The Great Total Solar Eclipse of August 21, 2017

As some of you may know, Glenn and I traveled to the Big Island of Hawaii in 1991 to see a total solar eclipse, but it was not to be as a stratocumulus cloud deck rolled over the area the evening before and never left the Big Island until well after the eclipse was over. Ever since that disappointing event, I have felt determined to see one the next opportunity that presented itself.

That opportunity finally arose on August 21^st. I had been monitoring forecasts closely for several days before the eclipse, and they were not favorable for clear skies along most of the path of totality across Missouri. So instead of heading north about 150 to the Missouri River area, Jacqui, Jacsun, and I traveled east toward western Kentucky where forecasts appeared more favorable. We left Missouri on August 20 and traveled 150 miles to Van Buren, MO, where we camped overnight in a campground where I lived for nearly two months this summer while supervising a dig at a site on the Current River. In the late afternoon, we had fun swimming in the Current River for nearly an hour before supper and bed.

We arose before sunrise the next morning, cooked breakfast, and headed on toward southern Illinois or western Kentucky. After talking with Joe on the phone about the updated morning forecasts, we decided to go to somewhere south and east of Paducah. After traveling another 175 miles, I found a small park on the road map called Kentucky Dam State Park located at the north end of Land Between the Lakes. Fortunately for us, the traffic was not nearly as bad as had been predicted. When we arrived at 10:40 am, the park was sparsely populated, and I had little trouble finding a parking spot under a shade tree with plenty of open space nearby. Afterwards, we ate lunch and waited for the great show to begin. I was a little worried after we first arrived because small cumulus clouds were starting to build about 50 miles to our south and 40 miles to our north. Thoughts of Hawaii haunted me until just before the start of the eclipse. I was studying the clouds and at that point I could tell that they were slowly moving to the East and none were building to our West.

Soon after, we began to see the southwest limb of the moon encroach on the upper right limb of the Sun at 11:45 am, but it wasn’t until about 12:50 pm that we began to notice that sunlight was becoming a little dimmer with an odd gray cast. The build up to the approximately two minutes and twenty seconds of totality at 1:20-1:22 pm was very exciting as the sky continued to darken, and we noticed hundreds of small crescent shapes on the ground, on our lawn chairs, and on our bodies. As the Sun’s disk continued to thin from the overlapping moon, the dim light cast an eerie appearance and shadows across the park. Jacqui got so excited that she nearly hyperventilated and had to sit down for a second. Then with little notice, cheers went up across the park and there it was! A spectacular display of a bright corona surrounding the black disk of a perfectly centered moon! We took our protective eyeglasses off and stared straight at the hidden Sun and the unfolding total eclipse. Intermittently, Jacqui, Jacsun, and I would dance around and hug each other and tears came to our eyes (at least my eyes, I couldn’t see Jacqui and Jacsun’s eyes very well in the dim light). I tried to take a few good pictures but failed. Then, just as unexpectedly as the eclipse had arrived, a “diamond” unexpectedly appeared on the upper right limb and totality was over and we had to reach for our protective eyewear once again. We all three agreed that, although all too brief, totality was the most impressive natural phenomenon that we had ever witnessed.

With all the talk about getting dark at totality, I expected something like nightfall, but it didn’t really get all that dark where we were. Instead of nighttime-like conditions, the light approximated what you see about 20-25 minutes after sunset; darkened for sure, but you could still see 100 m or more in the distance. We could see Venus, however, about as bright as I have ever seen it to the upper right of the eclipsed Sun.

The curse of Hawaii had been lifted and I felt very fortunate. This time around, we were able to find a “sweet spot” with absolutely no cloud interference. I learned the next day that folks in Carbondale, IL were only able to see about 10 seconds of totality and the same occurred around parts of Nashville, TN. However, the area around the Land Between the Lakes down to Hopkinsville, KY was largely unimpeded by clouds.

     

It was a long 325 mile drive back to Springfield, MO, so about 15 minutes after totality, we packed up and headed home, riding on Cloud 9 all the way. Although the round trip of 650 miles was a lengthy one, it was worth every mile to me. I would do it again tomorrow if it were possible to do so. I found out the next day that it took some of my friends (who drove to the north of Springfield only 150 miles) the same amount of time to return to Springfield as the amount of time it took me to drive 325 miles, due to areas of congested traffic that they encountered. I lucked out on two fronts with the Great Total Solar Eclipse of 2017.  

We won’t have to wait long (less than seven years) for another chance to view a total solar eclipse in the U.S. It will occur on April 8, 2024 and will pass through southeast MO, southern IL, southern IN, and northwest OH. Parts of southeast Missouri will be at the center of the path of totality, which will last nearly twice as long as the totality that we just witnessed (up to 4 minutes and 9 seconds). So unless we decide to meet somewhere else as a family gathering, you will find Jacsun, Jacqui, and me canoeing on the Current River directly under the centerline of the path of totality (weather permitting, of course; otherwise, you will find us on the road and on the hunt for clear skies)!

Love,

Jack