While waiting for my summer tires to be put on my car this noon, I was subjected to the full blast of eclipse hype on the shop’s TV.
One of their talking points was the supposed $6B of economic activity “created” by the eclipse. Really? Given that most people live hand to mouth, I think it more likely that $6B was diverted from other expenditures. So, while one “JC” is hoovering up the fool’s money with eclipse hype, another “JC” is losing out.
Steve
It was worth the hype until the clouds hid the entire thing mid way.
It was incredible. I wet my pants. I do not wet my pants for just anything.
Hudson Yards. No I was not there. I was out with my landscapers sharing my glasses.
I spent about 3 hours this afternoon enjoying the show the universe put on for my wife and me. There were a lot of firsts for me today, and that is not something I get to say too often any more.
Here is my stunning picture of the eclipse today. I’m going to copyright it because you don’t usually get this quality photo of such an event. Don’t any of you bastids try to steal it. And I’m going to see if they can reschedule another for next week when the weather is a little better,
Yesterday was a clear, beautiful blue sky all day long. This morning was a beautiful sunny morning. Here are some pictures of the solar eclipse that I grabbed:
About a half-hour after the eclipse ended and it’s a beautiful sunny afternoon.
IN my place a little south of totality in Mexico the roosters and dogs went nuts and it got pretty dark (sunset!!! and then barks and crowings again 10 minutes later for sunrise!!!) but not enough for us to safely look. For that I would have had to be a slow 2 hours drive north in an area I consider too gangridden for a Gringo in a Mexican traffic jam.
It was my third time with almost total. Next time I will make a much stronger effort.
d fb
Here’s the Madras OR airport after the eclipse in 2017.
intercst
VeeEnn
Yessssss! thnx.
d fb
I was in a QT (convenience store) parking lot in Round Rock TX…
The sky started overcast but the clouds thinned such that the eclipse was visible.
With the freebee glasses, I got to view the show. About two minutes of totality.
There were other folks watching, too.
Traffic, crowds… I did NOT experience any.
No “empty shelves”. No hysteria.
But this IS Texas and we’re accustomed to just handling “it”, whatever “it” is.
ralph
Steve,
I drove up to Indianapolis for the eclipse. We had high thin clouds and could have pursued clearer skies, but decided to stay put. Saw a great show with 3:30 of totality. Saw the ring of fire and think I saw flares.
On the drive up from Alabama through Tennessee we lost about 3 hours on what was supposed to be an 8 hour trip. I had time in the traffic to observe licence plates. By the time we were in Kentucky only one in 4 of the plates on the freeway were Kentucky tags. About a third were Indiana and Illinois tags and another third were Tennessee Alabama, and Texas. The rest of the non Kentucky tags were a mix from states like Florida, Louisiana Georgia and such. I expect that Indiana and Illinois tags were spring breakers returning home from the beaches in North Florida and Alabama and from Tennessee.
In any case. there was a lot of gas burned and a lot of hamburgers eaten.
So, got to see eclipse, son’s and daughter in laws and grand kids.
So far money well spent.
Cheers
Qazulight
The view from my kitchen window around 3:15, which was supposed to be about the max in Motown. Eyes and cameras adjust to the amount of light, but the photocells that control the outdoor lights know.
Am I impressed? Nope. Looked about the same as the one in 17. I spent that one in Greenfield Village, standing under a tree next to the machine shop in the Edison complex. I noticed the tree leaves did an impersonation of a pinhole camera. I watched the eclipse wax and wane in it’s reflection on the sidewalk. Other than that, looked about the same, but there wasn’t even 10% of the media hype as there was this time.
We had great weather here in So Cal. Clear, sunny skies. Not a cloud in sight.
Whoever was in charge of this eclipse thing should have changed the location for better viewing. Could have made a lot more money on it, and had some good press for the next event. 
At the last minute, I decided to grab an Amazon box and make a pinhole viewer. Took all of two minutes or so. Worked pretty good. Next time, I’ll use a bigger box. As it was, you could still see a dot with a bite out of it.
We had about 50% coverage, so it wasn’t a dramatic darkening, but quite noticeable if you paid attention. It has the light of an overcast day, but with clear skies. Felt strange. It’s no wonder the ancients were awestruck by these events.
—Peter
The next “event” is touted as being twenty years from now. The typical “JC” doesn’t have a profit horizon more than three months away.
Steve
You’re only thinking US. It’s already on a world tour with another show later this year. Couple more next year, too.
Not necessarily. Some of the money might have (probably would have) just sat in a bank account. People benefit when money moves around. Jobs are created, products are consumed, factories spring to life, waste is produced, landfills are filled.
Without creating spending events like eclipses, back to school, and Christmas (not to mention Easter, 4th of July, county fairs, Toyotathon, etc.) we’d still be living on farms, respecting nature, and without the threat of roasting the planet and killing all life on earth.
There. Now do you feel better?
A different POV - space.
ralph
There are other space POV videos by other entities, too. Such as this one:
Here are some more people who think it was worth it.
Gifted link: https://wapo.st/4aM5FRZ
When he started teaching in 1978, Patrick Moriarty passed out worksheets to his science class, showing the trajectories of upcoming eclipses. Only one was expected to pass near their hometown in Upstate New York, but watching it as a class was going to be difficult — it wouldn’t occur for nearly five decades.
“Hey, circle that one on April 8, 2024,” Moriarty recalled telling his students. “We’re going to get together on that one.”
His students laughed. Thinking that far ahead was difficult for Moriarty — let alone for his junior high students.
