Author Topic: 2017 US Eclipse thread  (Read 33370 times)

Offline Chris Bergin

2017 US Eclipse thread
« on: 08/16/2017 04:41 pm »
Sorry about this but the thread was hit by spammers and in an attempt to clean the thread I (yes me!) deleted the thread. Wasn't a long one, but very annoying that the thread was lost.

I'm restarting it. Please respost anything you remember was useful for the thread.

I'll add this:
On Monday, Aug. 21, all of North America will be treated to an eclipse of the Sun, and NASA Television will carry it live from coast to coast from unique vantage points on the ground and from aircraft and spacecraft, including the International Space Station. Coverage will be featured during the live four-hour broadcast Eclipse Across America: Through the Eyes of NASA.

Programming begins at noon EDT with a preview show hosted from Charleston, South Carolina. The main show begins at 1 p.m. and will cover the path of totality the eclipse will take across the United States, from Oregon to South Carolina. The program will feature views from NASA research aircraft, high-altitude balloons, satellites and specially-modified telescopes. It also will include live reports from Charleston, as well as from Salem, Oregon; Idaho Falls, Idaho; Beatrice, Nebraska; Jefferson City, Missouri; Carbondale, Illinois; Hopkinsville, Kentucky; and Clarksville, Tennessee.

The Toshiba Vision screen in New York’s Times Square will broadcast the program live in its entirety to give the public a big-screen view of the eclipse. Viewers in Times Square can listen to NASA coverage while observing it on the big screen by downloading the NASA app or going to https://www.nasa.gov/eclipselive.

Catch NASA’s live coverage using any of the following:

NASA App

    NASA App for iOS -- http://itunes.apple.com/app/nasa-app/id334325516?mt=8
    NASA App for Android -- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gov.nasa
    NASA App for Amazon Fire and Fire TV -- http://amzn.com/B00ZVR87LQ
    The NASA App also is available to Apple TV users.

Social Media

    Facebook Live -- https://www.facebook.com/nasa
    Twitter/Periscope -- https://www.pscp.tv/nasa
    Twitch TV -- https://twitch.tv/nasa
    Ustream -- http://www.ustream.tv/nasahdtv
    YouTube --

NASA TV Feeds

NASA TV on Galaxy-13
NASA TV channels are digital C-band signals, carried by QPSK/DVB-S modulation on satellite Galaxy-13, transponder 11, at 127 degrees west longitude, with a downlink frequency of 3920 MHz, vertical polarization, data rate of 38.80 MHz, symbol rate of 28.0681 Mbps, and 3/4 FEC. A Digital Video Broadcast (DVB) compliant Integrated Receiver Decoder (IRD) is needed for reception.

NTV-1 (Public-Education) HD Program = 101 (NTV-1)
Compression Format = MPEG-2, Video PID = 0x112 hex / 274 decimal, AC-3 PID = 0x113 hex / 275 decimal, MPEG I Layer II Audio PID = 0x114 hex / 276 decimal. NASA also is providing an un-captioned KU feed for this event only on Galaxy 17, Transponder TBD.

NTV-3 (Media) HD Program = 103 (NTV-3)
Compression Format = MPEG-4, Video PID = 0x1031 hex / 4145 decimal, AC-3 Audio PID = 0x1034 hex /4148 decimal, MPEG I Layer II Audio PID = 0x1035 hex /4149 decimal. NASA also is providing a raw feed on the Verizon AVOC. The transmit circuit numbers are 36 TBGS 101315 AVOC TX 1 and 36 TBGS 101321 AVOC TX 2. Media requesting this connection must contact Verizon directly and have previously had presence on the AVOC.

All content and times are subject to change in real-time and without notice.

