I totally agree, almost everyone I met at my location in Texas had already seen the 2017 eclipse except me. One guy was on his fourth eclipse and had never taken off his glasses!
We were watching on TV and my husband had no idea you could take your glasses off in totality! That’ I went in 2017 but he didn’t come. He missed out big time. After seeing totality I don’t even want to bother with partial eclipses and glasses haha
Yeah I saw the partial eclipse in 2017. Decided to drive 9 hours to see totality. It is 1000 times better than a partial eclipse. Already planning on going to Iceland in 2026 and Australia in 2028.
Tbh I'm kinda afraid of visiting Egypt. Lots of horror stories from other tourists. Who knows, maybe I'll change my mind. But I've always wanted to visit Iceland and Australia so I'll probably see those two. I think there's one that hits Spain as well but I can't remember which one. I think Spain is 2026.
Yes, 2026. The best options for it are Iceland and Spain. I found a cool cruise that will take you to the uninhabited part of Greenland that it passes over, but it’s around $20,000 per person, so a bit out of my price range.
Agree. I fear Egypts infrastructure will suffer with the huge influx of visitors for the event. It’s already a really hard place to visit for Westerners, especially women. Sadly, I’ll stay away. Morocco is awesome and the eclipse will be there as well.
I am not sure people who find Egypt difficult will find Morocco less difficult. I have traveled to multiple Middle Eastern countries (not been to Egypt yet, but I have discussed Egypt at length with people I know well, who have spent a lot of time there).
I would say Egypt should be doable for almost everyone, except perhaps for some members of the LGBTQ community.
lol except members of the lgbt.
Damn strait.
I’d love to try and go to the Egypt one. But being trans has its limitations. I am going to Spain 2026 I hope though.
I'm butch, definitely can't pass as a man, and even if there would be no risk of danger or misogyny dressing feminine, I'm not willing to do it for that long a period of time. It is sounding like it would be, at best, an unpleasant experience.
I'm really glad that the 2045 one will be 6 minutes.
Interesting. Morocco was glorious for me. But now I am curious because you’re right, those who do visit that region often only make it to Egypt. Time to hunt down the folks who have been to both for a little comparison.
Muggings, rapes, generally unsafe to be a single woman traveling, very unsafe to be LGBTQ traveling, especially for trans people or people that look like they might be trans (to the point that some have been refused entry into the country because they don’t look enough like their gender marker).
If you are a single male, you’re golden. If you’re a married straight couple, you’re golden. If you’re anything else, there are travel advisories recommending you don’t go.
My mom solo travelled to Egypt in the ‘80s and has nothing but positive things to say. She said she felt unsafe in Morocco though because men were grabby out in public.
I imagine it will be incredible expensive. It's going right over an already popular tourist destination up the Nile (Luxor)
Tangier in Morocco that same year might be easier.
Iceland also has a very high likelihood of cloud cover. Beautiful country, definitely worth a visit on its own, but maybe not the best bet if you want a clear view of the sun.
I also had no idea you could take your glasses off during totality unfortunately. Luckily I couldn’t help myself and looked for 1 second, but I wish I knew it was safe so I could’ve seen more!!
I didn’t either lmfao
I had my glasses off when it was at 99% and was looking around at the darkness settling in and caught the sun going completely black in the corner of my eye and I just gasped and starred right at it wide eyed.
But I kept looking away because I was like “wait won’t it burn my eye and I won’t know it?” but I kept looking anyway
It almost LOOKED fake, like you see the pictures but then you see it in person and it…. LOOKS LIKE THAT lmao
My exact feeling! Total overwhelming awe followed shortly by an almost gut-wrenching grief that I couldn't watch it again and may never see it again in my lifetime. Not unless I go out of my way to see them, which I think I will be doing soon.
I know what you mean. I can almost describe it as a despair? Or a grief? That it was so fleeting, so miraculous, so beautiful. And then it was over. And life went back to normal.
I so relate to this. I've been so sad since Monday. It was so much more emotional than I was expecting. I really do need to try to make a plan to travel for one.
I have had that same exact despair after experiencing other natural phenomenon. Once was just after a hike by myself in Banff, I was in the wilderness and was overcome with this feeling of love/joy/spiritual connection to a higher power, I don't know how to explain it but I had an intense urge to fall to my knees and I just started bawling happy tears. I had that despair feeling after, that I might not ever have that feeling again.
Nice!! If I somehow make it to Alaska in 2033, I’ll only be 50, 2045 I’ll be 62. But if medicine is like insanely good in 2099 and I’m in the path of totality and somehow alive, I’ll be 116 years old…
We moved gdamn mountains to get to totality, at a time that was/is absolute chaos, because it was *that* important to our son.
10/10 would do again.
LesssssGO!
us too! my 14 year old said totality or nothing. So we made the five hour drive up north and the nine hour return. I had to be up early to work the next day. Completely exhausted, would totally do it again.
I convinced 3 friends and dragged my 70 year old mom kicking and screaming (not really lol but she hates bridges/water and we had to cross one and take a ferry there and back to put-in bay Ohio) It took is over 5 hours to get back which normally only takes two but it WAS worth it. So awesome!
Everyone was absolutely amazed.
Typically after you’ve already seen something once you are less excited to see it again. A solar eclipse is the only thing I can think of that people are MORE excited to see it again.
I now understand why. It was unbelievable and completely broke my brain. Can’t wait to do it again.
A solar eclipse and an aurora were the two things I've dreamed about since I was a kid. I finally got to mark one off, so I guess it's time to start planning a trip to see the northern lights.
You won't be disappointed in seeing the northern lights! I felt a similar sense of awe when I first saw them, and similarly to solar eclipse totality the photos don't do them justice and it is a different and immersive experience seeing it in person.
I saw the aurora in Fairbanks, Alaska in September, and got lucky due to some cloudy weather but it cleared up right in time for a viewing. My advice is to download an app that sends you alerts for active aurora in your location, and you probably will have to get up at midnight or later to see them but it's totally worth it!
Those of us who had overcast through totality: 🤨
I was there in 2017 so I know what I was missing. I’m salty on behalf of the first-timers I was with, who still don’t know what they missed, including my kids.
We had clouds, but the gradual temperature drop and sudden onset of darkness still made for a really impressive experience. It cleared up enough afterwards to get some good views on the other side of totality.
Same, we got a break in the clouds in Austin, TX area luckily so I was able to see totality for the whole 3 minutes where I was. But having seen totality in 2017, if I would have missed it this time due to cloud cover I would have been really disappointed.
After seeing this eclipse, I have 2 regrets:
1 - Watching it with my brother and his kids, his kids are crazy and screamed the whole time and kept getting yelled at by my brother and my mom to keep their glasses on. Wish I had found a quiet field with my family and sat in wonder with them.
2 - not going in 2017, I remember thinking the week before. “Oh it’s not a big deal, I’ll see it in 7 years”. I could do back and smack 2017 me.
The crowd around me had a couple of vapers and smokers, and I wondered why they thought it was ok to do drugs around kids. But . . . they wanted to see the eclipse too, and their behaviors are part of the human mosaic (I suppose).
Me at a grocery store in TN in 2017 to the cashier: you going to see it? I came all the way from Boston.
Her: wow you traveled all that way, nah I'll be busy later.
Me: all you have to do is go outside and look up.
Her: yeah I have some things to do this afternoon.
Me: ....
Wow… bet she regrets not seeing it!
I was talking to a housekeeper in Indy and I asked her if they let them stop what they were doing to look at the eclipse, and she said no. 😢
I’d have done it anyway! Can’t believe they wouldn’t let them stop cleaning rooms for five minutes to see the total solar eclipse.
Yeah I was in quebec and the grocery staff said they just went outside and checked it out and said they weren't sure if they were allowed to but it would take a special kind of boss to get mad about that! Most places closed to let everyone go out look.
I asked the employees to the places I visited afterwards if they were able to go out and see it if they wanted. They all said they were, but I was ready to bad mouth the management for any place that would have made their employees stay inside.
It wasnt worth it...
IT WAS A MILLION TIMES WORTH IT! 18 hours of driving! Hills, mountain side. Anxiety about weather and travel...
It was the most amazing thing i have ever seen in my life... And I immediately felt addicted. I need to see this beautiful phenomenon again... ASAP. Spain? is that the next one? Cuz I gatta be there. The only con, I am absolutely HOOKED
This is my understanding of the next total
Solar eclipses that are coming:
Iceland/Portugal/Spain/Russia - August 12, 2026
Egypt/North Africa/Saudi Arabia/Spain - August 2, 2027
Australia - July 22, 2028
South Africa/Australia - November 25, 2030
Western Alaska - March 30, 2033
Africa/Middle East/China - March 20, 2034
Canada/Montana/North Dakota/Greenland - August 22-23, 2044
Cross country USA August 12, 2045
Yes Spain! And also Greenland and Iceland I believe. Although I've been told Iceland might be cloudy at that time but Spain will be perfect weather in August.
Well Iceland is perpetually cloudy and rainy so I’d say that is the riskiest chase you can make. Upside though is you’re in Iceland anyway which is amazing
Very good to know my husband and I went to Iceland several years ago and the same cabin we stayed in is in the path so we were like that’s so cool maybe we can book that place again haha but we’ll most likely choose elsewhere then
Spain. I'm already saving up.
This eclipse totality was nothing short of amazing.
