{"id":5349,"date":"2024-04-16T14:38:13","date_gmt":"2024-04-16T18:38:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wyomingjarbo.com\/blog\/?p=5349"},"modified":"2024-04-16T16:19:47","modified_gmt":"2024-04-16T20:19:47","slug":"the-total-solar-eclipse-of-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wyomingjarbo.com\/blog\/2024\/04\/16\/the-total-solar-eclipse-of-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"The Total Solar Eclipse of 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Very rarely do we get to relive magic in our lives, and often trying to create it results in the opposite. Fortunately, thanks to science and math1<\/a><\/sup>2<\/a><\/sup>, we have very accurate knowledge of when eclipses occur and where.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erica and I started planning for this year\u2019s eclipse right after we experienced the one in 2017 in Nashville<\/a>. During that trip, I didn\u2019t know what to expect, and while I was able to get some photos of the event, I wasn\u2019t really prepared. This year, I really had one goal, and that was to get a superb fancy shot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Premonition Of Trouble<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We travelled to Port Clinton, OH with some friends. I hadn\u2019t been up this way in over a decade. I think after the 2017 eclipse, the news media made it sound like this was going to be a massive disruption. Schools cancelled, government services warned to have preparations in a car such as water, gas, etc. We arrived and found while there were some people traveling for the eclipse, it wasn\u2019t like the nexus of Nashville in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A map of the 2017 Eclipse. Source: https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2017\/07\/mapping-the-august-2017-solar-eclipse\/<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In 2017, Nashville was one of the few major cities in the eastern United States. Many people travelled from the north, it was the first total eclipse in North America since 1991, and as we experienced<\/a>, there were few major routes back north as people made an exodus from Nashville resulting in a 14-hour trip home3<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Prep<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I had seven years to think about what I wanted to do differently to capture the eclipse. I had better camera gear, along with more cameras to take video. I bought a fancy filter so I could point my camera directly at the sun without it bursting into flames and damaging the sensor. I would only have three minutes, give or take to actually capture totality. I needed to be ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waiting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We actually planned to stay in Port Clinton a few days along with an extra day after the event in case there was a mass migration. We enjoyed some time at local restaurants and walked around up at Crane Creek State Park<\/a>. Unbeknownst to me, there was a bald eagle nest! Following the adventures of the bald eagles at Big Bear Lake in California has been a winter hobby of mine, thanks to a live cam<\/a>. I actually got to see one of the eagles in the nest, and walk directly underneath. It was huge. My mind still only thought of one thing: totality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Bald<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Bald<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Sun Totally Mooned Us<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We fortunately had a nice little area right next to the lake where we could camp out and watch the sky. I set up my cameras, attached my fancy neutral density filter and was able to take a direct picture of the sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then the moon started to jump in front and say \u201chey look at me!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then I went into frantic capture mode, looking through my camera, and through my glasses. While a partial eclipse is neat, nothing prepares you for totality. I only had my memories to draw upon from 2017. The temperature drops rapidly, all around you is sunset\/sunrise, and the eeriest4<\/a><\/sup> image of our sun totally blocked with a faint rim sits in the sky. The seagulls near us started squawking frantically as they don\u2019t have calculators and maps to prepare them for these things. As I was capturing photos, Erica kindly reminded me to look not through the lens but with my own eyes, and I am eternally grateful for that. Even though I have photos to share, the experience is not remotely captured. It\u2019s a glimpse and a reminder that as we live in a state of perpetual photography and sharing, simply experiencing things in the moment is better than any photograph. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Goods<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here are some of my favorite shots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Totality<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Sol,<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I captured a time-lapse of totality. You\u2019ll notice how the camera has auto exposure on and has to readjust as the sun is blocked, and as it reemerges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t