{"id":17216,"date":"2024-04-08T21:43:27","date_gmt":"2024-04-08T13:43:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/a-tale-of-three-eclipse-chasers-despite-technological-gains-nature-calls-the-shots\/"},"modified":"2024-04-08T21:43:27","modified_gmt":"2024-04-08T13:43:27","slug":"a-tale-of-three-eclipse-chasers-despite-technological-gains-nature-calls-the-shots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/a-tale-of-three-eclipse-chasers-despite-technological-gains-nature-calls-the-shots\/","title":{"rendered":"A tale of three eclipse chasers: Despite technological gains, nature calls the shots"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
A diamond-ring effect is visible just moments before the beginning of a total solar eclipse, as seen from Cossatot River State Park in Arkansas. (GeekWire Photo \/ Kevin Lisota)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

NASHVILLE, Ind. \u2014 There\u2019s nothing like a total solar eclipse to remind you of the unstoppability of nature \u2014 and the tenuousness of technology.<\/p>\n

Not that we need much of a reminder: The challenges of climate change, ranging from floods to wildfires, and the problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic amply show the limits of humanity\u2019s control over nature.<\/p>\n

But chasing totality is a more benign example showing just how hard it is to predict which paths Mother Nature will take, and how technology may or may not catch up. <\/p>\n

It was tricky to pinpoint the best place to see today\u2019s total eclipse, because totality was visible only along a narrow track stretching from Mexico to Newfoundland, for no more than four and a half minutes over any location. If clouds roll in at 3:04 p.m., and totality begins at 3:05, there\u2019s nothing OpenAI or SpaceX can do about it.<\/p>\n

Based on historical precedent, a stretch of Texas around Austin was supposed to have the best chance of clear skies. Here in Nashville, a well-known tourist destination south of Indianapolis, the cloud-cover predictions varied from totally sunny to as much as 60% clouded over. Meanwhile, some air travelers hoped to catch sight of the blacked-out sun as they flew above the clouds.<\/p>\n

How did it all turn out? Here are three tales from GeekWire\u2019s eclipse team:<\/p>\n

Goodbye, Texas \u2014 hello, Arkansas<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Clouds partially obscure the view of the solar eclipse\u2019s partial phase, as seen from Arkansas. You can just make out a sunspot near the edge of the moon\u2019s dark disk. (GeekWire Photo \/ Kevin Lisota) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Observers at Cossatot River State Park in Arkansas wear protective glasses as they point at the partially eclipsed sun. (GeekWire Photo \/ Kevin Lisota)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The encouraging weather reports convinced photographer Kevin Lisota that Austin was the place to go. After his arrival on Friday, Lisota thought better of his decision. <\/p>\n

\u201cEach day, the forecast in Central Texas got worse and worse, with more potential cloud cover,\u201d Lisota wrote in his dispatch. \u201cAfter obsessing about the forecast, we decided to drive overnight on Sunday from Austin to Arkansas. We landed at Cossatot River State Park, a beautiful natural area, with an optimistic cloud forecast.\u201d<\/p>\n

The morning started well, with clear skies. Then low clouds began to roll in.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe beginning part of the eclipse gave us occasional glimpses of the partial eclipse through the clouds, but we were worried. Then, about 15 minutes before totality, pockets of clear skies opened up, revealing an awesome total eclipse,\u201d Lisota said. <\/p>\n

During the total phase of the eclipse, Lisota could dispense with his solar filters. \u201cThere were still some high cirrus clouds obscuring the sun, but it put on quite a show, with one blazingly bright prominence that was easily visible with the naked eye,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Dark skies above the clouds<\/h3>\n
\"\"
The view from a flight above western New York as the sky darkened. (GeekWire Photo \/ Kurt Schlosser)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
GeekWire reporter Kurt Schlosser tests his eclipse glasses as his flight from Seattle to New York City passes over the Great Lakes. (GeekWire Photo \/ Kurt Schlosser)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

GeekWire reporter Kurt Schlosser was 35,000 feet above Buffalo, N.Y., during totality, on a cross-country flight from Seattle to New York City.<\/p>\n

From his window seat on the left side of the aircraft, Schlosser witnessed the sky darken for about four minutes, starting at about 3:15 p.m. ET. Passengers on the right side of the plane had a better view of the actual sun.<\/p>\n

The captain of the Delta flight warned passengers not to stare at the sun. \u201cThere were no cheers from the packed flight during the eclipse, and a large number of passengers couldn\u2019t even be bothered to open their window shades or divert their attention from seatback screens,\u201d Schlosser said in his dispatch.<\/p>\n

