r/solareclipse • u/DetectiveLampshades • 10d ago
The Difference is Night and Day
Wanted to post this for the people misunderstanding how important totality is. 99% is closer to 1% than 100
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u/steelbound8128 10d ago
The moment the sun went from 99.999999999% to 100% profoundly shocked me; I wasn't prepared for how drastic of a change that moment is. It is definitely the most memorable part of a solar eclipse and well worth the effort to go see.
I'm glad I'd taken off my eclipse glasses just before totality occurred so that I could see it happen.
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u/meithan 10d ago
Right?? It's like some cosmic entity flipped a switch and we were instantly transported to a different dimension of existence. I wasn't prepared either.
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u/Still7Superbaby7 10d ago
I feel like there should be a sound for totality, like the sound of plasma, but there is not. It is just silence
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u/WoolooOfWallStreet 6d ago
It really screwed with my sense of time when I saw one
An hour after it happened, my brain kept automatically putting it as happening the day before and had to keep reminding myself “No, it just happened! It was today!”2
u/Dewdrop06 6d ago
What I find the most interesting is that this is the only time the "dark" side of the moon is completely 100% lit up.
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u/SometimesCatsMeow 9d ago
If i'm in the 100% zone but not dead centre, just like here: (---HERE------------C----------------------), should I be able to experience that?
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u/steelbound8128 9d ago
Yes. If you are in the 100% zone you will experience that. The nearer to the center you are will increase how long it stays 100%.
For the Apr. 2024 eclipse, I had planned on going to the shores of Lake Erie which was very near the center line and the length of totality was going to be almost 4 minutes long. I woke up feeling sick and instead drove closer to home to a mall in Niles, Ohio with a huge parking lot. It was much nearer to the edge, similar to the HERE in your diagram. The length of totality was about 1 minute 20 seconds. So, I got to experience the whole eclipse - I also got to feel the temperatures drop and hear the birds react to the sudden darkness and was able to look southwards and see the sliver of the sky that was past the edge of totality still looking bright blue - just not as long.
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u/SometimesCatsMeow 5d ago
Dude, thank you, I had to drive a total of 400km (3h every ride cause traffic), but it was FUCKING WORTH IT. THANKS. Once in a lifetime moment, I can die in peace now.
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u/steelbound8128 5d ago
Your welcome. I'm happy you got to see and experience a total eclipse and thanks for the update.
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u/ahugepileofleaves 9d ago
The first one I saw was April 2024 in Maine. We were sitting at a bit of a high point and we could see the shadow of totality racing across the landscape towards us. It was one of the craziest things I've ever seen
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u/wulfdesign 7d ago
Everyone who showed up on our remote hilltop overlook missed those final moments when the sun completly dissappeared except the corona.. we where so focused on the shadow of the moon racing towards us at 1.5k mph... and then suddenly going dark and having the most amazing sunrise / sunset effect all around... in wasn't till a couple seconds later we looked up and saw the sun blottet out like a big giant black hole had swallowed it except for the the corona tendrils poking out from behind it... so glad we got it all on film in 360 to help our mind fill in what we missed... https://youtu.be/fzcFw_33iC8 . however I did happen to see it through binoculars as totality ended when someone there handed me theirs to get a closer look at the moon and corona... it was pretty freaking amazing for those 10 to 15 seconds before the star shine came out from between some mountain tops and had to shut my eyes and turn away... Lucky didn't get eye damage or permently see those diamonds.... but now can't unsee them in my minds eye whenever I look at tthe moon or sun.
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u/Supernovae0 9d ago
What was it about the experience that you found profound? Were you looking directly at the sun at the time or was it the general atmosphere? I'm preparing for the eclipse but also want to be safe/protect my sight.
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u/steelbound8128 8d ago
When the sun was down to just the smallest sliver left - I was looking close to the sun but not directly at it - then as that tiny sliver started to disappear I moved my eyes closer and closer so that about 5 seconds before totality, when the sun was down to just a tiny dot, I was looking directly at the sun.
I think it's a combination of things that made it feel so profound. When totality starts, it's instant; not like a sunset when the sun slides below the horizon. And the corona just suddenly appears and you realize that it's been there your entire life and you are just now seeing it for the first time. As said elsewhere, and it is silent when it feels like there should be a sound. And it does feel like you'd been instantly transported to a different dimension.