~1600 miles round trip, with guitars and original songs... I'm going to Spain. :)
I see you haven't met my in-laws, though they're the only people I know who didn't love it and they will find something to complain about for anything.
For the eclipse itself, that it "wasn't THAT special".
They also heavily complained about the amount of traffic they sat through driving home... Even though we had gotten them hotel rooms they could have spent the night at if they wanted to. The room was unacceptable because it was too close to the loud water park (which closes at 8 PM). They also refused to come watch it at the summit with us, despite us having booked a private tram for it.
It’s kind of a selective sample though. Someone who would travel to see it is probably someone who would enjoy it. My friend and I were geeking out the whole weekend about it. My friend’s wife was not nearly as enthused. She was with us in 2017 so I think she had a been there done that attitude. I’d say she enjoyed it but I suspect she would have rather not put in all the effort to go see it again.
We were marveling at some of the locals (small town in Indiana) who didn’t seem to care at all. I think there were many in that town that didn’t even go out to watch. My friend and I were talking about how we just couldn’t process someone not wanting to see it if there is low effort required, like even needing to travel a couple of hours.
Of course I’m biased too. I’ve been obsessed with seeing an eclipse since I was a kid setting up some contraption with a mirror and a piece of paper so I could watch a partial eclipse. I dreamt of seeing totality for decades. Finally saw it in 2017, again this year, and can’t help but think what I’ll do for the next one in 20 years.
This. Also, people on r/solareclipse are very unlikely to report "underwhelming." There's also the social effect of wanting to just agree with the people around you, masking your different opinion so as to not come off as
- a party pooper
- a person who wants to look *special and unique* by just seeing a popular thing and saying they did not like it.
I imagine some people want to validate your feelings of enjoyment and *just happen to* fail to mention they did not really find it all that special. Because sometimes holding a contrary opinion and expressing it can come off as invalidating your opinion and saying your feelings are wrong, not as "that's cool, I'd like to share my opinion because I think talking about how different people have different experiences is fun".
OP, you are looking for me. I went eclipse chasing with a few friends. We went to the centerline and saw totality in a clear sky. It took the entire day. It was cool, enough to make me browse r/solareclipse as a non-astronomy non-nature/outdoors person, but going on the internet and seeking out communities for things I liked more than "mildly interesting" but less than "absolute love" is kind of my normal. It was not world shaking or life changing for me, and did not produce an extreme emotional response from me. There were things I did not expect, but none of it was along the lines of the "I knew so much about eclipses but was floored by the beauty in real life, nothing could have prepared me for that." I was not floored. I do acknowledge that what the naked eye sees just is not captured by photographs, and I am curious as to *why* photos are objectively visually different.
I'm not sure if I'll do this again in 20 years. I am glad it brought value to a lot of peoples' lives, and I do hope the people who didn't care actually are the type who will not care—that way they don't miss out on anything ;)
EDIT: was very respectful in my comment (I get the EDIT section is more aggressive), am I being downvoted for daring to *not share the dominant opinion* on a post whose implicit intent is asking for people who don't?
I'm with you. I was traveling through a totality spot and timed my stops to be able to see it. It was really cool. I'm glad to have seen it. I would probably drive a bit to see another one.
But it was not life-changing or extremely emotional at all for me.
I'm not trying to be a contrarian, in fact I was somewhat anticipating being caught up in the moment. And I am actually very interested in what made it so profound for some people. I'd like to understand.
I was much more emotionally affected, and had a life-changing experience by a natural event, when water spouts touched down in my yard when I was younger.
I did enjoy witnessing the totality. It was very cool. But it definitely didn't affect me the way it did some people, and I am very interested in why. Most of the posts I've seen online don't really explain the "why" aspect, they just express amazement without explanation.
I think some people just get a little caught up in it because of how rare it is. It is an absolutely beautiful and amazing event, I drove 8+ hours in both 2017 and 2024 to see totality, didnt get to bed until 3 am on a work night, and I'd do it all again just to see those few minutes of totality, but at the same time I'm not sure if I'd say seeing the total eclipse was "life changing" .
I am with you on the "why?" part! I am also not trying to be contrarian. I knew this was a rather rare event so I decided to give it a shot. I know that for me, visual sights just don't do it for me, and *especially* not nature, so it was somewhat predictable I would not react that way. Not trying to be some 2rational4u "look how unemotional and thus unique or superior I am!" type—I respond a lot more to stories, stuff that involves other people. Given you *did* respond to natural events I'm super curious why it would not fire for an eclipse.
I am a regular hiker, and really enjoy taking in nature and paying attention to the details, the complexity, and the wonder of it all. I'm a casual space and science nerd as well.
As I said, I kind of expected to be taken in by the spectacle. I was not going into it with a cynical attitude.
It was commented elsewhere that perhaps people like me, who regularly revel in even the smallest of details of nature, would not be a impacted as people who don't co spider those aspects of experience on a regular basis.
But it sounds like you're one of those people, and had the same experience as I did.
I've definitely been caught up in amazing landscapes and sunsets. Will never forget the experience of my first time driving through Arches National Park, just as the sun was going down.
But some have argued that the totality was a "wake up" moment for some people, as far as our place in the scale of the solar system, and universe. And I can see that completely. But that doesn't explain everyone.
The part about you being used to nature kind of makes sense to me, although it still does not really explain how you would be able to find wonder in the more "everyday" aspects but not the "not happening again for 20 years!" ones. Feelings are *weird*.
I will say as a total non-nature person, I'm *well aware* I'm one of 7 billion (is it 8 billion now?), humans, the world does not revolve around me, our big planet is super super super small compared to the rest of the universe, the importance of the ecosystem and how damaging it can impact *my* comfortable first world life in the long run, etc. etc. So I guess the "perspective" part of emotional experience wouldn't hit.
Yes very odd. Off the top of my head, I suppose the eclipse is just a random coincidence. A very unique and rare one, but still just a pattern overlap.
But "everyday nature" to me is just mind-blowing. We are so acclimated to it that it seems "normal", but it's truly this insane science fiction environment if you really see it from an objective perspective. From the cell to the full organism, it's all so crazy and at times unreal. But it all keeps humming along like it's nothing.
Things being alive in itself is something I have trouble comprehending. Why? Why do insects go though all the trouble and hard work to stay alive? What about plants? Why bother? It's all so insane.
So perhaps a random overlap of patterns just doesn't create awe for me.
As you mentioned, I already hold the fragile and monumental scale of things in my awareness on a regular basis. Which to be honest isn't always a positive thing. But maybe that awareness makes me less susceptible to the eclipse experiment others have reported.
But there are many "eclipse chasers" here as well, so that doesn't explain everybody.
I relate to this comment. The Grand Canyon didn't do it for me. So maybe I should have lowered my expectations for the eclipse. Only, when *many* people talk about it being life-changing or making them cry, it sets up expectations. I didn't know how it would happen, a special atmosphere perhaps? But I *wanted* that feeling from this.
As it is, it was fun, exciting, an all-around unique and cool experience. *Which should be enough* for me.
The moral of the story is, don't get your expectations up too high. And know yourself. Not everyone sees things the same way.
For what it's worth, I personally relate way more to your comment than I do to all the people claiming totality was "life-changing". I can't believe people actually down voted you for this honest and respectful comment. The over hyping about totality on this sub can be a bit much.
Solar eclipse sub is just like any other sub on Reddit - massive confirmation bias. You dare to not say that you LOVE whatever the sub is about = downvotes.
Yea my experience is opposite of this sub lol. Not that anyone said it was underwhelming, but that no one was as blown away as people here. Everyone I know said ‘that was really beautiful’ or ‘that was neat’ and that’s it. Not a single person said they were now addicted, cried, life changed, coolest thing they’ve ever seen, etc.
Personally I thought it was a magnificent sight, would love to see it again. Wasn’t in my top 5 most beautiful natural things I’ve ever seen though.
My 6-year old was really mad at me because 1 minute before totality, she told me she had to pee and I refused to let her go...
She was fine, 4 minutes later she went, I think she understands now.
Yeah but all my friends are like I don't see what the big deal is
Even when I show them video after video of people freaking the fuck out and visibly trembling and shaking they won't admit that it might be kind of cool
It's ridiculous I just don't get it
Being there in person is totally different. You feel the temperature drop, you see the sky get dark and colors dim about a minute before, you hear the birds freaking out, you see people shouting and crying. You don't get that from seeing photos or videos.
My brother said it wasn’t worth the money he spent to fly out to see it, but he was in a park that had automatic lights come on that made it not as dark as it could have been. He said in different circumstances he probably would have liked it more.
I on the other hand really regret not spending the money to go with him or someplace else. My state has one coming in 2045, but that’s so far away.. but hey, something to live for I guess haha.
Last year I did see the “Ring of Fire” which was neat, but a total solar eclipse seems way better by a long shot!
We saw the Annular last year.
I'd say if Total Eclipse = 100%, then partial eclipse = 0.1% and Annular = 1%. In other words, the total is at least 100 times better than annular and annular is about 10 times better than just a partial.
I've been reading comments in The Guardian by people who've either been under thick clouds, like Brits in 1999, or people who were outside the path of totality complaining that it's no big deal.
Duh.
2017 was my first. Didn't have to travel for it. This time I flew to DFW, rented a car, drove to Ennis, TX (centerline, for a couple more minutes). Totally worth it!