For more details and a broadcast timeline, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

In addition to the NASA TV broadcast, live video streams from locations across the country will be available at:

https://www.nasa.gov/eclipselive

To view and download NASA eclipse images, visit:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasahqphoto
« Last Edit: 08/16/2017 04:43 pm by Chris Bergin »
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Offline Space Ghost 1962

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Re: 2017 US Eclipse thread
« Reply #1 on: 08/16/2017 04:45 pm »
« Last Edit: 08/18/2017 04:14 am by Space Ghost 1962 »

Offline leetdan

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Re: 2017 US Eclipse thread
« Reply #2 on: 08/16/2017 07:05 pm »
Mercury should (for once) be dead-easy to spot during totality.

http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/august-21-2017-solar-eclipse-4-planets-bright-stars

Offline yokem55

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Re: 2017 US Eclipse thread
« Reply #3 on: 08/17/2017 12:02 am »
Folks heading to Central Oregon beyond normal travel planning, need to plan on gassing up early and often on the way. Reports from Prineville and Redmond today are that local stations have run out of gas for the day from the  30,000 folks heading to the Symbiosis festival outside of Mitchell. Here in Bend several stations ran out yesterday as locals gassed up ahead of the event, but were able to refill today. Tankers can refill as traffic allows, but if Hwy 97 & 20 has too much traffic, the fuel trucks won't be able to make it to the stations.

I don't mean to sound alarmist, but the number of people here (normal tri-county population is about 225k) will be more doubling over the next week and the infrastructure is going to be severely strained.

All that said, have fun here, enjoy the eclipse and be safe!

Offline wolfpack

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Re: 2017 US Eclipse thread
« Reply #4 on: 08/17/2017 01:16 am »
Well that's a shame! Did we get spammed with advertisements for fake sunglasses?

Myself, I'm headed to western NC where I'm hoping the population density and elevation changes work to my advantage. I'm tempted to venture as far as the Cherohala Skyway, which will be very near the line of totality and also reaches over 5,000 ft in elevation. I'm quite certain I'm not the only one to have thought this, though!

Online Orbiter

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Re: 2017 US Eclipse thread
« Reply #5 on: 08/17/2017 01:35 am »
National Weather Service (NWS) discussion for the Nashville area:

http://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=NWS&issuedby=OHX&product=AFD&format=CI&version=1&glossary=0

Quote
For the big eclipse on Monday, we are cautiously optimistic.
Models are showing a decent upper level ridge over the region, but
there are indications of some increasing moisture through the day
and the potential for isolated showers or thunderstorms, mainly
in the afternoon, It looks like skies will be partly cloudy, with
some scattered cumulus clouds and perhaps some larger patches of
thin cirrus clouds. Specific sky conditions are quite difficult
several days out, so keep checking back for updates.
KSC Engineer, astronomer, rocket photographer.

Offline jimvela

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Re: 2017 US Eclipse thread
« Reply #6 on: 08/17/2017 02:57 am »
Trip is still on for my little group from the Tinkermill.org makerspace.
It was stunning to me how many of my new colleagues from LASP are going north, and a large number of my old Ball teammates as well.  Not surprising, we in science and industry LIVE for this kind of stuff.

My group is planning to go to dispersed camping in forest land ESE of Casper, West of Glendo.
If you'd previously reached out to me as an NSF'er looking for a possible overnight, PM me.
It'll be an adventure as I may be well out of cell range, but may be able to get coords out via APRS or improvised LTE connection. (Sadly, no satcom- [hangs head in shame]  ;) )

For folks going north from Colorado, CDOT and CSP (as well as their Wyoming counterparts) are advising that traffic will be absolutely unreal.  The upper end of the crazy traffic projections have us doubling the human population of Wyoming on the 21st. (!!)  It's strongly advised to go up before Monday or ridiculously early on Monday.

Large swaths of the US interstate system are going to be restricted to oversize or special needs cargo.  Many locations are treating this as a major holiday/tourist event (it is), so there will be many road restrictions.  Check in advance and be well prepared to shelter in place if traffic grinds to a halt where you are.

Please everyone tell all those in your host state wherever you visit how much you appreciate your hospitality.
I've been visiting Wyoming for years even as a Colorado kid, and the people up there are wonderful. 

Be safe, everyone, and enjoy the show!


Offline darkenfast

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Re: 2017 US Eclipse thread
« Reply #7 on: 08/17/2017 04:24 pm »
As we get closer, the weather forecasts for my part of the mid-Willamette Valley in western Oregon are looking better: we are now forecast for sunny (up from cloudy or partly cloudy).
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Offline Lars-J

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Re: 2017 US Eclipse thread
« Reply #8 on: 08/17/2017 05:55 pm »
Reposting from the old thread:
This site allows you to see how much of the Sun will be occluded in your Zip code area: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/7/25/16019892/solar-eclipse-2017-interactive-map

Offline John Alan

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Re: 2017 US Eclipse thread
« Reply #9 on: 08/17/2017 06:35 pm »
I have found the below website works well to compare forecasts along the route...

https://www.weather.gov/source/crh/eclipse.html

I'm driving from Central IL... will drop down to US 36 and head west into MO (4 lane highway across that state)...
Right now I have a spot picked south of Carrollton, MO as a primary target to get to by Monday early.
IF the cloud cover starts looking iffy by Sunday midday... I'll head west into Nebraska and leave earlier...

