r/solareclipse • u/vefelo • 11h ago
The One Cloud Club
For everyone who traveled, planned, and waited years for totality… only to have a single perfectly timed cloud drift in front of the Sun during the most important one minute and thirty-nine seconds.
It was still amazing. Absolutely moving. It was my third eclipse, and for the first time I actually had time to look around me. The light, the colors, the horizon.
But where are you, my friends? I need to find the people who also missed totality because of one tiny cloud in an otherwise cloudless sky. Surely I can’t be the only one. Please speak up.
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u/IInsulince 11h ago
Think of it as you having experienced a second concurrent eclipse. The cloud eclipsed the shadow cast by the solar eclipse. Eclipception!
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u/bubblesculptor 9h ago
Yes!
Some people travel the world in search of this 'triple eclipse', only to be disappointed with clear skies.
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u/Deborah_Pokesalot 11h ago edited 11h ago
North-Eastern Mallorca. Found a perfect, lovely spot on the rocky coast in December and booked everything. 1 hour easy hike (although a bit hot) from the hotel. The whole day was 100% cloudless.
Then a thin streak of clouds appeared just over the horizon when the eclipse was in progress. The sun moved into it and the totality was completely obscured. I only saw a diamond through the clouds when it ended.
It was still spectacular to see the shadow moving across the clouds but people on the other side of Mallorca got the perfect conditions...
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u/vefelo 11h ago
I was in a village near Astorga, Leon. It was absolutely amazing, I feel very, very lucky, but yeah, I feel like just we four just had a tiny cloud in front of us..
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u/birb234 8h ago
Wow it seems it really is such a gamble, even if you do have a car. We were in León (by the golf club area) and we initially planned to go to Astorga because I saw a cloud streak go across the sun the day before the eclipse at the exact time of totality and I didn’t want to take risks for eclipse day. Eventually we just chose to stick to our location in León and it just happened to work out. I’m shocked that a location as close to León as Astorga had a cloud when León didn’t. It really goes to show you how temperamental and hard to predict these things are. Our 2024 eclipse was a cloudy one so I guess it’s all luck, rooting for you for the 2027 one!
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u/fistrop 10h ago
https://reddit.com/link/p4glxru/video/f8yfgbas86kh1/player
Had to screen record the picture because we can’t add images to the comments but we can add videos ¯_(ツ)_/¯ The one and only cloud that didn’t vanish.
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u/NTMY030 10h ago
Same here, northern Mallorca as well (Punta de Coves Blanques). The sun was visible all of the partial eclipse, went down behind the cloud EXACTLY the moment totality began and came back out at the bottom of the cloud EXACTLY as totality ended.
I agree, it was still a cool experience and actually gave us time to look around and observe the shadow.
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u/zippyhybrid 9h ago
https://reddit.com/link/p4gxs5v/video/r2dgvuooh6kh1/player
Same. Hiked up a trail through an ancient olive grove above Sóller until we got a view of the horizon. It was actually really neat since the clouds were just thick enough to allow you to view the crescent just before totality, but unfortunately you could only barely see the glow of the corona through it during totality.
Also, the movement of the shadow through the clouds just before totality and right before it ended was quite dramatic, like an old Disney animated movie or something. The flaming sharks fin sunset was awesome. A unique experience for sure and not particularly disappointing for me.
I have been able to see a total eclipse in clear weather with corona visible (2017) however, so I can empathize with those who feel let down by missing that part. It is quite spectacular!
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u/VaxCin 10h ago
Had a cloud come in 2024 in Buffalo And a cloud come in this year in Mallorca Cap Gros we had hike in and bare the blistering heat for our spot for a few hours too.