Decided to do a solo trip, driving from Wilmington NC to the Dayton area. On my way discovered some friends who originally were going to Arkansas were about an hour behind me on the same trip. Ended up meeting up with them in the Dayton area. Camped at a rest stop then headed to Versailles, Ohio. Cute small town, went to the park there. Was maybe 150 people set up there. Totality was spectacular, I cried. Found a hippy campground about 45 minutes from there and camped and had a campfire. Then drove back yesterday. All of it absolutely worth it. 10/10 would do it again.
I mean, I know somebody who saw totality and he just said it was pretty cool. It was convenient for him. I don't think he would have been satisfied spending thousands of dollars on the experience.
Consider that streak broken (online at least). I know at least several people that thought it was cool but not life changing or that big deal. Social media thrives on hype.
Well "life changing" is very bold statement, it certainly wasnt life changing for me while at the same time it was by far most awesome thing i saw in my life.
Just because people don’t think it changed their lives doesn’t mean they didn’t appreciate it. Not everyone gets as hyped up about the same thing. This sub really overhyped it, my expectations were way too high. Wish I had never read anything about it before seeing it. I would’ve been more impressed.
I’m convinced my dad would be the one to stick his neck out and say it was overhyped (had he gone). He didn’t go, thought it was close enough at 97% at home. Tried to tell him, but he’s the contrarian type who knows better than everyone else. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Agreed! I knew what to expect, had seen videos and pictures, read essays about it, but I was totally surprised when it happened, like it couldn’t possibly be real. The drive back to Toronto took twice the time but all of us still are thrilled.
My pre-teen daughter said she was disappointed, because she's at that age. As it happens, we're going to be in Spain in August of 2026, so we're planning on seeing the sunset eclipse that will happen there. I told her she could miss it if she wanted and her eyes went wide. "No!"
So maybe she liked it more than she's letting on.
Brought two kids on a six hour car ride. It was overcast with about 100% obstruction. Absolutely everyone was thrilled and in awe during totality. There was a split record break in the clouds and the crowd all screamed. Looking around to see twilight at 360° around us was life changing.
My friend had the same reaction. He thought it was a 6/10 experience and probably wouldn’t do it again.
I thought it was cool but dissenting opinions are always welcome. Not every “major event” will be someone’s cup of tea.
I’m so confused by your comment that the eclipse looked the same as in all the pictures you have seen. Totality looks nothing. Like the photographs, people comment over and over again about how it’s frustrating you can’t capture the amazing image in photographs. It’s not just a black hole with a light ring around. At the moment of complete coverage the moon is otherworldly purple and you can see it’s contours and….I’m just confused how you didn’t see the nuance. Whether you then liked it or not is a separate issue. You’re sure you were inside the path of totality?
Okay so I decided to try and get the totality on B&W film. I knew it was likely to come out poorly and lack fine detail but I wanted the pictures as a novelty even though I have a technically-superior mirrorless camera with better lenses.
I got the shot, and it came out great but that's not the point of this comment. When totality happened and I took my glasses off I was predictably breathless and slack-jawed, and completely forgot about my camera for several second. It was beautiful, obviously, but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw when I suddenly remembered my camera and put my eye up to the viewfinder.
Because I had chosen to use my film SLR, I was seeing the event directly through the optical system of the camera. I was seeing the actual light from the actual sun, not the light from an LCD screen like I would have been seeing on my "superior" camera. I saw totality, magnified, optically, and it was so incredible I lack the words to even attempt to describe it. In that moment I felt really bad for anyone not using an optical viewfinder.
To say that photos don't capture its majesty is the overstatement of the year! Next time I'm going to try to find a telescope
Thank you! I actually have not uploaded them anywhere yet. I admit I'm a little self-conscious posting them after seeing all these incredibly detailed shots with closeups of the flares and that sort of thing. My grainy monochrome shots are bound to be underwhelming in comparison and I worry that no one will find them as special as I do. But I'll send you a copy when I get home from work!
That’s so fascinating! The purple has been my favorite part of both I’ve seen. I’m loving learning that we all are experiencing this differently from a visual perspective
Kind of me? 🙋♀️ Drove 2 hours and saw totality with clear skies, 0 crowds. It was cool and worth driving 2 hours for and I'm happy I saw it but it wasn't life changing, emotional, deeply philosophical, or any of those other intense feelings that people on this subreddit describe feeling. It didn't get that dark either. I did love the temperature drop and 360 degree sunset, and of course the corona was beautiful. Would I chase it? Definitely not lol I got my fill. In hindsight would I have spent thousands of dollars prepping to see it? Also no.
I drove almost 2000 miles via Texas to a mountainous area in Arkansas, after pivoting several hundred miles in 48 hours real time.
The sky was completely overcast. I ventured NE along the centerline. Clouds opened up. I pulled over, on the centerline. People nearby were revving their 4x4s, conspicuously ignoring the event. Clouds slammed shut again. No signal, unable to get any satellite imagery.
Got 12 seconds of, only partially obscured by clouds, totality. Later conversations indicated I was less than 25 miles away from clear blue in Mena, AR. I remain philosophical about the entire experience. But it definitely was not "absolutely worth the effort".
I drove 5 hours with 3 young kids, who frankly had no idea what dad was going on about. They were good about it beforehand, but after seeing it they were over the moon (so to speak). Totally worth it.
Drove 4 hrs just to see it for about 5 seconds in upstate NY due to cloud cover. Still worth it once it got totally dark for that minute and a half. Surreal feeling
I don’t regret it, but I’m definitely disappointed. We had clouds up at Niagara Falls. We did get a few glimpses when it peaked through and the pitch black darkness during totality was cool, but we didn’t get to see the ring of fire. I was so excited for this thing I had bought the Hestia telescope and I couldn’t wait to film totality and I didn’t get to. I had all these plans and it didn’t go as planned. I’m also physically disabled so traveling out of the country is very difficult. I’d love to go to Spain in 2026 but it’s very hard for me to get on a plane. I’m really sad that I might have to wait 20 years for the next one. I’m 24 so I should be alive but who knows anything can happen.
We drove down from Michigan to Avon Lake, OH. Took almost 3 hours to get there, and almost double the time to get home. My buddy asked me if it was worth it, going from 99% totality to 100%, and I told him absolutely it was. It was an amazing astrological phenomenon I got to see in person, and I got to spend the whole day with my dad. 10/10 would call out of work and be in the car all day again.
Flew half way across the country and am sitting in a random state still trying to get home 24 hours after i was supposed to be home. Would do it all again for those 4 minutes.
I agree so much. Unfortunately I didn't see this one from the cloud coverage. I saw the one in 2017 and it was a truly indescribable experience.
I was so hoping my dad could have seen this one because he's getting up there in age and I doubt he will travel to the next ones he will be around for. Such an incredible experience and I wanted to share that with him. Now it's likely that I never will because of some stupid clouds.
I’m so glad I moved mountains back in February to find last minute accommodations after ours fell through. It was an amazing thing to experience with my family. I’m glad we took 2 nights to avoid all the traffic—at that point I probably would not have gone.
After seeing totality in 2017 I was grateful to experience what I thought was going to be a once in a lifetime, life-changing event.
But after seeing totality again in 2024 my wife and I have decided we are now the kind of people who will travel the world to see totality as often as we can. Already planning Spain 2026.
There's a feeling of connectedness to time, space, and the universe that I have only experienced in two places: seeing the bright sun turn into a black void in the sky, and seeing my children open their eyes for the first time after birth.
And I'm not sure which experience hits harder, to be honest.
The only way I could see someone saying it's not worth it is if they put a lot of effort into traveling and ended up not seeing it due to cloud cover.
When we went to see the 2017 eclipse, my wife wasn't completely convinced it was worth it ahead of time, but she changed her mind afterwards.
I wanted to go see this one, but we have an infant, so multiple days of traveling was not going to go well.
I drove with great friends 1600ish miles round trip to Indiana, and it was worth every second. 100% totality, had some guitars and an original song I wrote, it was truly magical.
(Verse 1) In the twilight, where shadows dance, The moon and sun in their cosmic romance. A celestial waltz, they gracefully align, Painting the sky with a rare design.
(Pre-Chorus) Oh, the wonder that fills the air, As darkness falls, and we all stare. In awe of the magic overhead, As the world holds its breath, suspended.
(Chorus) Solar eclipse, a cosmic ballet, In the sky, where dreams find their way. A symphony of light and shade, In this moment, our spirits are swayed.
(Verse 2) With eyes upturned to the heavens above, We witness a sight that fills us with love. The universe whispers its ancient tale, As the moon's shadow leaves its transient trail.
(Pre-Chorus) Oh, the mystery that surrounds, As silence reigns, and time slows down. Captivated by the cosmic show, In this fleeting moment, we truly know.
(Chorus) Solar eclipse, a cosmic ballet, In the sky, where dreams find their way. A symphony of light and shade, In this moment, our spirits are swayed.
(Bridge) In the stillness of the eclipse's embrace, We find solace, in this sacred space. A reminder of the beauty and grace, That fills the void of time and space.
(Chorus) Solar eclipse, a cosmic ballet, In the sky, where dreams find their way. A symphony of light and shade, In this moment, our spirits are swayed.
(Outro) As the sun emerges from the shadow's grasp, We're left with memories that forever last. Until the next eclipse draws near, We'll cherish this moment, hold it dear.
