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Total Solar Eclipse of August 21, 2017: Should I Go or Should I Stay?


Cruz-OR
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For those of us in the U.S. who love to cruise but don't want to miss the greatest solar total eclipse on home soil since 1979 the big question is "Should I Stay or Should I Go?"

 

With the eclipse passing directly overhead, my hometown is on the centerline of the eclipse's path, the answer maybe to Stay home.

 

Who plans on watching the eclipse from a land location and who is going to cruise on that date? How far are you willing to travel to see the total solar eclipse?

 

See the attachment below for the path of 2017 Total Solar Eclipse.

1170811774_USA-Eclipse-Path12017.jpg.5f3fed69fbffc558220466b88a9b33b9.jpg

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It makes no sense to be on a cruise for this eclipse. Since the OP is from Oregon, he/she should stay close to home. Central/eastern Oregon has the best odds for clear weather on the entire path. The Williamette Valley is not bad, and only the coast should be avoided.

 

Jay Anderson's website is the go-to source for eclipse weather prospects: http://eclipsophile.com/total-solar-eclipses/total-solar-eclipse-2017-august-21/

 

Hopkinsville is where the eclipse occurs exactly at midday. The shadow moves fast, crossing the entire US in an hour and a half, arriving on the Oregon Coast at 10:17AM PDT and departing from Charleston, South Carolina at 2:47PM EDT. Eclipse path overlaid on Google Map here: http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2017_GoogleMapFull.html

Zoom in, click on any point on the map see exact eclipse circumstances. And make the effort to get within the 60-mile wide path of totality. Almost seeing a total solar eclipse is like almost winning the lottery. Just ask the unfortunate people on the Pacific Jewel in 2012.

 

 

am-pm-satcloud2-1024x746.jpg

 

The Appalachians and South Carolina should be avoided. In the middle of the US be prepared to take advantage of Interstate highways along the path to evade clouds/poor weather forecasts, notably I-70 in Missouri and I-24 from Carbondale, IL to Nashville.

Edited by Tony8489
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If you get a clear day and a full eclipse it is an awesome experience. I will never forget July 1972 when I was lucky enough to be in a rural area in Nova Scotia on a beautiful day. The hush which fell with the darkness was eerie and amazing.

 

TV cannot cut it.

 

The trick is to be able to know where the weather will cooperate.

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Stay! My hometown is Hopkinsville KY, which will have the longest period of darkness during the eclipse!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

Lucky you and just think that in less than 7 years later, on April 8, 2024, you will be just miles from the centerline of another Total Solar Eclipse. You are indeed very fortunate. See Hopkinsville in the lower right of the attached image.

Eclipse-2017-A92-Area-that-will-see-both-the-2017-and-2024-Eclipses.jpg.acdf7af6cdf73ba3293c6e5f37c13e5e.jpg

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I don't know where you are in Oregon, but our reservations are already made at the KOA in Albany. I wouldn't miss this! Seeing it on tv just won't do.

 

As others have said, since you're in a good place where the action is, you should stay put. It's iffy being on a cruiseship for an eclipse. It worked out for us in 1991, but it was touch and go. You can read my blog post about it if you're interested: http://sabbycat.com/total-eclipse-of-the-sun-from-the-carnival-jubilee/

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  • 4 months later...

On August 21, 2017, America will be treated to its first coast-to-coast total solar eclipse in nearly 100 years. That's why it is being called the NATIONAL ECLIPSE. From Oregon to South Carolina, the eclipse will trace a 67-mile-wide path of totality across the country and millions of Americans will witness a once-in-a-lifetime event as the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun and day turns to night for up to almost three minutes.

 

Are any Eclipse activities being planned in your state?

 

Here in Oregon several events are planned with maybe the most unusual being a baseball game "eclipse delay":

 

"The minor league baseball Salem-Keizer Volcanoes will host a three-game brewfest with local beer and wine, local food, activities for kids, and post-game fireworks and a morning game on August 21 that will feature the first ever "eclipse delay" in baseball history."

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  • 2 months later...

I would stay home! I was fortunate to accidentally witness totality in 1994 when at Iguazu Falls, Uruguay. I was on a group tour of professionals, and when it was organized, they had no idea that there would be an eclipse and that area would be totality. EM

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We're driving 800 miles to see it. So is the rest of the astronomical society, some going up to Wyoming, some to other parts of the path. They've been planning this for a couple of years. When we started looking at cruises for this year, that week was already blocked out on the planning calendar, LOL.

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We'll be camping in Coram, Montana near Glacier National Park that night. Will we be able to see it in Big Sky Country? Sure hope so!

 

Nope, just Googled the Path and it won't be seen in Montana, dang it.

 

Found this on an Astronomy site:

 

"Only a miniscule piece of the "beard" of MT is in the path. There aren't even any roads to get you there, and besides, max totality in MT is only 45s. Get into Idaho or Wyoming and see some real totality!"

 



 

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Does anyone else find it strange that not one cruise line has a cruise that will view the eclipse?

I searched the East Coast cruises and couldn't find one.

 

The closest cruise ship to the eclipse area I could find is the MSC Divina that departs Miami on August 19th heading to St Maarten for an August 22nd arrival. On the 21st, the day of the Eclipse, it will be at Sea and could be in very close if not in the Total Eclipse path. There doesn't appear to be a Roll Call for this cruise so no help there. You are right it would be strange not to have cruise ship in the path of the Eclipse.

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The closest cruise ship to the eclipse area I could find is the MSC Divina that departs Miami on August 19th heading to St Maarten for an August 22nd arrival. On the 21st, the day of the Eclipse, it will be at Sea and could be in very close if not in the Total Eclipse path. There doesn't appear to be a Roll Call for this cruise so no help there. You are right it would be strange not to have cruise ship in the path of the Eclipse.

Looks to me like the direct path from Miami to St. Maarten would be about 200 miles away from the eclipse line. Wonder if they will consider deviating some to get into the path.

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The closest cruise ship to the eclipse area I could find is the MSC Divina that departs Miami on August 19th heading to St Maarten for an August 22nd arrival. On the 21st, the day of the Eclipse, it will be at Sea and could be in very close if not in the Total Eclipse path. There doesn't appear to be a Roll Call for this cruise so no help there. You are right it would be strange not to have cruise ship in the path of the Eclipse.

 

I saw that cruise but if you look at the map of the route it takes, on 8/21 Divinia will only see a very small portion of the eclipse. And yeah, someone should have planned on this eclipse! What a sellout that would have been!

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