Did anybody get a better view of the eclipse? I don't think it happened very good here (of course) but got pics of mini-paper eclipses and the actual sun with a mini-me beside it.

It is supposed to be happening now here , but we are in the middle of a storm and it is so cloudy you can not see anything. Did have a large group of wild Turkeys walking past the house when I went out to look.

Rain, rain and more rain here all day. I'm on the edge of the path, but not even a slight change in light outside because of the heavy cloud covers.

Somehow we hijacked the Daily Gardening Thread for eclipse chatter, starting several days ago actually.

NJBob said: It is supposed to be happening now here , but we are in the middle of a storm and it is so cloudy you can not see anything.

Aww, I'm sorry!

Neet! I should have tried to get a picture but yours looks pretty good!! Thank you for posting. We noticed that the lighting changed to dim outside during the eclipse.

Just discovered this thread. Yes, got some good pix. We're dead center in the path. Fun morning!

Zoë you were so lucky to see the Ring of Fire!! Congrats! How did you get such good pics, did you have a filter over your phone or camera lens?

Next April I plan to be more prepared and buy some glasses, but I have a strong feeling something will happen that day that I'll miss it so I have no intention of getting my hopes up. It always rains too much here during Spring so clouds will probably ruin my experience and I'll have wasted money on eclipse glasses. But I guess they'll keep.
Actually I thought I read somewhere unused eclipse glasses only last 3 years in storage, is that so?

Fantastic shots!!! If I couldn't see it next best thing

Outstanding! Looking forward to seeing next April's total eclipse too...

TomatoNut95 said: Zoë you were so lucky to see the Ring of Fire!! Congrats! How did you get such good pics, did you have a filter over your phone or camera lens?

Thank you Anne. Nothing high tech. I just pressed the freebie cardboard solar glasses up against my cellphone lens. Worked like a charm. I'm a proponent of the KISS method whenever possible! 🤓

@gingin thank you for the s !

@TomatoNut95
Anne, these

NMoasis said: @TomatoNut95
Anne, these

Pretty! You said freebie, from where?

Because we were dead center in the eclipse path, there were viewing events all over the state and all sorts of organizations were giving them away. I went to one at the university. I did actually give a donation for their planetarium construction fund, but officially they were free.

Adults, kids, dogs, picnics, lots of cameras and telescopes. It was a charming community event.

That's the first I ever heard of them expiring, so I did some digging and found this info, with links to NASA's info. I have a feeling that "expiration date" and only "good for three years" came about either to protect companies from liability if anyone used damaged ones, or simply (and more likely) to sell more of them each eclipse, convincing you the ones you used last year are no longer any good.

This is from NASA's Site:

Note: If your eclipse glasses or viewers are compliant with the ISO 12312-2 safety standard, you may look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed Sun through them for as long as you wish. Furthermore, if the filters aren't scratched, punctured, or torn, you may reuse them indefinitely. Some glasses/viewers are printed with warnings stating that you shouldn't look through them for more than 3 minutes at a time and that you should discard them if they are more than 3 years old. Such warnings are outdated and do not apply to eclipse viewers compliant with the ISO 12312-2 standard adopted in 2015. To make sure you get (or got) your eclipse glasses/viewers from a supplier of ISO-compliant products, see the American Astronomical Society (AAS) Reputable Vendors of Solar Filters & Viewers page.

You should definitely get yourself some for April's eclipse, and do it early and just hide them away somewhere so they don't get punctured. Many places run out of them when it gets too close to the actual date.

Edited to include the link to the vendors' list page.

Thanks Nancy. I checked mine. Compliant with the 2015 standard!

Murky said: That's the first I ever heard of them expiring, so I did some digging and found this info, with links to NASA's info. I have a feeling that "expiration date" and only "good for three years" came about either to protect companies from liability if anyone used damaged ones, or simply (and more likely) to sell more of them each eclipse, convincing you the ones you used last year are no longer any good.

This is from NASA's Site:


You should definitely get yourself some for April's eclipse, and do it early and just hide them away somewhere so they don't get punctured. Many places run out of them when it gets too close to the actual date.

Edited to include the link to the vendors' list page.

Thank you for this info!! That being the case I won't feel like I've wasted money if I can't view the April eclipse. I'll definitely buy the glasses early, (probably right after Christmas) the ones I have picked out are a pack of 10 in a box so they shouldn't get injured in storage.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N9T9CZL/

It was mostly overcast in Sacramento at eclipse time but was still able to enjoy the 'ground effects' which is a fascinating phenomenon. Under certain trees there are thousands of eclipse images. These are created from sunlight through the cloud cover projecting onto my exterior wall. The third photo i'm not exactly sure what's what !? 😆

That first pic is so neat! Eerie effect yet like some form of art!

I agree. I've never understood how that effect through leaves happens, but it's really cool.