04/01 to 04/09 - 2024 Solar Eclipse-Part Two

 

2024 Solar Eclipse
Paducah, KY

April 1 to April 9, 2024

Unfortunately, not my photo. But...this is what I saw.

DUCK CREEK RV CAMPGROUND-

Duck Creek RV Park located in Paducah, Kentucky, is what you would expect for your run-of-the-mill rural campground. All gravel sites are level and clean with full hookups. My site 43 is toward the front of the campground near the laundry and showers. Tom, at the office required a bit of language concentration on my part. He was on the phone when I entered but I chuckled as my brain went into southern-drawl speak and had to concentrate on what he was saying. I loved it.

That cloud cover gave some concern as Monday, the 8th approached.

As Eclipse Day approached, those sites on the right were occupied.

This graphic show the path of totality.

At 2:00 pm CDT, at the very edge of its path, the sun will be totally eclipsed in Paducah for about two minutes. I hope to be part of the 38 million folks who will get to experience the event.

Here is a link that will show the animated PATH OF THE 2024 ECLIPSE.

August 21, 2017 I witnessed the total solar eclipse at Table Rock State Park, South Carolina directly in the center (dark blue line) of totality. My blog written at that time can be viewed HERE. The next one for the contiguous 48 states will be on August 23, 2044. I'll be 102 years old, the age of my mother when she passed, so I'll give it a shot to make it three total eclipses in my lifetime. Perhaps the caregivers at the home will wheel me out onto the balcony to witness the spectacle.

As April is Citizen Science Month for NASA, I wanted to participate in a sponsored solar eclipse project called SunSketcher that involved using my iPhone to help measure the exact shape and size of the sun by photographing an eclipse phenomenon called Baily's Beads. You can view the free downloaded app's TUTORIAL HERE. Unfortunately, that was not meant to be. The iPhone had to be placed undisturbed on a surface, camera side facing the sun. The heat of the sun for that period of time caused the iPhone to shut down until temperatures returned to normal. So, no contributions from me. My attempt at taking photos using the filter from eclipse glasses proved equally disappointing. Some highlights then:

I was able to capture a Sunday sunrise at about 6:45 am. That was special.

The sun actually appeared through that thick clump of trees; still, Mother Nature's pallet did not disappoint.

On the day of the eclipse, Monday 4/8/24, I awoke to an eerie, fogged in, low visibility scene that gave me pause though I expected it to burn off as the day progressed.

And that it did. By mid morning, the sun waited in the wings as the moon approached.

Knowing the dangers of direct viewing, I cut an extra pair of eclipse glasses to use half of it to cover the lens of my digital camera. Of the many I took, only one at totality was worthy to share below.

At the beginning of the eclipse, a shot of my neighbors across the road. Partial eclipse began at 12:42 p.m.

During the 2 minutes of totality beginning at 2:00 pm, I took the shot again. Any lights you see are the reflection from my flash .

The best I could do through the filter and without the use of a much needed tripod (that sits at home) that would have provided more clarity and focus. During those two minutes, however, one cannot deny the amazing feeling that comes over you as you stare without glasses at the rare spectacle. It was stunning, hypnotic and surreal; a solemn event. The temperature dropped 6º (78º to 71º) through this time period. 

Face-timing the birthday boy, was another surreal event. Two old geezers in the same orbit. 

In West Palm Beach, FL, Chuck captured this shot by just pointing and shooting. No glasses, no filter. At maximum, they only saw 49%  of  totality pictured here. My iPhone was rendered useless due to heat so I couldn't compare how the different devices would do in capturing the event. At home in Peekskill, they observed 92%.

For some eclipse trivia, I included this from today's Believe or Not. 

In closing, I must share an observation. In a site across from me, a family of 8 pulled in Sunday. Mom, Dad and six (6) kids in a towed trailer. Kids ranged in age 3 or 4 to 12years. A special family. Two boys, twin girls, the youngest, and two older sisters, one of whom was a special needs child. I think they're home-schooled for sure. There was no yelling, screaming, running amok or bickering. All were very calm as they went about keeping busy, active and enjoying each other's company. When any of the little ones began crying for whatever reason, Daddy told them to go inside and come out again when they stopped. Otherwise, it was mom who gets my award for being that special kind of mom. When it was time for the eclipse, they each had their eclipse glasses and sat attentively to watch the event.  It was a very pleasant experience.

Here, they're playing a card came. 

And now, it's time to move on. I leave tomorrow for Shepherdsville, Kentucky. My next blog will chronicle the 1,253 mile trip back home where I'll spend the remainder of April at Croton Point's RV Park. Hope you'll join me for the trip.

"To stand in the shadow of a total solar eclipse is to witness the universe's most grandiose spectacle—a moment when day turns into night, and the heavens reveal their hidden wonders." 

- Unknown