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RAC Main Forum => General Discussion => Topic started by: Luka on August 15, 2017, 10:36:41 PM

Title: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: Luka on August 15, 2017, 10:36:41 PM
For those that can travel, and will be in SE Nebraska, maybe you could post here. We might want to exchange phone numbers, email, and any other contact info to coordinate. I personally would love to hang out with some of you during this event.  I'm not sure that posting phone numbers on the forum is the solution, but we could at least have a list to email people.

Edit: Send info to Randy. See his comment.

Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: Q on August 16, 2017, 10:31:38 AM
I'm staying in Omaha and on Monday will be heading to DeWitt.   At least that's what I'm planning.  But I'm open for suggestions.
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: fealeybob14 on August 16, 2017, 02:35:09 PM
I'll be at Bader Park near Chapman and Grand Island NE (unless the park got flooded this past 48 hrs).  I'll check email the day before (the 20th) as I will be there.  Address: fealeybobby@msn.com; cell: 507-226-2030.
Just called the park and they did not get flooded!
Bob
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: fealeybob14 on August 16, 2017, 02:57:10 PM
The SOHO observatory https://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime/realtime-update.html shows a new sunspot group that should be present on eclipse day.  This should give us an opportunity to better focus our telescopes, cameras, cell phones on the sun prior to totality.
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: Randy H on August 16, 2017, 09:13:48 PM
One thing we could do is have everyone send your contact information to me at my gmail address and if you don't know that, then just send it to our 'contact' on our webpage - which goes to me.  Then I can send a mass email to all who submitted.

Randy
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: Randy H on August 16, 2017, 09:14:49 PM
Bob, that sunspot should be in the sweetspot over the next few days!
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: Mike C:\ on August 17, 2017, 08:22:29 AM
I'm not a big fan of having my info public, but if you would like my email and phone, just send me a private message.
I'll be heading to Fairbury myself.
Can't wait. :)
Thanks
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: darkskyjim on August 18, 2017, 04:55:25 PM
really getting worried about the weather...anyone ready
to bolt and go elsewhere? and if so, where?
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: Q on August 18, 2017, 06:39:07 PM
Arrrgh,  Douglas Wyoming is supposed to be mostly Sunny.
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: darkskyjim on August 18, 2017, 09:23:51 PM
that sounds good. thinking of getting a rental and heading
out but worried i won't find a place to stay...campsites all
full at Custer St Pk. guess i could sleep in the car at a rest
area :(
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: Josef Ch on August 19, 2017, 08:57:39 AM
Hmm, this is weather situation Saturday morning, two days before....
(https://dsx.weather.com/util/image/map/ussat_1280x720.jpg?v=ap&w=1280&h=720&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0)
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: Josef Ch on August 19, 2017, 09:27:42 AM
As Saturday 8/19 morning weatherforcast at weather.com looks like this: go west
EDIT: Looks like this picture linked to weather.com is live. Below is screenshot taken Sat 8/19
(https://dsx.weather.com/util/image/map/DCT_SPECIAL46_1280x720.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0)

