What do you think about the Solar Eclipse?

[Nauriam]

So yesterday (4/8/24) there was a solar eclipse that went through North America, and I am lucky enough to live in the path of totality. I'm curious if anyone here was able to see it, as I know a lot of you are all around the world, and if you had any thoughts on it. If you are outside of the Americas, did you hear about it all over the place like I did? It was understandably a huge deal over here, so I am very curious about how other parts of the country/world experienced this event.

As for me, I had seen an eclipse before but wasn't in the path of totality. It was a very cool experience. Almost chilling and surreal while it was happening. However, I wouldn't say it was a cooler experience than what some amusement parks can offer with their experiences (I'm thinking of things like Disney's Soarin' ride or something like that). I wouldn't travel across the country or world for something like that, but I would take a day or two off work to drive somewhere if it was close enough.

[ARMADS!!!]

I heard about it a lot too, guess it was supposed to be viewable from where I am (Portugal) but I didn't see it, I ended up forgetting + my sleep schedule is horrible so I was sleeping when it happened too. After it happened, I asked my mother if she saw it and she said she tried but couldn't (don't remember if it was because the sun wasn't visible from where she was or if it just wasn't too intense from here or what, but alas).

 I never saw an eclipse before, it'd have been nice if I hadn't forgotten but at the same time I don't care about this too much so it's not like it's some major regret that will keep me up at night too. At the same time, I don't think I have good sunglasses at home so maybe it'd have been better to not keep staring at the sun even if I had remembered it, gotta prepare myself better for the next one I guess.

 When I was a kid I was obssessed with the idea of seeing an eclipse (and two or three years ago I had phase were I was very on par with astronomical events so I'd probably have freaked out over this then too), now I still want to see one someday but not enough to miss a day at work for, neither to go somewhere else that is not very close on foot to my house (unless if a friend of mine decided to make an event out of it and invited me to go see it somewhere, still would very likely not miss work for it, but would be up to go to another place to see it).

Edited April 9 by ARMADS!!!

[Shanty Pete's 1st Mate]

I had the chance to see it! Including about two minutes of totality. Took a long car ride with my parents, and made a day trip of it. It's just a really cool, surreal experience - seeing sun trimmed down to a fingernail, and then to nothing at all - being surrounded by a couple minutes of twilight, in the middle of the day. Just a rare instance that makes me marvel at the universe, and think of all those things - on our planet, and amidst the cosmos beyond - that we simply take for granted.

Well, that's enough waxing poetic. I'll wane to suggest that - if you're in a position where it'd be feasible to see the totality next time - you take it. 

[Capt. Fargus]

I missed it. I was in a tunnel on my afternoon commute

Saw solar eclipses before though

[Fire Emblem Fan]

I was in a spot where we got 90-some percent of it, not the 100% totality. I watched it, and in general it was the first eclipse I've watched. It was neat!

[Integrity]

i was in totality and it fuckin rocked

[Jotari]

I think it's amazing how central it's becoming to my news stream and online social life. Even my 70+ year old mother was asking me about it despite the fact that it's not remotely where we currently on. It's really demonstrative of just how dominant the American POV of the world is. Eclipses actually happen all the time. We get at least two every year. They're just not considered news worthy because they happen somewhere outside of North America (and, well, I guess because the globe is 70% water they're usually happening out at sea).

Fun Eclipse fact. The earliest historical event we can set an exact date to is a battle in Turkey on the 28th of May 585BC where the two armies stopped their fighting because the Eclipse and decided to settle down and make a peace treaty. At least according to Herodotus, whose accounts can be a bit shakey. But it seems like there genuinely was a battle and an eclipse around that time which people commented on even if they dramatized it up a bit.

Eclipses are also a pretty special phenomenon for Earth specifically. Surely not unique, but not common. There's no natural reason for a planet to have a satellite that's pretty much exactly the same size as their star when viewed from the surface of the planet. It's just a coincidence we get eclipses that look like that. For most planets the moon would either be too big, blotting out the sun entirely, or two small to get the effect where you have a complete shadow and a corona.

Edited April 10 by Jotari

[Hrothgar777]

I was outside the path and it was cloudy for the hour before and after, so nothing cool happened for me.

Edited April 10 by Hrothgar777

[Nauriam]

26 minutes ago, Jotari said:

I think it's amazing how central it's becoming to my news stream and online social life. Even my 70+ year old mother was asking me about it despite the fact that it's not remotely where we currently on. It's really demonstrative of just how dominant the American POV of the world is. Eclipses actually happen all the time. We get at least two every year. They're just not considered news worthy because they happen somewhere outside of North America (and, well, I guess because the globe is 70% water they're usually happening out at sea)

This is kinda what I was expecting for people outside the US to say. To me it's kinda wack that US news gets everywhere, but news from the rest of the world doesn't get propagated as much. As an American, I wish I hears more about the events, struggles, politics, cultures, etc of other countries in my day to day life without having to seek it out.

For everyone who got to enjoy the eclipse, I'm glad it was such a cool experience for you too! The universe is pretty rad, and I consider us lucky to be able to experience it.

15 hours ago, Capt. Fargus said:

I missed it. I was in a tunnel on my afternoon commute

I think there's plenty of very reasonable excuses for missing an eclipse (especially if you've seen one before), but this is the funniest reason I've heard so far. Glad you're not upset over missing it.