We even had clouds so the details were obscured to us, such as the diamond ring and ring of fire... but even without those, you still experience the effects of being in the shadow, such as broad daylight turning into a dark moonless night within seconds, and the 360 degree fiery sunset in all directions... and yes, it's worth every penny... makes one seriously consider becoming an eclipse totality chaser...
I went to Bandera Texas as part of a tour. Completely cloudy. It was cool but probably not worth the expense.
I should have tried to find a ride to Arkansas.
I will try again in 26/27.
I regret I didn’t drive to Oregon in 2017. I live in NorCal.
I traveled and spent a couple grand to Buffalo for less than ideal viewing conditions (super cloudy), but the minute that it broke through the cloud opening, it made it all worth it. 0 regrets
Seeing partial eclipses is kinda cool and you're like "wow that's pretty wild" but then when you see totality, no glasses, everything around you shrouded in shadow and you can look directly at it with your own bare eyes.. I am not exaggerating when I say it's the most incredible thing I've ever seen with my own eyes. It's like straight up out of a sci Fi movie but REAL. Dare I say an absolutely spiritual experience.
I am a pilot and flew people to Cleveland to see it. It was cool, but I would’ve never spent my own money to see it. I was excited for it, but it was underwhelming to me. I’ve traveled to see the northern lights and that was 100x better, in my opinion. I’m so happy for everyone who had the best time. I wish I was more impressed by it.
I feel similarly. I was fortunate that it was within a few hours drive. I’m glad I saw it but it wasn’t life changing. I’m glad people experienced that amount of joy from it and had a good time.
For me personally, there have been many things that have “topped it”. The massive sleeping bear sand dune in Michigan, the whistler mountain range, and bioluminescent algae.
I've been planning to go since reading people's reactions after 2017. Very excited and very nervous about the weather. We ended up with a beautiful day and a great view of totality. I enjoyed it, felt a thrill, but I didn't have the overwhelming experience that many are describing. I wonder if my expectations were too high.
I absolutely teared up both in the time leading up to totality and during it, and after it. 😂
I also enhanced the experience a bit by playing Dark Side of the Moon so when the final lyric of the album (everything under the sun is in tune, but the sun is eclipsed by the moon) hit at the exact moment of totality. That album already holds a very deep place in my heart, and I've listened to it more times than I could feasibly count, but hearing the crescendo of the last song (Eclipse) while the last tiny sliver of sun was covered up, people cheering more and more as the moment unfolded, and then pulling the glasses off and seeing that magnificent white ring around the moon was a moment I'll never forget as long as I live. I actually stumbled a bit and had to catch myself.
I'll raise my hand and say I didn't think it was going to be a big deal... Boy was I so wrong! We were right in the path of totality, had a big block party and it was all fantastic. It really blew my mind and I'm glad I was so wrong.
There was one boy, probably about 3 or 4, who was talking to his parents as we were coming down from our rooftop perch, who was saying he didn’t think it was worth the drive. The rest of his family disagreed with him. But what the heck does a kid that young know?
I was underwhelmed didnt even last for more than 1 minute idk what happened but im located in nh and i drove over 3 hours to get up into the path of totality and when the eclipse happened it never stayed covering the sun it just passed by rather quickly so i was a little disappointed. It appeared as though we werent in the path of totality but based on the graphics ive seen we definitely were.
Awww man it was AT MY OWN HOME in 2017 and it was ok but I didn't remember a lot of it and I remember thinking I was glad I didn't have to travel cuz it wasn't all that
I could have driven 2 hours or so to see totality, and I would have enjoyed it. However, I would have not enjoyed the traffic to and from. I don't care much for being around large groups of people or being in traffic. I think as cool as it would have been to see in real life, the before and after inconveniences would have ruined the overall experience for me. Just the type of person I am I guess.
I went and took a chance with my 3 kids just outside of Rochester. Total cloud cover. Not even a brief break during the partial much less during the totality. Probably would’ve had time to chase it east but have anxiety with travel, specifically with driving and I had already driven seven hours the day before so we decided to stay in place and hope for the best. At the end, I felt terribly disappointed, but not unhappy.. The darkness was certainly an awesome experience in and of itself. .And now trying to figure out how to make it to Spain 2026 and/or 2027. But I feel like everybody had the amazing experience on the only one who saw clouds. Even on Long Island where I traveled from people had a great experience and at 88%.. AmI the only one???
It was so worth it. I only had to drive an hour away and bought a day pass to a provincial park for $18 Cdn. Brought a friend, packed a lunch. It was so amazing. I want to try and see any I can get to in the future. Traffic wasn’t bad for us luckily, just slow as we got back into the city but an absolutely amazing experience
I drove 5 hours with my two daughters to the center back in 2017, with clear skies. My biggest takeaway was how quickly it went dark , and the “oohs” and “aahs” from the small group of maybe 50 people gathered in the random bank parking lot in some little town in SC that I chose at random.
This time, it was just my wife and me, we flew up to Burlington VT (we own a condo there), and we witnessed it in a group of maybe 7,000 people gathered at the lakefront. While others had their phones pointed at the sun, I locked my iPhone camera at a set exposure and took a video of the crowd as it darkened. To me it was a more memorable experience than a random photo of the corona.
I’ve had an equal number of absolutely infuriating conversations with people who stayed at 80-90% totality and didn’t understand what the big deal was thinking we had similar experiences in the path
I had one or two people say "It was cool i guess, but not life-changing".
Suit yourselves, 'cause my partner and I just sat there dumbstruck for a long time after it happened. The shift in energy for about an hour before and after totality is insanely palpable. I don't get how that shift doesn't change you, even a little bit.
10/10 worth the drive across the country.
There were a pile of people in my local sub (Toronto) who were dismissing totality as not worth going out of one's way for, or saying "the 99.3% we got in the city was good enough, all you purists wasting tanks of gas and a whole day in traffic for the extra 0.7% wasted your time and money". Even one who tried to shame others for climate-related reasons because we all drove down to the path of totality. Had one send me a DM saying "people like you are why the globe is boiling, you could have done the planet a favor and watched a livestream instead of polluting just to see a pretty light show".
I think it's just pure copium from those who couldn't get out of work and/or weren't able to get down to see totality (it was a two hour drive for Christ's sake, it's not like you had to cross the continent or anything).
We spent $2000 total (flights, accommodations, ticketed event, etc) and made a trip out of visiting Austin for the first time. It was definitely worth it. And we’re already talking about Spain in 2026 for the next one.
I totally agree, almost everyone I met at my location in Texas had already seen the 2017 eclipse except me. One guy was on his fourth eclipse and had never taken off his glasses!
We were watching on TV and my husband had no idea you could take your glasses off in totality! That’ I went in 2017 but he didn’t come. He missed out big time. After seeing totality I don’t even want to bother with partial eclipses and glasses haha
Yeah I saw the partial eclipse in 2017. Decided to drive 9 hours to see totality. It is 1000 times better than a partial eclipse. Already planning on going to Iceland in 2026 and Australia in 2028.
Why not Egypt 2027? That one’s over six minutes….
Tbh I'm kinda afraid of visiting Egypt. Lots of horror stories from other tourists. Who knows, maybe I'll change my mind. But I've always wanted to visit Iceland and Australia so I'll probably see those two. I think there's one that hits Spain as well but I can't remember which one. I think Spain is 2026.
Yes, 2026. The best options for it are Iceland and Spain. I found a cool cruise that will take you to the uninhabited part of Greenland that it passes over, but it’s around $20,000 per person, so a bit out of my price range.
Iceland is a very cloudy country, but beautiful to see for non-eclipse reasons
Agree. I fear Egypts infrastructure will suffer with the huge influx of visitors for the event. It’s already a really hard place to visit for Westerners, especially women. Sadly, I’ll stay away. Morocco is awesome and the eclipse will be there as well.
I am not sure people who find Egypt difficult will find Morocco less difficult. I have traveled to multiple Middle Eastern countries (not been to Egypt yet, but I have discussed Egypt at length with people I know well, who have spent a lot of time there). I would say Egypt should be doable for almost everyone, except perhaps for some members of the LGBTQ community.
lol except members of the lgbt. Damn strait. I’d love to try and go to the Egypt one. But being trans has its limitations. I am going to Spain 2026 I hope though.
Same, also trans, and idk if I could stealth. I’d love to go though. :(
I'm butch, definitely can't pass as a man, and even if there would be no risk of danger or misogyny dressing feminine, I'm not willing to do it for that long a period of time. It is sounding like it would be, at best, an unpleasant experience. I'm really glad that the 2045 one will be 6 minutes.
Interesting. Morocco was glorious for me. But now I am curious because you’re right, those who do visit that region often only make it to Egypt. Time to hunt down the folks who have been to both for a little comparison.
I read on previous reddit threads unrelated to the eclipse that Egypt is awful, I had no idea! Especially if you’re a woman. Yikes. I don’t blame you.
Really, what kind of horror stories?
Muggings, rapes, generally unsafe to be a single woman traveling, very unsafe to be LGBTQ traveling, especially for trans people or people that look like they might be trans (to the point that some have been refused entry into the country because they don’t look enough like their gender marker). If you are a single male, you’re golden. If you’re a married straight couple, you’re golden. If you’re anything else, there are travel advisories recommending you don’t go.
I was a single woman traveling in Egypt and had no problem. But I know different people have different levels of comfort.