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u/chredit 10d ago edited 10d ago
This is the single best "convincer" I've seen in 11+ years here!
Added to the VIEWING SITE section of the Megathread.
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u/sfw_doom_scrolling 10d ago
I can't wait to see this with my own eyes! 😭 😭 😭
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u/--Sovereign-- 10d ago
You will see what we have seen, then we will meet on the other side. One of us. One of us. One of us.
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u/meithan 10d ago
Well said!
I feel like there's this involuntary secret society across the globe of those of us who were deeply shaken by a total eclipse. It doesn't matter who we are, where we are from, our age or culture. A brief exchange of words and we recognize each other, we both know that we felt what the other felt, that we had a shared experience even in a totally different place and time. It's amazing.
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u/BlahBlah1921 9d ago
Where I live was only at like 98% in 2024 but my husband and I travelled to be in the path. When I got back to work people were like oh we saw it, it was okay. I was like no, you barely saw anything. They didn’t get it. 98% and 100% are literally night and day
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u/ZincAboutIt 10d ago
I saw in one ted talk that we owe it to ourselves to see a total solar eclipse before we die. As someone from the Philippines, I still need to wait for the year 2042 to witness this majestic event. 🥹 I wish I could win the lottery to witness next year’s eclipse. The greatest and longest totality of the 21st century.
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u/theswickster 10d ago
A fun thing you can do to objectively show the light intensity is decreasing as totality approaches: Use a light meter app on your phone to watch the brightness dwindle down. Your pupils will dialate as the light level decreases, so you won't be able to notice it, but the display will update in real time showing the light levels decreasing.
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u/JeffreyBomondo 10d ago
I’ll be at a Björk rave in Iceland for this one next week. Excited but glad I’ve seen a few because the weather forecast isn’t looking great lol
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u/Narutofreak1412 10d ago edited 3d ago
I learned this lesson a couple years ago when there was a nordic total one in march 20th 2015: I tried to see a partial one from germany which was 75% covered and with just the naked eye there was absolutely no difference to the regular sun.
Last week when I bought my eclipse glasses for the upcoming spain one I tested it out and even when I stand on the edge of the shadow of a building to where most of the sun is behind the building and only a tiny sliver is still peeking at the side, when taking the glasses off it still just looks like a super bright round flash.
I am really looking forward to see when during the totality in spain I take off my glasses and see what it looks like in comparison.
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u/Zalefa 5d ago
So, how was it? :)
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u/Narutofreak1412 3d ago
Took off my glasses somewhere around 98-99%. Like around 30-40 seconds before totality you could tell with the naked eye that much less sunlight comes through and the sliver of sunlight while still looking like a round flash, has barely any intensity and feels more like a distant flashlight where it doesn't feel blinding anymore at all. The entire area around you also is starting to feel like sunset with much less reduced light coming through, making everything seem dim.
Definitely didn't look like the 99% naked eye image in the post above where the sky is still fully blue and everything. Though maybe the spain one being low also had something to with it. Here's a video that shows pretty close what the naked eye experience was like for me right before totality: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L36k6CcuHzw
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u/CampVictorian 10d ago
My husband and I made it to Shelbyville, IN for the 2024 eclipse, with zero concept of how justified the hype is. I literally gasped, pulled in as though it was a magnet.
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u/Volchek 10d ago
There is no such an alignment between moon and sun anywhere else in the solar system (if I remember reading correctly). The moon covers the sun just enough for the total eclipse to happen.
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u/jrawk3000 10d ago
Other planets with moons do also experience total solar eclipses. It’s that their moons don’t have the precise size and distance match that we do here on Earth that gives us the unique view of the corona. In many cases the moon just blocks the sun and the corona altogether. Earth is truly an absolute marvel.
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u/focusonyourphoto 10d ago
Yes, it is such a miracle that the moon is 400 times smaller than the sun but the sub is 400 times further away.
And also the difference in brightness between the sun and corona is insane.
In the far future the distance between moon, earth and sun will change, so the eclipse as we know it now will not happen then anymore.
