I'm not in the path of totality, here in Madiganistan, but would like to watch it. We will get 93% totality according to the NASA sight. I have a number of welding lenses that I could view it through. I'm thinking if it will shield my eyes from a tig arc, it should work for a couple seconds of looking at the sun. Any thoughts on this?
Bob Carpe Scrotum
March 23, 2024, 12:06 PM
Skins2881
quote:
Any thoughts on this?
If the welding glasses are rated for direct solar observation and have no scratches or damage then go for it. If they aren't rated for it it's not worth your vision.
Jesse
Sic Semper Tyrannis
March 23, 2024, 12:18 PM
honestlou
I saw the last one in Tennessee and it was awe-inspiring. As in literally I was in awe. I highly recommend you get yourself in the path.
Very hard to describe, but I felt a connection to all mankind and the universe. Day turned to night (more like dusk), birds and insects were confused. Literally awesome.
Traffic was a little heavy in small towns, but nothing crazy. We just drove around looking for a good place to stop. Found a marina on a lake that wasn't too busy, ate there and had a great venue to view the eclipse.
March 23, 2024, 12:32 PM
bob ramberg
[/QUOTE]If the welding glasses are rated for direct solar observation and have no scratches or damage then go for it. If they aren't rated for it it's not worth your vision.[/QUOTE]
I never heard of this rating. Do welding lens mfrs rate their lenses for solar observation?
It is my understanding that the only added danger of a solar eclipse verses just looking at the sun, is that you can look at an eclipse longer without discomfort and that is what causes the damage.
Bob Carpe Scrotum
March 23, 2024, 12:41 PM
Skins2881
quote:
Do welding lens mfrs rate their lenses for solar observation?
I doubt it. If they do it will be marked ISO 12312-2:2015.
Jesse
Sic Semper Tyrannis
March 23, 2024, 12:50 PM
Fly-Sig
quote:
Originally posted by bob ramberg: Do welding lens mfrs rate their lenses for solar observation?
It is my understanding that the only added danger of a solar eclipse verses just looking at the sun, is that you can look at an eclipse longer without discomfort and that is what causes the damage.
The problem is UV giving your retina a sunburn, which it will never recover from. So it isn't sufficient to use a really dark lens which blocks visible light, it has to also block the dangerous UV light.
Some welding glasses do and some do not.This message has been edited. Last edited by: Fly-Sig,
March 23, 2024, 04:26 PM
Schmelby
[QUOTE]Originally posted by bob ramberg:
I never heard of this rating. Do welding lens mfrs rate their lenses for solar observation?
No, but a shade 10 lens should be sufficient.
March 23, 2024, 04:46 PM
doublesharp
I've got the dark glasses from recent cataract surgery and am planning on wearing them or else do it like we did about 60 years ago and poke a pin hole in a piece of paper and see the image in an empty shoe box.
________________________ God spelled backwards is dog
March 23, 2024, 04:54 PM
Skins2881
Guys, you can get eclipse glasses at $20 per half dozen. Just buy the right tool for the job.
Jesse
Sic Semper Tyrannis
March 23, 2024, 08:28 PM
10X-Shooter
They have closed the local high school for the day because of the eclipse. I’m still shaking my head.
March 23, 2024, 10:52 PM
tigereye313
quote:
We're going to Blanco State Park a few days early and staying a day later in an RV.
We are doing the same in Wimberley.
March 24, 2024, 12:10 AM
sjtill
We're planning on staying in Sequin but driving very early to the Bandera area. I couldn't get a reservation for a day parking spot at any of the state parks and natural areas anywhere near Bandera. We'll just have to hope for the best, I guess. A friend who lives in San Antonio suggested Bandera.
_________________________ “Remember, remember the fifth of November!"
March 24, 2024, 01:19 AM
Zecpull
I live in Ohio and have a house in the path of totality for 3.5 min. 8 miles south of lake Erie. Planning on a cook out..
_______________________________ 'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but > because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton
NRA Endowment Life member NRA Pistol instructor...and Range Safety instructor Women On Target Instructor.
March 24, 2024, 05:03 AM
IndianaMike
quote:
Originally posted by Skins2881: Guys, you can get eclipse glasses at $20 per half dozen. Just buy the right tool for the job.
BINGO
A couple of the big box stores here in my local area. have them on the shelf.
March 24, 2024, 03:37 PM
Blackmore
quote:
Originally posted by IndianaMike:
quote:
Originally posted by Skins2881: Guys, you can get eclipse glasses at $20 per half dozen. Just buy the right tool for the job.
BINGO
A couple of the big box stores here in my local area. have them on the shelf.
Originally posted by snwghst: Think I'm going to drive to Tyler, sleep in the back of the truck then get up early and drive a bit more to area of totality, then head back to the house before the masses depart
Our totality time is just shy of 2 minutes I would check some of the surrounding towns some of them are up to around 4 minutes.
March 27, 2024, 11:53 PM
mcrimm
I’ve seen 2 of these. The first was in Montana in about 1980. The second was in Rigby Idaho in 2017. We were invited to a 30 person cookout with live music. Cool day. Traffic was a bitch for hours afterwards.
I'm sorry if I hurt you feelings when I called you stupid - I thought you already knew - Unknown ................................... When you have no future, you live in the past. " Sycamore Row" by John Grisham
March 28, 2024, 12:15 PM
sjtill
So I will ask: any SF members in region of Bandera, maybe Boerne want to have company for part of 4/8? My son and I will have food, water, and disposable urine bags so will be self-sufficient. Just need a place to park off the road.
My email is in my profile.
_________________________ “Remember, remember the fifth of November!"
March 31, 2024, 05:20 PM
Scuba Steve Sig
I finally got my kids to complete their Junior Ranger Eclipse Explorer workbooks to mail in to a National Park in the eclipse path today. I had to use Wii time as the motivation but they always enjoy doing it.
April 01, 2024, 11:01 AM
sjtill
Weather is not looking good for the San Antonio area for 4/8. Current Accuweather prediction is mostly cloudy with some thunderstorms. There is an article on WSJ about where to find a place for cloud-free eclipse watching. Most of the band of the total eclipse in the US is currently predicted to be cloudy. I'm becoming increasingly pessimistic.
Don’t bother looking at forecasts more than a week ahead, experts say, as predictions made further out aren’t reliable indicators of what your eclipse-viewing weather could be.
Clouds in the forecast models can change from day-to-day, according to Jay Anderson, a Canadian meteorologist and eclipse chaser. So at the beginning of April, start checking forecasts in your area every day. If they give the same predictions multiple days in a row, then you can start to trust them, he added.
Three to five days before the eclipse, forecasts should give a general sense of what the cloud regimes are going to look like, according to Brian Brettschneider, a climate scientist for the National Weather Service’s Alaska region. But it isn’t until around 48 hours or so before the event that the NWS’s forecast will be dependable for eclipse gazers to firm up travel plans, Anderson said.
“Everything is going to plug up as people get into the eclipse track. So you pretty much have to plan early and don’t plan massive amounts of driving on the day of,” said Anderson, who has been chasing eclipses for nearly 50 years and provides weather analysis for fellow enthusiasts.
_________________________ “Remember, remember the fifth of November!"
