What a truly astronomical event ;-) August 21, 2017.
We start with time-lapse to show the gradual darkening, then the action picks up at 2:00, with totality reached around 2:30, and the diamond ring at 4:30. Hope you enjoy the video and photo's.
The stillness and calm grew as the light dimmed, then suddenly the silence was broken by joyous cheers that accompanied totality. The sun's corona was surprisingly large. What a happy coincidence that the spacing of the moon and sun makes them exactly the same size from our viewpoint. We could see stars and planets. Then, just as the sun peeked around the moon, there were clear crisp shadows, amazingly sharp, in the dim bluish light.
We had planned to view the eclipse in St. Joseph, Missouri, but as we drove north from Texas, the weather forecast was getting worse and worse - initially 40% overcast, then 60%, then 80%. We drove north into central Nebraska, then, as the forecast worsened there, we turned west, winding up near the Wyoming/Nebraska border, in Mitchell, Nebraska at the Scottsbluff County Fairgrounds.
We met some nice folks from Colorado and New Jersey with whom we celebrated this amazing celestrial event.
We can't wait until the next solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 - Mexico to Maine and 4 minutes of totality.
Scottsbluff County Fairgrounds
Mitchell, Nebraska
August 21, 2017