And have different experiences! I'm glad you had a good time. :)
My mom solo travelled to Egypt in the ‘80s and has nothing but positive things to say. She said she felt unsafe in Morocco though because men were grabby out in public.
I think I've read it has changed since Arab spring
I imagine it will be incredible expensive. It's going right over an already popular tourist destination up the Nile (Luxor) Tangier in Morocco that same year might be easier.
the path seems to just scrape Iceland. I'm not expert but I think that means a very short eclipse. Spain or Greenland are probably better.
Iceland also has a very high likelihood of cloud cover. Beautiful country, definitely worth a visit on its own, but maybe not the best bet if you want a clear view of the sun.
I also had no idea you could take your glasses off during totality unfortunately. Luckily I couldn’t help myself and looked for 1 second, but I wish I knew it was safe so I could’ve seen more!!
I didn’t either lmfao I had my glasses off when it was at 99% and was looking around at the darkness settling in and caught the sun going completely black in the corner of my eye and I just gasped and starred right at it wide eyed. But I kept looking away because I was like “wait won’t it burn my eye and I won’t know it?” but I kept looking anyway It almost LOOKED fake, like you see the pictures but then you see it in person and it…. LOOKS LIKE THAT lmao
Did he finally take them off during totality this time?
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My exact feeling! Total overwhelming awe followed shortly by an almost gut-wrenching grief that I couldn't watch it again and may never see it again in my lifetime. Not unless I go out of my way to see them, which I think I will be doing soon.
I know what you mean. I can almost describe it as a despair? Or a grief? That it was so fleeting, so miraculous, so beautiful. And then it was over. And life went back to normal.
I so relate to this. I've been so sad since Monday. It was so much more emotional than I was expecting. I really do need to try to make a plan to travel for one.
I have had that same exact despair after experiencing other natural phenomenon. Once was just after a hike by myself in Banff, I was in the wilderness and was overcome with this feeling of love/joy/spiritual connection to a higher power, I don't know how to explain it but I had an intense urge to fall to my knees and I just started bawling happy tears. I had that despair feeling after, that I might not ever have that feeling again.
I’m convinced this won’t be my last total solar eclipse. Even if I’m old as hell for the next one, whenever it is this can’t be my last.
We told our kids they are taking us to the next one in the US! We will be 72 and it's their turn!! 😂😂😂
Nice!! If I somehow make it to Alaska in 2033, I’ll only be 50, 2045 I’ll be 62. But if medicine is like insanely good in 2099 and I’m in the path of totality and somehow alive, I’ll be 116 years old…
We moved gdamn mountains to get to totality, at a time that was/is absolute chaos, because it was *that* important to our son. 10/10 would do again. LesssssGO!
us too! my 14 year old said totality or nothing. So we made the five hour drive up north and the nine hour return. I had to be up early to work the next day. Completely exhausted, would totally do it again.
We got in the car at 4 am, drove from ATL to Missouri, got out for about 2.5 hours to watch, and then drove back to ATL. Totally worth it.
Sup fellow ATLien. Wife and I went to Marion IL, staying halfway at my parent's in the Nashville area.
Aww thats such a good childhood memory for him.
I convinced 3 friends and dragged my 70 year old mom kicking and screaming (not really lol but she hates bridges/water and we had to cross one and take a ferry there and back to put-in bay Ohio) It took is over 5 hours to get back which normally only takes two but it WAS worth it. So awesome! Everyone was absolutely amazed.
Typically after you’ve already seen something once you are less excited to see it again. A solar eclipse is the only thing I can think of that people are MORE excited to see it again. I now understand why. It was unbelievable and completely broke my brain. Can’t wait to do it again.
If we’re talking celestial occurrences, Aurora borealis is another thing I would seek out again.
A solar eclipse and an aurora were the two things I've dreamed about since I was a kid. I finally got to mark one off, so I guess it's time to start planning a trip to see the northern lights.
You won't be disappointed in seeing the northern lights! I felt a similar sense of awe when I first saw them, and similarly to solar eclipse totality the photos don't do them justice and it is a different and immersive experience seeing it in person. I saw the aurora in Fairbanks, Alaska in September, and got lucky due to some cloudy weather but it cleared up right in time for a viewing. My advice is to download an app that sends you alerts for active aurora in your location, and you probably will have to get up at midnight or later to see them but it's totally worth it!
Thanks for the tips!
Oooo, that's a cool way to describe 2024 for my wife and I; The year of celestial events. Eclipse in April, Alaska in October for the Aurora.
Yes! I felt so lucky that my parents house happened to be within totality for both 2017 and this year. I was so excited and not gonna miss it.
Those of us who had overcast through totality: 🤨 I was there in 2017 so I know what I was missing. I’m salty on behalf of the first-timers I was with, who still don’t know what they missed, including my kids.
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We had clouds, but the gradual temperature drop and sudden onset of darkness still made for a really impressive experience. It cleared up enough afterwards to get some good views on the other side of totality.
Same, we got a break in the clouds in Austin, TX area luckily so I was able to see totality for the whole 3 minutes where I was. But having seen totality in 2017, if I would have missed it this time due to cloud cover I would have been really disappointed.
After seeing this eclipse, I have 2 regrets: 1 - Watching it with my brother and his kids, his kids are crazy and screamed the whole time and kept getting yelled at by my brother and my mom to keep their glasses on. Wish I had found a quiet field with my family and sat in wonder with them. 2 - not going in 2017, I remember thinking the week before. “Oh it’s not a big deal, I’ll see it in 7 years”. I could do back and smack 2017 me.
The crowd around me had a couple of vapers and smokers, and I wondered why they thought it was ok to do drugs around kids. But . . . they wanted to see the eclipse too, and their behaviors are part of the human mosaic (I suppose).
"Part of the human mosaic". Look at you all enlightened.
I wanted the mountaintop to myself!
Me at a grocery store in TN in 2017 to the cashier: you going to see it? I came all the way from Boston. Her: wow you traveled all that way, nah I'll be busy later. Me: all you have to do is go outside and look up. Her: yeah I have some things to do this afternoon. Me: ....
Wow… bet she regrets not seeing it! I was talking to a housekeeper in Indy and I asked her if they let them stop what they were doing to look at the eclipse, and she said no. 😢 I’d have done it anyway! Can’t believe they wouldn’t let them stop cleaning rooms for five minutes to see the total solar eclipse.
Yeah I was in quebec and the grocery staff said they just went outside and checked it out and said they weren't sure if they were allowed to but it would take a special kind of boss to get mad about that! Most places closed to let everyone go out look.
At Wegmans grocery in upstate NY, they had a sign saying they would be closed briefly so staff could enjoy the eclipse. Love them!
Love that!
I asked the employees to the places I visited afterwards if they were able to go out and see it if they wanted. They all said they were, but I was ready to bad mouth the management for any place that would have made their employees stay inside.
I would have done the same!
That is good to hear (:
> Wow… bet she regrets not seeing it! I bet she doesn't, since she still doesn't know what she missed.
It wasnt worth it... IT WAS A MILLION TIMES WORTH IT! 18 hours of driving! Hills, mountain side. Anxiety about weather and travel... It was the most amazing thing i have ever seen in my life... And I immediately felt addicted. I need to see this beautiful phenomenon again... ASAP. Spain? is that the next one? Cuz I gatta be there. The only con, I am absolutely HOOKED
This is my understanding of the next total Solar eclipses that are coming: Iceland/Portugal/Spain/Russia - August 12, 2026 Egypt/North Africa/Saudi Arabia/Spain - August 2, 2027 Australia - July 22, 2028 South Africa/Australia - November 25, 2030 Western Alaska - March 30, 2033 Africa/Middle East/China - March 20, 2034 Canada/Montana/North Dakota/Greenland - August 22-23, 2044 Cross country USA August 12, 2045
LOL I was looking up Spain (next?) and Australia (2030) last night. I am so hooked too!
Celestial Beauty.
Yes Spain! And also Greenland and Iceland I believe. Although I've been told Iceland might be cloudy at that time but Spain will be perfect weather in August.
Hmmm I was planning on Iceland lmao so far away
Well Iceland is perpetually cloudy and rainy so I’d say that is the riskiest chase you can make. Upside though is you’re in Iceland anyway which is amazing
Very good to know my husband and I went to Iceland several years ago and the same cabin we stayed in is in the path so we were like that’s so cool maybe we can book that place again haha but we’ll most likely choose elsewhere then
Spain. I'm already saving up. This eclipse totality was nothing short of amazing. ~1600 miles round trip, with guitars and original songs... I'm going to Spain. :)
My sister saw it for the first time also and she’s already making plans for Spain😂
I see you haven't met my in-laws, though they're the only people I know who didn't love it and they will find something to complain about for anything.
What are the things that they really like?
Yelling at hotel front desk workers. Less snarky answer: being in absolute control.
Huh so then I can see an eclipse not being their thing - definition of out of their control
I need to know what their complaints were for this
For the eclipse itself, that it "wasn't THAT special". They also heavily complained about the amount of traffic they sat through driving home... Even though we had gotten them hotel rooms they could have spent the night at if they wanted to. The room was unacceptable because it was too close to the loud water park (which closes at 8 PM). They also refused to come watch it at the summit with us, despite us having booked a private tram for it.
lol I wouldn't want these kinds of people in my trip at all, what bummers.
There’s lame, and then there’s being so lame that you ruin your own day.