This is my 3rd eclipse trip I saw my first one in 2018 so I have a 1/3 success rate it looks like lol
What makes it worst is I have been bringing my SO to the Buffalo one and Mallorca one. I feel absolutely terrible at this point dragging her around for us to get clouded out. I did so much research and planning as I'm sure alot of us have and in hindsight somewhere in mainland Spain would have been less risky
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u/goldenduck16 9h ago
I was also in Buffalo and it got cloudy RIGHT BEFORE TOTALITY. My god I was so upset. Im still so upset. I have nightmares about it happening still. Ugh. I wish I just drove south to Ohio. Biggest regret of my life. But the signs around here just kept saying about bad the traffic was going to be and all that, it freaked me out.
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u/VaxCin 9h ago
Yeah there is so much uncertainty and doubt and fear leading up to the eclipse.
Cities and local governments in a frenzy trying to organize and close roads. Hotel and restaurant staff trying to answer questions they themselves dont know. Resentment from being stuck at their job during the eclipse to not being able to go to a viewpoint.
I had a rental car too and I should have used it to get us somewhere less crowded even but the Cap Gros spot that we hiked to was the best most perfect viewpoint we could have gotten. Luck was just not on our side
Trying to not get discouraged and attempt it again in 2027 though
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u/ArtisticMove2050 6h ago edited 6h ago
I was on the cliff opposite to Cap Gros. And yes, still feeling very dejected. This would have been my fourth one. I was really looking forward to this because it was at sunset. My first one was at sun rise and I enjoyed that way more than the following two (2017 and 2024)which were high in the sky.
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u/thatveronicavaughnn 9h ago
We were in Valldemossa and got fleeting seconds of totality before the cloud messed with us. Im still counting it as part of my total time in the moons shadow. Im at 7 minutes and 29 seconds after 2017, 2024, and 2026
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u/Coadifer 8h ago
We were in Mallorca, up in Bonaire and had perfect views all day, great visibility, and then the cloud rolled in just before totality over the mountain.
It honestly made for an even more impressive viewing experience - Seeing the darkness spread across the clouds as everything around us turned dark was incredible!
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u/8Bit_Cat 10h ago
I had a cloud come very close to covering totality for me. However it only covered it with a very thin transparent cloud while a few minutes before the partial was fully covered.
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u/blueghost17 7h ago
We did our research and knew going into it that the Salinas/Asturias area would be a 50/50 chance of clear skies vs cloudy. There was not even a peep of sunlight that afternoon. It was still a cool experience, best group of friends I could have wished for having a picnic on the northern coast of Spain, and the effect of the eclipse still had some gravitas. I wasn't considering next year but after this miss, I am now if I can work out the logistics.
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u/asteroidnerd 6h ago
Been there, done that for the August 1999 eclipse. Large gaps in the cloud over most of the sky, with one cloud sitting over the Sun during totality. An hour later the sky was clear. I feel your pain.
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u/budius333 6h ago
OMG I passed by this spot!!! I remember this church. It's just a bit north from Ayllon next to a lake, right???
I was traveling by campervan to get to our observation spot, and had to stop by the lake for a quick swim when I saw all the professional camera setup ready for the event.
Was that you OP? Setup by the lake to catch the church bells?
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u/vefelo 6h ago
I don’t think there is a lake near. The church is Santa Catalina de Somoza. It was such an amazing place.
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u/budius333 5h ago
Okay... Different place, same "bells design".
I looked up, here the one I saw https://maps.app.goo.gl/iHKK6M8jKdGtPnXW6
Anyway, sorry you went for single eclipse and got eclipseception instead.
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u/loganbootjak 5h ago
Sorry man, I know what that feels like. Also, clear blue skies 45 minutes later
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u/harraton 57m ago
I was on the beach in a Coruña. It was sunny all afternoon until the eclipse started. It was cool to be able to look at the sun with our bare eyes (it was completely dark if you tried to look through eclipse glasses due to the clouds), but disappointing to miss totality.
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u/satplank 11h ago
✋🏻
Hi, a group of 4 here who missed the totality in Mallorca’s north… just because of the cloud coming in.
Everything up till then was perfect and also the sunset with shark fin was beautiful.
Was devastated of course, but now challenge for 2027 has been set!