On much later edit...
My 2nd choice (if cloud cover at primary is iffy) is a spot west of Arnold NE...
Will take I-80 out of IL westbound...
In case it's not obvious... Looking to get out in the middle of nowhere with little traffic in the area...  ;)

 8)
« Last Edit: 08/18/2017 02:54 pm by John Alan »

Offline Star One

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Re: 2017 US Eclipse thread
« Reply #10 on: 08/17/2017 07:43 pm »

Offline kevin-rf

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Re: 2017 US Eclipse thread
« Reply #11 on: 08/19/2017 01:07 am »
Btw. A report from a friend who lives in Bend OR (basically dead center of the track) described it to me tonight as they have turned the town into a full scale Burning Man event.

In other news, sounds like Sweetwater TN is completely over sold. Can't wait for the crowds on Monday.
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Offline Bubbinski

Re: 2017 US Eclipse thread
« Reply #12 on: 08/19/2017 01:29 am »
I'm in Rexburg, Idaho right now, have set up my tent and equipment. Camping at Riverside Park by the Teton River. Got in early as tomorrow and Sunday are supposed to be a madhouse, got in with no traffic issues.
« Last Edit: 08/19/2017 01:31 am by Bubbinski »
I'll even excitedly look forward to "flags and footprints" and suborbital missions. Just fly...somewhere.

Offline yokem55

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Re: 2017 US Eclipse thread
« Reply #13 on: 08/19/2017 02:20 am »
Btw. A report from a friend who lives in Bend OR (basically dead center of the track) described it to me tonight as they have turned the town into a full scale Burning Man event.

In other news, sounds like Sweetwater TN is completely over sold. Can't wait for the crowds on Monday.
The Burning Man type event is the Big Summit Prairie festival east of Prineville. There are about 30,000 people out there for a whole weekend event being put on by the Symbiosis people. Here in Bend it's mostly quiet and rather smokey at the moment. The forest fire northwest of Bend near Sisters has the skies rather orange. I'm crossing my fingers that the wind will change by Monday morning and send the smoke to the South. I wouldn't be surprised to see substantially depressed turnout in central Oregon because of it though.

The highways between the towns of central Oregon have been pretty clear thus far, with the exception of the highway east of Prineville heading to Big Summit Prairie was pretty jammed yesterday.  http://www.tripcheck.com has all of ODOT's road cam's if you want to see how traffic is.

Offline Lars-J

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Re: 2017 US Eclipse thread
« Reply #14 on: 08/19/2017 06:03 am »
Btw. A report from a friend who lives in Bend OR (basically dead center of the track) described it to me tonight as they have turned the town into a full scale Burning Man event.

In other news, sounds like Sweetwater TN is completely over sold. Can't wait for the crowds on Monday.

Bend is about 45 min to 1 hr south of the main track, a ~30 min drive from the edge of the totality. I'm heading there on Sunday, looks like some hotels are releasing some more rooms (people cancelling extra bookings?) and I was able to secure a room. Only 5x the normal rate!  ;D Hopefully it won't be too crazy.

Here in Bend it's mostly quiet and rather smokey at the moment. The forest fire northwest of Bend near Sisters has the skies rather orange. I'm crossing my fingers that the wind will change by Monday morning and send the smoke to the South. I wouldn't be surprised to see substantially depressed turnout in central Oregon because of it though.

The highways between the towns of central Oregon have been pretty clear thus far, with the exception of the highway east of Prineville heading to Big Summit Prairie was pretty jammed yesterday.  http://www.tripcheck.com has all of ODOT's road cam's if you want to see how traffic is.