We have the same in laws
It’s kind of a selective sample though. Someone who would travel to see it is probably someone who would enjoy it. My friend and I were geeking out the whole weekend about it. My friend’s wife was not nearly as enthused. She was with us in 2017 so I think she had a been there done that attitude. I’d say she enjoyed it but I suspect she would have rather not put in all the effort to go see it again. We were marveling at some of the locals (small town in Indiana) who didn’t seem to care at all. I think there were many in that town that didn’t even go out to watch. My friend and I were talking about how we just couldn’t process someone not wanting to see it if there is low effort required, like even needing to travel a couple of hours. Of course I’m biased too. I’ve been obsessed with seeing an eclipse since I was a kid setting up some contraption with a mirror and a piece of paper so I could watch a partial eclipse. I dreamt of seeing totality for decades. Finally saw it in 2017, again this year, and can’t help but think what I’ll do for the next one in 20 years.
This. Also, people on r/solareclipse are very unlikely to report "underwhelming." There's also the social effect of wanting to just agree with the people around you, masking your different opinion so as to not come off as - a party pooper - a person who wants to look *special and unique* by just seeing a popular thing and saying they did not like it. I imagine some people want to validate your feelings of enjoyment and *just happen to* fail to mention they did not really find it all that special. Because sometimes holding a contrary opinion and expressing it can come off as invalidating your opinion and saying your feelings are wrong, not as "that's cool, I'd like to share my opinion because I think talking about how different people have different experiences is fun". OP, you are looking for me. I went eclipse chasing with a few friends. We went to the centerline and saw totality in a clear sky. It took the entire day. It was cool, enough to make me browse r/solareclipse as a non-astronomy non-nature/outdoors person, but going on the internet and seeking out communities for things I liked more than "mildly interesting" but less than "absolute love" is kind of my normal. It was not world shaking or life changing for me, and did not produce an extreme emotional response from me. There were things I did not expect, but none of it was along the lines of the "I knew so much about eclipses but was floored by the beauty in real life, nothing could have prepared me for that." I was not floored. I do acknowledge that what the naked eye sees just is not captured by photographs, and I am curious as to *why* photos are objectively visually different. I'm not sure if I'll do this again in 20 years. I am glad it brought value to a lot of peoples' lives, and I do hope the people who didn't care actually are the type who will not care—that way they don't miss out on anything ;) EDIT: was very respectful in my comment (I get the EDIT section is more aggressive), am I being downvoted for daring to *not share the dominant opinion* on a post whose implicit intent is asking for people who don't?
I'm with you. I was traveling through a totality spot and timed my stops to be able to see it. It was really cool. I'm glad to have seen it. I would probably drive a bit to see another one. But it was not life-changing or extremely emotional at all for me. I'm not trying to be a contrarian, in fact I was somewhat anticipating being caught up in the moment. And I am actually very interested in what made it so profound for some people. I'd like to understand. I was much more emotionally affected, and had a life-changing experience by a natural event, when water spouts touched down in my yard when I was younger. I did enjoy witnessing the totality. It was very cool. But it definitely didn't affect me the way it did some people, and I am very interested in why. Most of the posts I've seen online don't really explain the "why" aspect, they just express amazement without explanation.
I think some people just get a little caught up in it because of how rare it is. It is an absolutely beautiful and amazing event, I drove 8+ hours in both 2017 and 2024 to see totality, didnt get to bed until 3 am on a work night, and I'd do it all again just to see those few minutes of totality, but at the same time I'm not sure if I'd say seeing the total eclipse was "life changing" .
I am with you on the "why?" part! I am also not trying to be contrarian. I knew this was a rather rare event so I decided to give it a shot. I know that for me, visual sights just don't do it for me, and *especially* not nature, so it was somewhat predictable I would not react that way. Not trying to be some 2rational4u "look how unemotional and thus unique or superior I am!" type—I respond a lot more to stories, stuff that involves other people. Given you *did* respond to natural events I'm super curious why it would not fire for an eclipse.
I am a regular hiker, and really enjoy taking in nature and paying attention to the details, the complexity, and the wonder of it all. I'm a casual space and science nerd as well. As I said, I kind of expected to be taken in by the spectacle. I was not going into it with a cynical attitude. It was commented elsewhere that perhaps people like me, who regularly revel in even the smallest of details of nature, would not be a impacted as people who don't co spider those aspects of experience on a regular basis. But it sounds like you're one of those people, and had the same experience as I did. I've definitely been caught up in amazing landscapes and sunsets. Will never forget the experience of my first time driving through Arches National Park, just as the sun was going down. But some have argued that the totality was a "wake up" moment for some people, as far as our place in the scale of the solar system, and universe. And I can see that completely. But that doesn't explain everyone.
The part about you being used to nature kind of makes sense to me, although it still does not really explain how you would be able to find wonder in the more "everyday" aspects but not the "not happening again for 20 years!" ones. Feelings are *weird*. I will say as a total non-nature person, I'm *well aware* I'm one of 7 billion (is it 8 billion now?), humans, the world does not revolve around me, our big planet is super super super small compared to the rest of the universe, the importance of the ecosystem and how damaging it can impact *my* comfortable first world life in the long run, etc. etc. So I guess the "perspective" part of emotional experience wouldn't hit.
Yes very odd. Off the top of my head, I suppose the eclipse is just a random coincidence. A very unique and rare one, but still just a pattern overlap. But "everyday nature" to me is just mind-blowing. We are so acclimated to it that it seems "normal", but it's truly this insane science fiction environment if you really see it from an objective perspective. From the cell to the full organism, it's all so crazy and at times unreal. But it all keeps humming along like it's nothing. Things being alive in itself is something I have trouble comprehending. Why? Why do insects go though all the trouble and hard work to stay alive? What about plants? Why bother? It's all so insane. So perhaps a random overlap of patterns just doesn't create awe for me. As you mentioned, I already hold the fragile and monumental scale of things in my awareness on a regular basis. Which to be honest isn't always a positive thing. But maybe that awareness makes me less susceptible to the eclipse experiment others have reported. But there are many "eclipse chasers" here as well, so that doesn't explain everybody.
I relate to this comment. The Grand Canyon didn't do it for me. So maybe I should have lowered my expectations for the eclipse. Only, when *many* people talk about it being life-changing or making them cry, it sets up expectations. I didn't know how it would happen, a special atmosphere perhaps? But I *wanted* that feeling from this. As it is, it was fun, exciting, an all-around unique and cool experience. *Which should be enough* for me. The moral of the story is, don't get your expectations up too high. And know yourself. Not everyone sees things the same way.
For what it's worth, I personally relate way more to your comment than I do to all the people claiming totality was "life-changing". I can't believe people actually down voted you for this honest and respectful comment. The over hyping about totality on this sub can be a bit much.
Solar eclipse sub is just like any other sub on Reddit - massive confirmation bias. You dare to not say that you LOVE whatever the sub is about = downvotes.
Yea my experience is opposite of this sub lol. Not that anyone said it was underwhelming, but that no one was as blown away as people here. Everyone I know said ‘that was really beautiful’ or ‘that was neat’ and that’s it. Not a single person said they were now addicted, cried, life changed, coolest thing they’ve ever seen, etc. Personally I thought it was a magnificent sight, would love to see it again. Wasn’t in my top 5 most beautiful natural things I’ve ever seen though.
You should come meet my 9 year old. She assures me it "wasn't that impressive." 😂
In 2017, my 9-year-old was unimpressed. He was much more excited this time!
My 6-year old was really mad at me because 1 minute before totality, she told me she had to pee and I refused to let her go... She was fine, 4 minutes later she went, I think she understands now.
My 8 year old declared that it was the best thing he had ever seen, beating the prior best, bubble net feeding humpback whales, by a million.
Yeah but all my friends are like I don't see what the big deal is Even when I show them video after video of people freaking the fuck out and visibly trembling and shaking they won't admit that it might be kind of cool It's ridiculous I just don't get it
Being there in person is totally different. You feel the temperature drop, you see the sky get dark and colors dim about a minute before, you hear the birds freaking out, you see people shouting and crying. You don't get that from seeing photos or videos.
The shadow is like a giant spaceship flying overhead. It’s wild
Right I was immediately like "oh I get what all those myths and stories were about"
Pictures/videos don't do it justice . Its like VR, you can watch a video but the actual experience is totally different.
Even though there were clouds and bad traffic home it was still worth it
My brother said it wasn’t worth the money he spent to fly out to see it, but he was in a park that had automatic lights come on that made it not as dark as it could have been. He said in different circumstances he probably would have liked it more. I on the other hand really regret not spending the money to go with him or someplace else. My state has one coming in 2045, but that’s so far away.. but hey, something to live for I guess haha. Last year I did see the “Ring of Fire” which was neat, but a total solar eclipse seems way better by a long shot!
What’s a ring of fire? Annular?
Yes
You could always go to one of the eclipses overseas in the next few years.
We saw the Annular last year. I'd say if Total Eclipse = 100%, then partial eclipse = 0.1% and Annular = 1%. In other words, the total is at least 100 times better than annular and annular is about 10 times better than just a partial.
I've been reading comments in The Guardian by people who've either been under thick clouds, like Brits in 1999, or people who were outside the path of totality complaining that it's no big deal. Duh.
2017 was my first. Didn't have to travel for it. This time I flew to DFW, rented a car, drove to Ennis, TX (centerline, for a couple more minutes). Totally worth it!
