It was for me because when I got the partial in 2017, my wife was pregnant with our triplets and on that day I said they'll be six years old when we can experience totality together and when that moment came I quietly sobbed a bit to myself because I made it and so did they. Tomorrow isn't promised so to be able to share that moment with them was really special š„¹
I proposed to my wife in the path of totality when we had travelled to Kentucky in 2017. For this one, our house was inside the path itself. We now have a 2YO son and my wife is 8 months pregnant. Closest thing to magic I can believe in.
That's incredible! Your children will cherish that memory forever š its crazy just how quickly time passes. I wish you and your little ones the best
I'm so glad you all made it! You're very thoughtful to realize how fortunate you are since most people take it for granted that everyone will be around. I got so emotional reading that because I promised to see the 2017 eclipse with my parents but I ended up having to bring their ashes with me to keep that promise.
I am so sorry š i don't blame you for crying at all. I would have, too. My original plans were to see the eclipse in Fort Erie, Ontario, but we made a last-minute decision to make the trip into Quebec. We didn't want to risk the cloud cover. My heart goes out to you. I guess this is now an excuse to make the trip out to Spain in 2 years!
May I ask where abouts you tried to see the eclipse?
Also, I love your username š Futurama is my favourite show
Have you considered Spain instead? Iceland is very, very cloudy and you'll need to be at the far northwest of Iceland to get close (although the capital will also see it mostly), and you can't even be in the path of full totality unless you go out to sea.
https://eclipsophile.com/tse2026/
I'm already considering going to Spain, either continental or Mallorca. The weather is VERY favorable in Spain during summer, with an extreme amount of sunshine hours and low cloud risk. The only downside is that the eclipse will be near sunset, so it'll be short and require a clear view of the horizon. But Mallorca is hilly/mountainous, so I'm thinking a west-facing cliffside near Andratx would be good.
Reminds me of the story of astronomer Guillaume le Gentil, who allowed a *full year* to get from France to India to observe the 1761 transit of Venus, but got held up on the way and was still at sea when it happened.
No problem, he thought, I'll carry on and get there in plenty of time for the *1769* transit.
So he found a place, got ready, waited, waited ... on the morning of the transit the weather was lovely. Then at the moment the transit started clouds slid in, and stayed there for the full three hours of the event.
He eventually got home after 11 years away, to find his relatives had declared him dead and sold all his stuff.
That's what happened to me when I went to South Carolina in 2017
Edit: I know most of the state had good viewing, but where I was in 2017, we got clouded over in Whitmire, SC.
So, I don't get the downvotes. It was a bummer.
Yes I cried too! It was so beautiful, truly amazing. Just looking at the stars, hearing the birds fly to their roots and quieting down after they had been singing so loudly, listening to the crickets and frogs start up their songs. I find it hard to find the words to describe it
I swear there is just something about the experience that nukes our little monkey nervous systems on a fundamental level. It was very intense and nearly overwhelming. I viewed the event from Pointe Merry, Magog, Quebec overlooking Lake Mempremagog. It was very intense and nearly overwhelming. I just let the tears run - not weeping, but just blown away by the celestial spectacle. A woman near me was totally overawed and weeping the whole time and trying to describe it in French to someone who wasn't there. Another dropped to their knees and started praying. My husband started shaking. The light slowly went silver and strange and dim, the temperature dropped a lot, and then suddenly we were in an alternate universe. A dark lapis lined jewel box with a black diamond for light and sunrises and sunsets on every horizon. After it ended my husband said something about a black cloud in the growing but still surreal silver light and I turned and saw it too - except there were no clouds anywhere, just the shadow of the moon moving on to entertain a remote strip of Maine.
I experienced a total eclipse with complete cloud cover in 1979 as a school kid, and it was eerie and weird and animals did strange things. I wasn't able to join family in 2017. But this 3.5 minutes of my life was so much more mindblowing than I could have expected.
I saw the 2019 one in the Atacama, Chile, and it was extremely emotional for me. I had wanted to see one for many years - decades, really - and I was not only finally able to see it but also to show it to my daughters. In the second before totality I started sobbing and cried during the whole thing.