That's encouraging to hear... It's difficult to know who to believe sometimes. Some predict little traffic to some locations, while others expect a complete mauling and breakdown of all infrastructure in the very same location. I'm hoping for more of the former when I visit Bend for the first time.  :)
« Last Edit: 08/19/2017 06:15 am by Lars-J »

Offline yokem55

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Re: 2017 US Eclipse thread
« Reply #15 on: 08/19/2017 02:59 pm »
Btw. A report from a friend who lives in Bend OR (basically dead center of the track) described it to me tonight as they have turned the town into a full scale Burning Man event.

In other news, sounds like Sweetwater TN is completely over sold. Can't wait for the crowds on Monday.

Bend is about 45 min to 1 hr south of the main track, a ~30 min drive from the edge of the totality. I'm heading there on Sunday, looks like some hotels are releasing some more rooms (people cancelling extra bookings?) and I was able to secure a room. Only 5x the normal rate!  ;D Hopefully it won't be too crazy.

Here in Bend it's mostly quiet and rather smokey at the moment. The forest fire northwest of Bend near Sisters has the skies rather orange. I'm crossing my fingers that the wind will change by Monday morning and send the smoke to the South. I wouldn't be surprised to see substantially depressed turnout in central Oregon because of it though.

The highways between the towns of central Oregon have been pretty clear thus far, with the exception of the highway east of Prineville heading to Big Summit Prairie was pretty jammed yesterday.  http://www.tripcheck.com has all of ODOT's road cam's if you want to see how traffic is.

That's encouraging to hear... It's difficult to know who to believe sometimes. Some predict little traffic to some locations, while others expect a complete mauling and breakdown of all infrastructure in the very same location. I'm hoping for more of the former when I visit Bend for the first time.  :)
It probably helps that the specific destinations in Central Oregon are pretty dispersed throughout the area. So while there are a couple of high density destinations (Madras and the festival east of Prineville), everyone else is heading out to a wide variety of lower density areas and as long as you can get off the highways where you are heading, things aren't too bad. Now Monday afternoon and Tuesday, the problem might be reversed, a lot of people trying to get on to the highways out of here all at once...

Offline Space Ghost 1962

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Re: 2017 US Eclipse thread
« Reply #16 on: 08/19/2017 10:43 pm »
It's hard to gauge the traffic levels for incoming eclipse tourists, but for the outgoing ones that's less of a problem.

While it's easy to "go early" given the weekend, many have commitments for the week. So many of the smart ones will cancel out of meetings and attempt to avoid the very likely traffic jams on the return.

(It's been humorous both the over and under estimates for this eclipse. At a recent visit to a NASA center, certain senior scientist were pouring cold water on claims of doubling the population of Wyoming and Nebraska. Just the other day at CU-Boulder a professor was shocked to see we hadn't departed by then (all my meetings in the area went surprisingly fast and efficient with amazingly little discord), claiming that I-25/76 were overloaded already. A quick scan of Google maps and CDOT web cams proved this to be utter nonsense.)

Am headed to a Wyoming town that has officially a population of 1. Calling, no one has showed up yet, can't see a single person for 20 miles in any direction.

Somewhat unlike Bend, Or. But Cliff Mass, web meteorologist extraordinaire, suggests that Oregon has the best weather chances, and clearly access to the most congested part of the US West of the Atlantic seaboard.

His latest update:
Eclipse Weather Update: Will the Partial Eclipse Be Visible in Seattle? What will happen in Oregon?
« Last Edit: 08/19/2017 11:05 pm by Space Ghost 1962 »

Offline jgoldader

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Re: 2017 US Eclipse thread
« Reply #17 on: 08/20/2017 12:32 am »
Elder son and I got into Charleston a couple of hours ago, about 6 pm local.  Weather was very nice during the last part of the drive, and the forecast is looking better than it was looking yesterday.  It's around 35C (95 F) but not as humid as I expected.  The drive down from Philly took about 12.5 hours driving time (not counting pit stops).  I-95 was pretty crowded, it was stop and go for an hour at one spot in VA due to what seemed just volume.  Never driven so far in one day.
Recovering astronomer

Offline Chris Bergin

Re: 2017 US Eclipse thread
« Reply #18 on: 08/20/2017 02:35 pm »
« Last Edit: 08/20/2017 02:35 pm by Chris Bergin »
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Online gongora

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Re: 2017 US Eclipse thread
« Reply #19 on: 08/20/2017 03:58 pm »
Hmmmm, is 97% good enough or do I get up in the middle of the night and try to drive 100 miles?  I'm such a procrastinator.

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