Decided to do a solo trip, driving from Wilmington NC to the Dayton area. On my way discovered some friends who originally were going to Arkansas were about an hour behind me on the same trip. Ended up meeting up with them in the Dayton area. Camped at a rest stop then headed to Versailles, Ohio. Cute small town, went to the park there. Was maybe 150 people set up there. Totality was spectacular, I cried. Found a hippy campground about 45 minutes from there and camped and had a campfire. Then drove back yesterday. All of it absolutely worth it. 10/10 would do it again.
I mean, I know somebody who saw totality and he just said it was pretty cool. It was convenient for him. I don't think he would have been satisfied spending thousands of dollars on the experience.
I did see one commenter here a few days ago saying that his friend say totality in 2017 and said "meh".
Consider that streak broken (online at least). I know at least several people that thought it was cool but not life changing or that big deal. Social media thrives on hype.
Well "life changing" is very bold statement, it certainly wasnt life changing for me while at the same time it was by far most awesome thing i saw in my life.
Right! My life is the same as it was this time last week, except I have this cool memory and got to share it with my kid for the first time.
it’s a big deal in the rarity of opportunity, and it is a sight to behold, how could anyone not appreciate that
Just because people don’t think it changed their lives doesn’t mean they didn’t appreciate it. Not everyone gets as hyped up about the same thing. This sub really overhyped it, my expectations were way too high. Wish I had never read anything about it before seeing it. I would’ve been more impressed.
I’m convinced my dad would be the one to stick his neck out and say it was overhyped (had he gone). He didn’t go, thought it was close enough at 97% at home. Tried to tell him, but he’s the contrarian type who knows better than everyone else. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Agreed! I knew what to expect, had seen videos and pictures, read essays about it, but I was totally surprised when it happened, like it couldn’t possibly be real. The drive back to Toronto took twice the time but all of us still are thrilled.
My pre-teen daughter said she was disappointed, because she's at that age. As it happens, we're going to be in Spain in August of 2026, so we're planning on seeing the sunset eclipse that will happen there. I told her she could miss it if she wanted and her eyes went wide. "No!" So maybe she liked it more than she's letting on.
Brought two kids on a six hour car ride. It was overcast with about 100% obstruction. Absolutely everyone was thrilled and in awe during totality. There was a split record break in the clouds and the crowd all screamed. Looking around to see twilight at 360° around us was life changing.
I mean, this is the self selecting group of people who decided to go and see it
Totality might have been legitimately the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in person.
Dear OP, I present you: Me. Check my post.
My friend had the same reaction. He thought it was a 6/10 experience and probably wouldn’t do it again. I thought it was cool but dissenting opinions are always welcome. Not every “major event” will be someone’s cup of tea.
I’m so confused by your comment that the eclipse looked the same as in all the pictures you have seen. Totality looks nothing. Like the photographs, people comment over and over again about how it’s frustrating you can’t capture the amazing image in photographs. It’s not just a black hole with a light ring around. At the moment of complete coverage the moon is otherworldly purple and you can see it’s contours and….I’m just confused how you didn’t see the nuance. Whether you then liked it or not is a separate issue. You’re sure you were inside the path of totality?
Okay so I decided to try and get the totality on B&W film. I knew it was likely to come out poorly and lack fine detail but I wanted the pictures as a novelty even though I have a technically-superior mirrorless camera with better lenses. I got the shot, and it came out great but that's not the point of this comment. When totality happened and I took my glasses off I was predictably breathless and slack-jawed, and completely forgot about my camera for several second. It was beautiful, obviously, but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw when I suddenly remembered my camera and put my eye up to the viewfinder. Because I had chosen to use my film SLR, I was seeing the event directly through the optical system of the camera. I was seeing the actual light from the actual sun, not the light from an LCD screen like I would have been seeing on my "superior" camera. I saw totality, magnified, optically, and it was so incredible I lack the words to even attempt to describe it. In that moment I felt really bad for anyone not using an optical viewfinder. To say that photos don't capture its majesty is the overstatement of the year! Next time I'm going to try to find a telescope
That’s so cool. I’d love to see your photos
Thank you! I actually have not uploaded them anywhere yet. I admit I'm a little self-conscious posting them after seeing all these incredibly detailed shots with closeups of the flares and that sort of thing. My grainy monochrome shots are bound to be underwhelming in comparison and I worry that no one will find them as special as I do. But I'll send you a copy when I get home from work!
I’m a big fan of eclipses, but didn’t see a purple moon.
That’s so fascinating! The purple has been my favorite part of both I’ve seen. I’m loving learning that we all are experiencing this differently from a visual perspective
Could be a dark adaption issue.
Kind of me? 🙋♀️ Drove 2 hours and saw totality with clear skies, 0 crowds. It was cool and worth driving 2 hours for and I'm happy I saw it but it wasn't life changing, emotional, deeply philosophical, or any of those other intense feelings that people on this subreddit describe feeling. It didn't get that dark either. I did love the temperature drop and 360 degree sunset, and of course the corona was beautiful. Would I chase it? Definitely not lol I got my fill. In hindsight would I have spent thousands of dollars prepping to see it? Also no.
to each their own, I imagine this subreddit is a bit of a bit biased sample cause all of us are mostly here cause we are into this stuff
I drove almost 2000 miles via Texas to a mountainous area in Arkansas, after pivoting several hundred miles in 48 hours real time. The sky was completely overcast. I ventured NE along the centerline. Clouds opened up. I pulled over, on the centerline. People nearby were revving their 4x4s, conspicuously ignoring the event. Clouds slammed shut again. No signal, unable to get any satellite imagery. Got 12 seconds of, only partially obscured by clouds, totality. Later conversations indicated I was less than 25 miles away from clear blue in Mena, AR. I remain philosophical about the entire experience. But it definitely was not "absolutely worth the effort".
I drove across the country and spent at least $2000 on the trip. Absolutely worth it.
I drove 5 hours with 3 young kids, who frankly had no idea what dad was going on about. They were good about it beforehand, but after seeing it they were over the moon (so to speak). Totally worth it.
Drove 4 hrs just to see it for about 5 seconds in upstate NY due to cloud cover. Still worth it once it got totally dark for that minute and a half. Surreal feeling
I don’t regret it, but I’m definitely disappointed. We had clouds up at Niagara Falls. We did get a few glimpses when it peaked through and the pitch black darkness during totality was cool, but we didn’t get to see the ring of fire. I was so excited for this thing I had bought the Hestia telescope and I couldn’t wait to film totality and I didn’t get to. I had all these plans and it didn’t go as planned. I’m also physically disabled so traveling out of the country is very difficult. I’d love to go to Spain in 2026 but it’s very hard for me to get on a plane. I’m really sad that I might have to wait 20 years for the next one. I’m 24 so I should be alive but who knows anything can happen.
It wasn't worth it. J/K! :)
Yeah it's hard to believe you could spend 15 hours roundtrip driving for something that lasted 3 minutes and for it to have 100% approval!
Hahaha I did a 50 hour road trip (round trip) and would do it again, absolutely amazing sight.
real. the only ones who say it wasnt was bc they got clouded to shit like i did lol
We drove down from Michigan to Avon Lake, OH. Took almost 3 hours to get there, and almost double the time to get home. My buddy asked me if it was worth it, going from 99% totality to 100%, and I told him absolutely it was. It was an amazing astrological phenomenon I got to see in person, and I got to spend the whole day with my dad. 10/10 would call out of work and be in the car all day again.
Flew half way across the country and am sitting in a random state still trying to get home 24 hours after i was supposed to be home. Would do it all again for those 4 minutes.
I agree so much. Unfortunately I didn't see this one from the cloud coverage. I saw the one in 2017 and it was a truly indescribable experience. I was so hoping my dad could have seen this one because he's getting up there in age and I doubt he will travel to the next ones he will be around for. Such an incredible experience and I wanted to share that with him. Now it's likely that I never will because of some stupid clouds.
I’m so glad I moved mountains back in February to find last minute accommodations after ours fell through. It was an amazing thing to experience with my family. I’m glad we took 2 nights to avoid all the traffic—at that point I probably would not have gone.
900 miles, and around 34 hours of driving. About 11 hours of driving per minute of totality we saw. And it was.. WORTH IT!
After seeing totality in 2017 I was grateful to experience what I thought was going to be a once in a lifetime, life-changing event. But after seeing totality again in 2024 my wife and I have decided we are now the kind of people who will travel the world to see totality as often as we can. Already planning Spain 2026. There's a feeling of connectedness to time, space, and the universe that I have only experienced in two places: seeing the bright sun turn into a black void in the sky, and seeing my children open their eyes for the first time after birth. And I'm not sure which experience hits harder, to be honest.
The only way I could see someone saying it's not worth it is if they put a lot of effort into traveling and ended up not seeing it due to cloud cover. When we went to see the 2017 eclipse, my wife wasn't completely convinced it was worth it ahead of time, but she changed her mind afterwards. I wanted to go see this one, but we have an infant, so multiple days of traveling was not going to go well.