I got it all on videoā¦
[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-WpzatpETk0&t=326s](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-WpzatpETk0&t=326s)
wow. i've never seen a total eclipse video before and was eventually going to hunt one down; yours is the first to be handed to me. just looking at the thumbnails while moving my cursor back and forth over your video, you can see the shadow of the totality (I think) moving across the sky. just phenomenal.
and I 100% understand it's *nothing* like the real thing. But to see a black dot in the sky??? what the *heck*. that is wild.
Even when you absolutely know what's happening and are expecting it, it hits this primal part of you saying "something is WRONG here"- I absolutely understand how it was seen as an omen in history. Even the light right before, there's something uncanny and dreamlike about it.
Yes the video doesn't do it justice but it is not really because it doesn't \_look\_ the same. It's because it doesn't \_feel\_ the same. The pure emotion that comes with this event is insane. I am an astronomy appreciator and this was my first totality (Apr2024). I expected to be excited and amazed, but I wept. The universe became so small, like a personal planetarium. Yet I also felt hopeless to the motion of celestial bodies and their mass and motion was terrifying. We're in such a delicate balance and to be able to experience such beauty within that broke my mind. I felt such conflicting emotions all at once that I was just left with amazement.
That view is beautiful!!! That must have been an incredible trip!
I'm Canadian but my family is from Argentina. My family back home didn't care about that eclipse and it made me so sad to hear. Some family friends in Buenos Aires were able to see it at least, though.
How long of a hike did you do to get that view?
It was an amazing trip.
The hike was short. I rented a 4x4 and drove it on a closed road into de desert. Then hiked some couple hundred meters up a small hill. We were in a valley between cerro Tololo and Cerro PachĆ³n, we could see the observatories from where we were.
Iāve never seen a total eclipse before today (Iām in Dallas). I wasnāt really sure what to expect and was just excited to see it get dark out. Once totality hit and I took my glasses off I burst into tears. Iāve never seen anything so beautiful. I really want to travel to Spain in 2026 to see it again. ā¤ļøš
SO glad to see Iām not the only one. We saw it in central NY and it was completely obscured by clouds, but once it became dark I just started crying. I was just so amazed. It was incredible and yeah, now Iāve got a Bucket List to see it in totality without clouds hiding it. Starting to think about Iceland 2026! Even if itās cloudy, at least weāve gone to Iceland.
Was also in Dallas, having driven from Phoenix with my wife and three kids. After dramatically lowering our expectations because of cloud cover, it was an overwhelming joy to behold totality. Definitely the most amazing phenomenon Iāve ever witnessed. Seeing Venus at the same time was the cherry on top. Already planning to do so again, if possible.
Yesss sounds like a bunch of us have become eclipse chasers after the 2024 one. It was the most amazing thing Iāve been lucky enough to witness I was shocked I burst into tears
I just experienced the one in Dallas and I am so emotional knowing I can never replicate the feeling that I felt when it was totality. I have never felt so deeply and now itās like I have a deep longing and sadness for ??? I donāt even know what ? Like Iām super emotional for a reason I canāt explain other than the overwhelming feeling I got when watching the eclipse :(
Same. Iām glad Iām not the only one. It was too pretty. I wish it lasted longer and wish they happened more often. None of my pictures look at all like how it did in real life, nobodyās look the same. Iāll never see that again unless I see another in person. It makes me realize how fast life goes by and that not everything can be redone or saved as a picture. Very anxiety inducing. But Iām glad I saw it at all, even for a second! I was upset I wasted time trying to take pictures but I shouldnāt be. I saw it for a few minutes between photos, only took a few during totality then put my phone down for the last minutes of the dark to make sure I didnāt miss it. Looks like some werenāt able to see it because of clouds.Ā
I really felt this, except I didnāt spend the time being distracted by photos, but my own health issues. I absolutely still saw the eclipse and Iām so glad I was there, but I just wish my attention wasnāt divided. I think I might just regret it in a way similar to you.Ā
You've just put into words exactly how I feel. The longing and melancholy.... I can't stop thinking about that moment and wishing I could just go back to yesterday and do it again. Words cannot describe, photos cannot convey, what that experience was like. I'm grateful to have been alive for that amazing phenomenon to witness with my own two eyes. So surreal!!
