Solar eclipse craziness

mxz800

mxz800

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Cancel school because it's going to be dark for a short time during the day? Being dark out could be dangerous to those driving? If only they had some sort of headlights that allowed people to drive when it's dark out.

When I was a kid during the middle ages we had school when a solar eclipse happened. We stayed inside during recess so we wouldn't go blind.

What year did everyone become pussies?

https://www.newsweek.com/solar-eclipse-school-closures-april-1880339
 
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Apparition said:
I better ask for the day off work.
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That's what I did for the one in 2017. But that was so I could go to the middle of nowhere and watch it.
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tworley said:
Isn't totality only a few minutes? I remember the one from 2017, the color was "weird" outside, but it never got so dark that I was worried about driving.
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It's several minutes of total darkness and weird shadows if you are in the narrow path of totality. Everywhere outside of that, it just gets dim for about 20 minutes.

Seeing a solar eclipse in the path of totality is a very odd experience and well worth the trouble to be there. You get a sense of why people thought it was a supernatural event.
 
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In 2017 I drove up to Tennessee to ne in the path of totality and watch it. By far the most surreal experience I've ever encountered. There is almost something tribal about it. I highly recommend it to anyone.
 
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mxz800 said:
What year did everyone become pussies?
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2012. It was some Mayan prediction. ;)

I remember seeing a partial eclipse during elementary school. The teachers had some of those special torch-style glasses and the kids took turns looking at the sun. Thank you for typing in braille so I could read what you posted. :LOL:
 
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BlueC said:
2012. It was some Mayan prediction. ;)

I remember seeing a partial eclipse during elementary school. The teachers had some of those special torch-style glasses and the kids took turns looking at the sun. Thank you for typing in braille so I could read what you posted. :LOL:
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You think that it was the eclipse, not all the hand jive that caused the blindness?
 
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Where I live I'm maybe 20 miles or so from the edge of where the sun will be 100% covered. Last summer a friend asked if I wanted to go to someone's house about 1-1/2 hours further that direrction and I told him sure. Being within a few miles of the center it should start around 2pm and finish around 4:30, and give us close to 4 minutes total around 3:15. The actual people that may or may not be there has changed at least once and I don't know most (or maybe any) of the others that will end up being there but that's OK. Wives and kids are welcome (which is cool but irrelevant to me) but now they're asking for $35 per person to help pay for a BBQ Pulled Pork trailer, a porta john, and a couple tanks of propane in case the garage needs heated while we're there.

I don't think the price for that stuff is crazy high but it seems like almost too much time and kinda too much money for 4 minutes of total eclipse. IDK about that, but I do start to get irritated about 20 minutes into waiting for a 2 minute rollercoaster ride.
 
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JEEPCJTJ said:
Where I live I'm maybe 20 miles or so from the edge of where the sun will be 100% covered. Last summer a friend asked if I wanted to go to someone's house about 1-1/2 hours further that direrction and I told him sure. Being within a few miles of the center it should start around 2pm and finish around 4:30, and give us close to 4 minutes total around 3:15. The actual people that may or may not be there has changed at least once and I don't know most (or maybe any) of the others that will end up being there but that's OK. Wives and kids are welcome (which is cool but irrelevant to me) but now they're asking for $35 per person to help pay for a BBQ Pulled Pork trailer, a porta john, and a couple tanks of propane in case the garage needs heated while we're there.

I don't think the price for that stuff is crazy high but it seems like almost too much time and kinda too much money for 4 minutes of total eclipse. IDK about that, but I do start to get irritated about 20 minutes into waiting for a 2 minute rollercoaster ride.
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Do it. I promise that you won't regret it.
 
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I actually believe our work is giving us the afternoon off (simply to experience it). I will likely travel to be in the center of the path.
 
My kids school is getting out early so that they can watch the event. Though my work isn't letting me out early so it is a wash. We live in an area of 90%. The amount of people headed up to Rangeley and that area for the 100% is insane.
 
Elementary school 4th grade that I went too it was a an event to learn about science and make are own paper viewing tool.
 
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wigsajumper said:
My kids school is getting out early so that they can watch the event. Though my work isn't letting me out early so it is a wash. We live in an area of 90%. The amount of people headed up to Rangeley and that area for the 100% is insane.
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A lot of people aren't understanding that 90% isn't anything close to the experience of 100% totality.
 
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JustDandee said:
Elementary school 4th grade that I went too it was a an event to learn about science and make are own paper viewing tool.
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I drove down into New Mexico this last summer for the less exciting annular eclipse and did the paper plate trick to look at it. It's a fun silly thing to do.
 
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I dug around and managed to find the pictures I took from 2017. We were in Gallatin Tenn. at their local recreation center. The city was covered with people and we lucked up finding a place that wasn't charging for parking.

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We were up in Blairsville NGA, which was on the path of totality. The local college had family astronomy classes the day before and then we took the boat out into the middle of the lake with the kids. Overall was pretty cool and the kids loved it. Dogs were totally freaked out.
 
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