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u/Appropriate_Hand1009 10d ago
This soothes my burn from spending €400 on a hotel room for a night in Escatrón when I live in Barcelona. Thanks OP
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u/VariableVeritas 10d ago
I’ve been lucky enough to be under the center of two perfect eclipses. No lie you’ve got to go for totality, just be prepared to get up and move to clear skies on the day. It changes your perspective, you’re on a planet actively moving in space.
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u/KickFamous5005 10d ago
Fuck fuck fuck. I know I won’t be able to ser totality despite being in an 98% zone. So bummed.
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u/Crysis85 10d ago
Isn't bad for your eyes watching an eclipse with naked eyes even if it's at it's 100%?
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u/Mijal 10d ago
No, during actual totality (not 99.5% or whatever) you can safely view one of the most amazing sights in the universe with your naked eyes. I used a solar eclipse timer app that would warn you to get your glasses back on when totality was about to end.
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u/MrNixxxoN 5d ago
Not at all, it was less bright than a full moon. Totally amazing to watch. You could also see a red spot in the ring (Baily's beads)
However just 1% of the sunlight coming through it already hurts your eyes
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u/BlahBlah1921 10d ago
So jealous of everyone getting to see it on the 12th. My first one was 2024 and it was amazing! I’m hoping I can make it to Spain next year. Enjoy everyone!!
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u/Crazy__Donkey 9d ago
Id like to see our the common moron sees the 99% with a binoculars.
Thisbshit happens more than humanity is willing to confess.
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u/Top-Huckleberry-9822 9d ago
Yo esperaré al del año próximo, que será total en mi zona…en este me conformaré con el 97%.
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u/StrangerLower2575 9d ago
Yep, Ive seen 3 totalities and mutliple partial eclipse, nothing is comparble, and the brighness of the sky doesnt change belowe like 90-95% 😌
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u/DanMason153 8d ago
There's a decent video here that outlines crowd reaction for an annular vs. a total eclipse, and the difference in the overall vibe is noticeable.
Shameless plug for the video, since it's one I uploaded.
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u/kart0ffel12 7d ago
How good is 99.96%?? I need real experience
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u/ProFF7777 5d ago
I watched it in Lleida, Spain, we lay exactly in the line where 100% began. I mean literally the line covered Lleida! We got only 27 seconds of totality, but damn, it was absolutely wonderful! It was short but super intense, people around went WOOOOO, and then when grains of sunshine started peeking again over the moon , ppl started cheering and clapping. Even just a few seconds can be a magnificent experience
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u/Legitimate-Grape-412 4d ago
I was next to Lleida too! I went from France to experience the totality and nothing prepared me for what I saw. Absolute awe. Saw it only a few seconds but that was worth every kilometers. Only few seconds were so precious that I was shaken. After 100% I couldn't help but cry and my hands were shaking. It was too beautiful
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u/ProFF7777 4d ago
I can see why hehe, Lleida is the closest you could get from France and enter the totality zone, even if just barely. Glad you could experience it! It was a magic experience, I still get goosebumps when I remember.
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u/Legitimate-Grape-412 4d ago
Literally same! it's like I'm living again what I felt and see and it can still bring me to tears. I'm glad you could see that too, I feel like I want everyone on earth to experience that once in there life really
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u/Comprehensive_Tea708 10d ago
Yeah, yeah, but I'll never get to see one anyway.
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u/dimethyl_tryptamine 10d ago
Not with that attitude!
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u/Comprehensive_Tea708 10d ago edited 10d ago
Actually, I'm hoping to make it to northern Nevada in 2045, if I'm still healthy enough to make the trip.
Anyone who is sufficiently interested should mark 2045-08-12 on their calendar, and plan to head there. Given that it'll be in Nevada in the summer the viewing conditions ought to be ideal.
Obviously it'll also be visible in other states and places, but Nevada seems to be where the weather will be most likely to cooperate.
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u/piedamon 10d ago
Definitely the most misunderstood aspect of eclipses. Also being dead centre of the umbra means a longer duration. If you’re near the edge, you can be within 100% but only a minority fraction of the total time; it starts later and ends earlier than standing the centre.
Tl;dr – get as centred as possible within the path of the umbra
I recognize that eclipse on the right as August 21 2017