Taking a chance in Indiana<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Steve Dubovich (left) and Alan Boyle (right) work with their cameras in advance of the total solar eclipse in Nashville, Ind. (Photo Courtesy of Dave Boyle)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Total
Steve Dubovich\u2019s photo shows the aurora surrounding the totally eclipsed sun, with fiery prominences flaring out around the edge of the disk. (Photo Courtesy of Steve Dubovich)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As I sat in my $300-a-night yurt in the woods near Nashville, bundled up in my sleeping bag, I reflected on how things have changed \u2014 or haven\u2019t \u2014 since ancient humans marveled over total solar eclipses.<\/p>\n

There was no signal for my phone. I couldn\u2019t get the hour-by-hour weather updates that I\u2019d been checking ever since I decided to cancel my two-week road trip to Texas and instead make last-minute plans to fly to the Midwest. My brother Dave put me up at his home in the Cincinnati area for a couple of days, and then we headed over to Indiana \u2014 where he had reserved a hotel room months ago, and where I reserved a glorified tent.<\/p>\n

Unlike ancient humans, I knew exactly when the sun would go dark: 3:05 p.m. ET. But when I went to sleep, without my internet, I couldn\u2019t be sure whether the skies would be cloud-free. The waves of rain showers that passed through during the night dampened my outlook.<\/p>\n

As it turned out, I needn\u2019t have worried. The only clouds in the sky were high and thin \u2014 barely dimming the sun. Dave picked me up at my yurt and we drove to the Brown County Inn, where Dave and his partner, Nancy, were staying. At the appointed time, we set up our folding chairs just south of the inn\u2019s miniature-golf course and shuffleboard court.<\/p>\n

Next to where I was screwing my dinky Nikon camera onto a tripod, Steve Dubovich was adjusting his more impressive-looking camera with a giant lens. He said that he and his wife, Deb, had planned the trip just a couple of weeks earlier and were looking forward to a \u201conce-in-a-lifetime\u201d experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hoping I get my settings right,\u201d Dubovich, who hails from Hebron, Ind., told me. \u201cI\u2019m trying different settings on the camera, just to get that nice halo on a total eclipse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Jim Hutchinson projects an image of the sun onto a cardboard screen at Hoosier Fest in Nashville, Ind. (GeekWire Photo \/ Alan Boyle)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Across the street, Jim Hutchinson \u2014 a retired astronomer from Atlanta \u2014 was setting up a spotting scope at the town\u2019s Hoosier Fest celebration. He used the small telescope to project images of the partial eclipse onto a sheet of cardboard.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lot safer to do it this way,\u201d he explained. <\/p>\n

Hutchinson said he\u2019s particularly concerned about eye safety because a childhood accident blinded him in one eye. \u201cI have only one eye, so I don\u2019t want to take the chance of looking at the sun through the glasses \u2014 although they\u2019re probably perfectly safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam Bracken brought his \u201cCeltic Pig\u201d food truck to Hoosier Fest, and was waiting for business to pick up as totality approached. He planned to get out of the truck by 3:05 p.m. and take a look at the blacked-out sun for himself. \u201cNobody\u2019s going to be ordering food when the eclipse starts,\u201d Bracken said.<\/p>\n

So what was he looking forward to the most? \u201cMaking money today, to be honest,\u201d he replied. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have traveled to see this if it wasn\u2019t for the opportunity to make some money.\u201d <\/p>\n

There wasn\u2019t exactly an overflow crowd of onlookers for the countdown to totality, but as the sun\u2019s disk turned into a crescent \u2014 and then into a bright fingernail \u2014 the hubbub grew. At T-minus-2 minutes, the light faded rapidly to twilight. And then, in a flash, the sun turned black. Stars were visible in a night-like sky, and the hubbub turned into hoots of joy. Some of those hoots were mine.<\/p>\n

\"\"
If you\u2019re looking for a great total eclipse picture, look elsewhere. (GeekWire Photo \/ Alan Boyle)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After four minutes of looking and hooting, the light returned. I reviewed the photos I took. Frankly, they were embarrassing. But I had resolved to look on the bright side, and Steve Dubovich did as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d say I\u2019m pretty happy,\u201d Dubovich told me. \u201cHey, we could have had clouds out there and all kinds of stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin Lisota, Kurt Schlosser and I all witnessed something that would have struck ancient humans as terrible magic. Maybe all of our best-laid plans went somewhat astray, but that\u2019s what you have to expect from Mother Nature \u2014 and from human nature as well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A diamond-ring effect is visible just moments before the beginning of a total solar eclipse, as seen from Cossatot River State Park in Arkansas. (GeekWire Photo \/ Kevin Lisota) NASHVILLE, Ind. \u2014 There\u2019s nothing like a total solar eclipse to remind you of the unstoppability of nature \u2014 and the tenuousness of technology. Not that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1409,4378,1418],"class_list":["post-17216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-eclipse","tag-skywatching","tag-solar-eclipse"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17216"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17216"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17216\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}