Here is my first vlog! 🎉 Join me as I take off on a road trip to chase my first total solar eclipse! Joining me are my parents who I invited to accompany me on an adventure to (hopefully) experience eclipse totality! 🚗
On April 8, 2024, a rare celestial event arched across the skies: a total solar eclipse visible all across North America with a path of totality crossing not far from the East Coast. 🌑
This was no ordinary eclipse; this was one of the very few total solar eclipses that would be visible from the United States during our lifetime. Considering I was within driving distance of such a rare and special eclipse, I became determined to try to find some way to get myself into the path of totality just days beforehand.
The last time the United States witnessed a total solar eclipse was on August 21, 2017. I experienced that eclipse as a partial eclipse since I viewed it from New Jersey, outside of its path of totality. Before that eclipse, the previous one crossed the United States on February 26, 1979!
The next one that will pass over the United States will occur 21 years from now on August 12, 2045. As you can see, unless you travel the world for it, total eclipses are exceedingly rare opportunities for most people.
They say viewing a total eclipse can be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most people unless you’re extraordinarily lucky. (For example, residents of Carbondale, Illinois found themselves within the Path of Totality for both the 2017 and 2024 total eclipses. How crazy is that!?)
Just for clarity: there are different types of eclipses. Annular eclipses (the typical “ring of fire” eclipses) happen every year, more or less. Partial eclipses are also rather relatively more common since the range is much wider for viewing. A total eclipse where the sun is 100% covered by the moon is much more rare.
It’s the only eclipse where you can look with your bare eyes and see the sun’s corona which is never visible any other time on Earth except during a 100% total eclipse!
I’ll keep the blog post short since I think most of the experience is best told through my vlog! 📹
Instead, I’ll share a little more information along with some additional photos I took of the partial eclipse leading up to totality.
To time totality, I used the Solar Eclipse Timer app which uses your GPS coordinates to give you precise times and alerts during a solar eclipse! In-app, I paid $2.00 for the April 8, 2024 eclipse package.
I saw these eclipse snacks on social media and just had to share them. My friends Neeraj and Aarti shared them!
(Regarding the eclipse, my Sony A7R V photos turned out just okay. Instead of taking pictures during totality, I used my Sony A7R V to film the entire total eclipse. I also don’t own a zoom telephoto lens to be able to get close enough shots of the sun’s corona. I wish I could have done that if I had the right gear!)
I focused on wide-angle footage instead, as seen in the vlog! My phone got some nice close-ups instead!
Were you able to watch the eclipse this year? Where did you watch from and what was your view?
By the way, this was my first time attempting a vlog. If you like it, please let me know. I’m open to your feedback since I made this in a very different format from what I’d usually create. I hope you like it! 😎
I did get to see it and will be posting about it on my Sunny Sunday post this week. It was AMAZING! Thanks for sharing your experience!
AHH I am so excited to hear about your experience too! I’m sure you can share my enthusiasm then, because this eclipse was something so special and unlike anything else I have ever seen. I’m glad I made it my mission to go and see it. I am so glad you could experience it too and that you found it as amazing as I did!
I got a little more excited than I normally would when you pointed out the post-eclipse bird behavior…because it’s you!
Great video. Didn’t think I’d watch the whole thing, but you kept me engaged, so good job!