. I have gone through any number of collections of eclipse views and like the eclectic mix posted on the Gizmodo website the best:

For photos taken from space, NASA’s site is (unsurprisingly) tops:

Some stunning video is on this site:

But leave it to the Post’s Capital Weather Gang to collect the best shots from local photographers:

However, the all-time winner in my estimation is this painterly photo from Blake Farnham:

Want to make sure you catch it the next time the path of totality crosses the US? CNN.com has some good advice:
> If you weren't able to see one of the most anticipated and unifying events this country has witnessed in nearly a hundred years, don't worry. You won't have to wait an entire century until the next one -- just seven years. Another total solar eclipse will be visible in the United States on April 8, 2024.
> Traveling a different path from the 2017 eclipse, the total eclipse will be visible in Mexico, the central US and east Canada, with a partial eclipse visible across North and Central America.
> Although Monday's eclipse was peaking over two minutes in the path of totality, the 2024 eclipse will have peaks of 4½ minutes. In the United States, it will be visible in a diagonal path crossing from Texas to Maine, according to NASA.
> Cities like Austin, Texas; Dallas; Little Rock, Arkansas; Indianapolis; Toledo, Cleveland and Akron, Ohio; Buffalo and Rochester, New York; Montpelier, Vermont; and Montreal will be directly in the path of totality.
Given the planning by many in preparation for the 2017 eclipse, you might want to start making your hotel and travel arrangements now. And stock up on eclipse glasses once they become widely available again.
> If you're eclipse chaser who doesn't mind globetrotting, you can also catch these total solar eclipses around the world in the coming years:
> 2019: South Pacific, Chile, Argentina
> 2020: South Pacific, Chile, Argentina, South Atlantic
> 2021: Antarctica

If you don’t want to save and reuse your eclipse viewing glasses for next time, you can donate them to Astronomers Without Borders:
Some lucky schoolchildren in the South Pacific, Chile, and Argentina will thank you!

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Still Life with Robin is published on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays.


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