Cloudcover forecast from Saturday August 19 11:45 AM CDT
(http://www.astronom.cz/jch/img/CloudCover-downloaded-2017-0819-1145CDT-DCT_SPECIAL41_1280x720.jpg)
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: Q on August 19, 2017, 12:03:20 PM
I Changed my plans.  I'm still headed to Omaha tonight (Sat)  but on Sunday will be going to Laramie, I was able to get a room (ouch!) but the chances of a clear sky are much better in Wy.   
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: Rick Murray on August 20, 2017, 09:38:45 PM
Randy ... where is the RAC going to set up in Rochester? I'm able to bring my 12" Dob if I know where to go.
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: fealeybob14 on August 21, 2017, 04:02:43 PM
Here's a totality shot from Chapman Nebraska where the clear sky gods were listening to us!
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: darkskyjim on August 22, 2017, 09:51:44 AM
great shot! the sky gods blessed us also in Pawnee City
but my Iphone took crappy pic...
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: Q on August 22, 2017, 11:19:10 AM
I ended up in Orin, WY, just a few miles NW of Glendo.  Perfectly clear skies.  I have a few shots taken through the scope that turned out ok.   But mostly very difficult getting video equipment to focus.   Here's one that turned out pretty nice, you can see the sunspots.
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: Luka on August 22, 2017, 12:46:01 PM
Are these prominences?
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: Josef Ch on August 22, 2017, 08:29:15 PM
I spent night at Wilber NE, but I was not sure, if weather would cooperate, so I woke up at 3 AM, and I drove to Wyoming. There was miserable foggy misty weather in the mid part of Nebraska. It was real "fun" to drive in fog. West Nebraska had good sky with clouds on the horizon. East Wyoming was cloudless. Great experience on Rd85 between Torrington and Lusk, it was gorgeous.
But there were clouds even in Wyoming. This guy made his composite from Yellowstone only so so , see https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170822.html
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: fealeybob14 on August 23, 2017, 01:58:24 AM
Great photos all!   I do believe you have prominences nicely recorded Luka.  I have edited my first pix a bit to show prominences as below.  Will see how they match up with the SOHO images.
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: fealeybob14 on August 23, 2017, 10:57:26 AM
Wow Josef!  We almost passed each other on the road in Western NE as I was driving back from eastern Wyoming from 7pm on the 20th to 2am on the 21st.  I had a day pass at a Wyoming state park but no place to sleep so I went back to Chapman NE and had a wonderful eclipse experience there.
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: fealeybob14 on August 25, 2017, 10:42:57 AM
Like Q nicely shows above, sunspots were quite visible on the sun during eclipse day.  The image below shows the sun partially eclipsed on the 21st (left side, taken with iPhone6 through a 20mm eyepiece and an Orion 4.5" reflector) and the sun on 8-24 (taken with the 4.5" reflector and the Orion 5PM camera).  Both used a white glass solar filter over the telescope end.  The rotation of the sun is quite evident over the three intervening days.
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: fealeybob14 on August 26, 2017, 09:28:03 PM
I wondered if I could identify that prominent prominence!  In the figure below, I used my last image before totality (A) where sunspots were still visible (yellow arrow) I aligned my image with the SOHO sunspot image of 8-21 (sunspot 2672 specifically) (B).  The totality image was then rotated to the same degree as my sunspot image.  I then looked at the SOHO EIT304 (extreme ultraviolet image in He II, 304 Å) which shows prominences(C and D).  The EIT304 images from 8-21 show a persistent prominence (red arrow) at the location of the most prominent one visible during totality (F).
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: fealeybob14 on August 26, 2017, 11:28:43 PM
Hmmm … it appears one of the SOHO HMI continuum images from 8-21 (left)caught the sun in a partial eclipse(? from a different vantage point).  The radius of curvature of the defect matches that of the moon based on an image (right) taken at the start of the eclipse.
EDIT: However I just realized SOHO orbits the sun at L1 and so is far outside of the moon's orbit and so the moon cannot pass between SOHO's instruments and the sun!!!  Guess I'm not sure now what that defect is after all.
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: fealeybob14 on August 28, 2017, 05:24:22 PM
An eclipse sequence pic.  All taken with iPhone6 attached to 4.5 in reflector and 20mm eyepiece.  Some images rotated a little; time sequence is from L to R.
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: Mike C:\ on August 28, 2017, 10:29:44 PM
OK, I was waiting until the next meeting to share these, but I can't wait.
Enjoy!
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: fealeybob14 on August 29, 2017, 06:12:55 PM
Great show Mike.  Love your corona and diamond ring shots!
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: Jeff Newland on September 12, 2017, 11:23:50 AM
We were in Friend, Nebraska for the eclipse.   A co-worker, Dave,  was also there.  He created a slide show of his trip.  He also did part of the Lincoln Highway on Sunday, so that is also included in the slide show as well as the eclipse.  The eclipse pictures are mine.

Here is a link:  https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_nPbuZVhxFWRUtIV0laRy1USFk (https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_nPbuZVhxFWRUtIV0laRy1USFk)

Be sure to turn on the sound..  :)

The skies cleared right before totality, seems like that is what happened for quite a few people.   :)

Jeff
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: fealeybob14 on September 23, 2017, 04:49:44 PM
What an awesome production Jeff!  The eclipse photos are superb and the Lincoln hwy-music part is great.  Was on that hwy (30) myself for a bit while in Chapman NE!
Title: Re: Total Solar Eclipse in Nebraska
Post by: Jeff Newland on September 23, 2017, 09:21:58 PM
Thanks Bob..    Just want to reiterate that the production was all Dave's.  Just the eclipse photos are mine.  He put that together about his trip to the eclipse and I agree he did a great job!  It sounds like you were on a part of Hwy 30 that he has not been on yet, but he'll probably get there some day.   :)

Jeff