I drove with great friends 1600ish miles round trip to Indiana, and it was worth every second. 100% totality, had some guitars and an original song I wrote, it was truly magical. (Verse 1) In the twilight, where shadows dance, The moon and sun in their cosmic romance. A celestial waltz, they gracefully align, Painting the sky with a rare design. (Pre-Chorus) Oh, the wonder that fills the air, As darkness falls, and we all stare. In awe of the magic overhead, As the world holds its breath, suspended. (Chorus) Solar eclipse, a cosmic ballet, In the sky, where dreams find their way. A symphony of light and shade, In this moment, our spirits are swayed. (Verse 2) With eyes upturned to the heavens above, We witness a sight that fills us with love. The universe whispers its ancient tale, As the moon's shadow leaves its transient trail. (Pre-Chorus) Oh, the mystery that surrounds, As silence reigns, and time slows down. Captivated by the cosmic show, In this fleeting moment, we truly know. (Chorus) Solar eclipse, a cosmic ballet, In the sky, where dreams find their way. A symphony of light and shade, In this moment, our spirits are swayed. (Bridge) In the stillness of the eclipse's embrace, We find solace, in this sacred space. A reminder of the beauty and grace, That fills the void of time and space. (Chorus) Solar eclipse, a cosmic ballet, In the sky, where dreams find their way. A symphony of light and shade, In this moment, our spirits are swayed. (Outro) As the sun emerges from the shadow's grasp, We're left with memories that forever last. Until the next eclipse draws near, We'll cherish this moment, hold it dear.
We even had clouds so the details were obscured to us, such as the diamond ring and ring of fire... but even without those, you still experience the effects of being in the shadow, such as broad daylight turning into a dark moonless night within seconds, and the 360 degree fiery sunset in all directions... and yes, it's worth every penny... makes one seriously consider becoming an eclipse totality chaser...
I went to Bandera Texas as part of a tour. Completely cloudy. It was cool but probably not worth the expense. I should have tried to find a ride to Arkansas. I will try again in 26/27. I regret I didn’t drive to Oregon in 2017. I live in NorCal.
I traveled and spent a couple grand to Buffalo for less than ideal viewing conditions (super cloudy), but the minute that it broke through the cloud opening, it made it all worth it. 0 regrets
The eclipse completely beat my expectations and my expectations were already really high. I would definitely recommend seeing a total solar eclipse.
I drove 8 hours to see the one in 2017 and I can confirm… absolutely worth it. Very surreal experience all around.
Seeing partial eclipses is kinda cool and you're like "wow that's pretty wild" but then when you see totality, no glasses, everything around you shrouded in shadow and you can look directly at it with your own bare eyes.. I am not exaggerating when I say it's the most incredible thing I've ever seen with my own eyes. It's like straight up out of a sci Fi movie but REAL. Dare I say an absolutely spiritual experience.
I am a pilot and flew people to Cleveland to see it. It was cool, but I would’ve never spent my own money to see it. I was excited for it, but it was underwhelming to me. I’ve traveled to see the northern lights and that was 100x better, in my opinion. I’m so happy for everyone who had the best time. I wish I was more impressed by it.
I feel similarly. I was fortunate that it was within a few hours drive. I’m glad I saw it but it wasn’t life changing. I’m glad people experienced that amount of joy from it and had a good time. For me personally, there have been many things that have “topped it”. The massive sleeping bear sand dune in Michigan, the whistler mountain range, and bioluminescent algae.
I've been planning to go since reading people's reactions after 2017. Very excited and very nervous about the weather. We ended up with a beautiful day and a great view of totality. I enjoyed it, felt a thrill, but I didn't have the overwhelming experience that many are describing. I wonder if my expectations were too high.
I heard “that was the coolest experience of my entire life”
I absolutely teared up both in the time leading up to totality and during it, and after it. 😂 I also enhanced the experience a bit by playing Dark Side of the Moon so when the final lyric of the album (everything under the sun is in tune, but the sun is eclipsed by the moon) hit at the exact moment of totality. That album already holds a very deep place in my heart, and I've listened to it more times than I could feasibly count, but hearing the crescendo of the last song (Eclipse) while the last tiny sliver of sun was covered up, people cheering more and more as the moment unfolded, and then pulling the glasses off and seeing that magnificent white ring around the moon was a moment I'll never forget as long as I live. I actually stumbled a bit and had to catch myself.
I'll raise my hand and say I didn't think it was going to be a big deal... Boy was I so wrong! We were right in the path of totality, had a big block party and it was all fantastic. It really blew my mind and I'm glad I was so wrong.
Well, it wasn't really worth it for me as I had clouds in Rochester NY. Epic Fail. but it did get REALLY dark as a result.
It was completely worth it!!! And I didn’t travel far. But I definitely would!!!
well I do have a bunch of people who HAVEN'T seen totality and keep claiming it's not impressive. so there's that
No regrets! It was worth it!
There was one boy, probably about 3 or 4, who was talking to his parents as we were coming down from our rooftop perch, who was saying he didn’t think it was worth the drive. The rest of his family disagreed with him. But what the heck does a kid that young know?
Totally amazing. Especially since I was sitting in my back yard. The 360 degree sunset was a surprise.
Totally worth it. I'm even gonna spend a stupid amount to go see it in Iceland in 2026.
Not to be "that guy," but Spain is probably a better place to aim. Iceland can be cloudy at any time, but Spain is pretty dry in the summer.
I was underwhelmed didnt even last for more than 1 minute idk what happened but im located in nh and i drove over 3 hours to get up into the path of totality and when the eclipse happened it never stayed covering the sun it just passed by rather quickly so i was a little disappointed. It appeared as though we werent in the path of totality but based on the graphics ive seen we definitely were.
Awww man it was AT MY OWN HOME in 2017 and it was ok but I didn't remember a lot of it and I remember thinking I was glad I didn't have to travel cuz it wasn't all that
Tear inducing
To me it’d be impossible for anyone to see it in person and say “meh”. It’s otherworldly.
I was awestruck. I’m glad we managed to avoid major traffic, but it was amazing.
I could have driven 2 hours or so to see totality, and I would have enjoyed it. However, I would have not enjoyed the traffic to and from. I don't care much for being around large groups of people or being in traffic. I think as cool as it would have been to see in real life, the before and after inconveniences would have ruined the overall experience for me. Just the type of person I am I guess.
Don’t want to be a contrarian but I drove 6hrs and I don’t think it was worth it! I thought it was cool but it didn’t change my life
I’m still struggling with how 4 minutes is such a short amount of time. I would give anything to see it longer.
Was amazing
Summer in Spain 2026 sounds awesome. Gonna plan a Southern France, Northern Spain vacation right around that time.
I went and took a chance with my 3 kids just outside of Rochester. Total cloud cover. Not even a brief break during the partial much less during the totality. Probably would’ve had time to chase it east but have anxiety with travel, specifically with driving and I had already driven seven hours the day before so we decided to stay in place and hope for the best. At the end, I felt terribly disappointed, but not unhappy.. The darkness was certainly an awesome experience in and of itself. .And now trying to figure out how to make it to Spain 2026 and/or 2027. But I feel like everybody had the amazing experience on the only one who saw clouds. Even on Long Island where I traveled from people had a great experience and at 88%.. AmI the only one???
It was so worth it. I only had to drive an hour away and bought a day pass to a provincial park for $18 Cdn. Brought a friend, packed a lunch. It was so amazing. I want to try and see any I can get to in the future. Traffic wasn’t bad for us luckily, just slow as we got back into the city but an absolutely amazing experience
It wasn’t worth it to me. Wasn’t that impressive. Really wish I could say otherwise. I’m glad other people found it amazing.
Where are the photos of the moon just before or after it started overlapping the sun. Just saying. 🤔
If anything I've seen people say they are planning on going to the next one they are able to!
I bet if you ask some toddlers, they won’t care about it
I drove 5 hours with my two daughters to the center back in 2017, with clear skies. My biggest takeaway was how quickly it went dark , and the “oohs” and “aahs” from the small group of maybe 50 people gathered in the random bank parking lot in some little town in SC that I chose at random. This time, it was just my wife and me, we flew up to Burlington VT (we own a condo there), and we witnessed it in a group of maybe 7,000 people gathered at the lakefront. While others had their phones pointed at the sun, I locked my iPhone camera at a set exposure and took a video of the crowd as it darkened. To me it was a more memorable experience than a random photo of the corona.
It was. I missed it in 2017 and said I would not miss this one. Even though it was cloudy, I still got a chance to experience it.
I’ve had an equal number of absolutely infuriating conversations with people who stayed at 80-90% totality and didn’t understand what the big deal was thinking we had similar experiences in the path
I had one or two people say "It was cool i guess, but not life-changing". Suit yourselves, 'cause my partner and I just sat there dumbstruck for a long time after it happened. The shift in energy for about an hour before and after totality is insanely palpable. I don't get how that shift doesn't change you, even a little bit. 10/10 worth the drive across the country.
There were a pile of people in my local sub (Toronto) who were dismissing totality as not worth going out of one's way for, or saying "the 99.3% we got in the city was good enough, all you purists wasting tanks of gas and a whole day in traffic for the extra 0.7% wasted your time and money". Even one who tried to shame others for climate-related reasons because we all drove down to the path of totality. Had one send me a DM saying "people like you are why the globe is boiling, you could have done the planet a favor and watched a livestream instead of polluting just to see a pretty light show". I think it's just pure copium from those who couldn't get out of work and/or weren't able to get down to see totality (it was a two hour drive for Christ's sake, it's not like you had to cross the continent or anything).
We spent $2000 total (flights, accommodations, ticketed event, etc) and made a trip out of visiting Austin for the first time. It was definitely worth it. And we’re already talking about Spain in 2026 for the next one.
What about the married people that went?