Eclipse

On Sunday the weather in Cleveland was clear with bright sunshine. Too bad the eclipse was on Monday! I had been watching the weather obsessively each day and then I started watching the weather obsessively each hour. I told everyone seeing my family would be enough, but it turns out I really wanted to see the eclipse, too.

At noon the weather was beautiful.

I found a filter for my phone in a little free library and tried it ahead of time.

Meh

A couple hours later - clouds moving in.

Most of the family went to Lakeview Cemetery to watch, but I didn't want to leave as early as they were going. I planned to cycle over later (I am so lucky to be able to keep a bicycle in my parents' basement) and decided to hang out with neighbors first.

ESPN glasses my neighbor was given

Too bad D. was not there to tell me that a colander works when the screen (in this case the screen  was the driveway) is about 20-50 times further than the diameter of the hole. Too many diameters away and it is not clear enough and too close it just gives the shape of the hole.

Photo taken by D. during the partial eclipse in California.

Another attempt with my phone

In the end, I am speechless. I don't know how to explain the awe of feeling the temperature drop, taking off my glasses during totality, and wondering what it would have been like to live long before the understanding of astronomy. I am grateful for the experience. 

Anticipation

 

When I was in Cleveland in early December I bought eclipse glasses, which I liked because they had the times written on them. That was when I first learned that it is not only safe to remove eclipse glasses during a total eclipse, but one cannot see the corona of the sun with them still on.

Later in December I bought a ticket to go to Cleveland in April. I knew I would get to see my whole family, which I told myself and everyone else that that would be enough. I was also hoping to see the eclipse, but was not optimistic that the weather would cooperate.

The anticipation was half the fun.

at Cleveland State

online

at the library

gift at the Cleveland Visitors Center

Google Doodle

At Loganberry Books

At the grocery store

National Park Service LEGO Vignettes

And at the airport (slightly edited)

Fall Break, part one

You can see a lot of pictures of people experiencing the annular (ring-shaped) eclipse on October 14, but here is our version. 

The viewing at home would have been fine and there was an event on campus event thought it was fall break, but we decided to leave early 

and drive to Surfers Point in Ventura. It turned out to be a great choice.

I packed our glasses from 2017

and D. brought a pair he had received in the mail.

It was a challenge to photograph the eclipse. Here are some attempts.

somehow it shows up in the tree

and the crescents in the dappled sunshine

and the most basic way to view the eclipse.

Another highlight was doing some science outreach, helping other people have the chance to see the eclipse. The most common response was a big wow.

Bonus picture my friend in New Mexico shared and said I could post. This was made by using a colander as a pinhole camera.