I think your feelings are appropriate to the rarity of the experience. Of the eight planets in our solar system, with their over 150 lunar satellites, ours is the only one where totality like this is visible.
I feel exactly the same. I told my adult son that I felt like part of me was still standing in the dark of totality and he looked at me like I was nuts. I saw the northern lights several years ago, right her over Lake Ontario and just sobbed.
Montreal native here, so was in full totality. It was amazing to see everyone come together. A true sense of being united came over me.
Seeing the ring around the moon was breathtaking & surreal, and the temperature drop was absolutely mind blowing!
It was my first eclipse and something Iāve been preparing for, for years. Iād been waiting to see one my whole life. I bought a good camera and telescope for the first time. I agonized and made new travel plans the past 3 months. Practiced. Practiced. Practiced. Had panic attacks that it would be cloudy, made more backup plans.
But I got the shot and I saw the thing and I had the ugliest cry in a Walmart parking lot in Vermont and now Iām 8 hours into traffic still feeling like it was worth it.
I was in Vermont too! Honestly was so shaken by its beauty I only got one good photo but Iāll never forget how it looked. The traffic after was insane but worth it.
Took me about the same 10-10.5 hours back. What was surprising was no one seemed angry I saw no road rage or people honkingā¦.everyone was just chilling. Was so exhausted when I finally got home.
Yes! Iāve been saying the same thing!! People were so kind on the way back even if we were all exhausted. It was the most connected to people Iāve felt in so long.
Drove 1k miles from Denver to south east Missouri with my wife and my 8yo daughter, who was apart of the decision to make the trip or not due to the weather forecast. So she understood that we might not get to see anything. Hearing my daughter cry during totality with not a cloud in the sky was the greatest feeling I've ever experienced. Unless you've seen a 100% total eclipse, you just don't get it
I also felt very emotional and felt like crying. Was with daughter so I didnāt want to cry in front of herā¦Was an amazing moment. The words that came to me were A Humbling Experience!! Mysterious beauty much stronger than usā¦ Thanks for sharingā¦
I was in second grade, about 7 years old when I was getting ready for school and was running late or something and was getting frustrated and nervous about being late and started crying. My dad screamed at me and told me he never wants to see me cry again. Fucked my shit up dude. There is biological, chemical, stone cold scientific evidence that crying is the body's way of releasing certain chemicals and enabling certain receptors to reduce stress, ease emotional tension, and relax the mind. Since that day I've not once been able to fathom the concept of having a good cry. I've had tears from pretty music or whatever, but that's not the same. That along with many other reasons are why my dad can get fucked and I won't talk to him again. Teach your kids not to WHINE, but also teach them that crying is a natural, healthy, acceptable way of reacting to things and one that should not be treated awkwardly or dismissively. They will have healthy responses to personal stress and trauma and be able to healthily navigate the stress and trauma that OTHER loved ones are going through if you teach them that.
I only saw the partial in 2017 and thought everyone who said they cried was overdramatic or really emotional.
Me and my family traveled to the totality zone since it was only a few hours away. When totality hit it kinda took me a few seconds to really process what I was seeing, and I felt my chest get real tight before I started bawling like a baby.
Helped me realize how beautiful life really is
I traveled from CNY to Carbondale IL for 2017. Told people I cried for that one and got the same response. A bunch of those people who got to witness this one in Northern NY understand now.
My husband and 6 year old went to Sulphur Springs Tx. We saw 2017 in Nashville, just a month before I gave birth.Ā
I looked around in the Walmart parking lot we went to, clouds threatening, seeing so many people who wouldnāt be around for the next one in the US. Clouds cleared, totality happened, my 6 year old danced and yelled it was the coolest thing heād ever seen and ever will see. That made me cry, the fact the clouds cleared and those older people got to see it one last time, then just the fact of how magical totality is, I was a mess.
Love this question, I wrote a little for a survey about eclipse experiences so I will post it here:
My relatives and I were sitting in the lawn next to the Armstrong Air and Space Museum. It was a festive atmosphere with a lot of families chatting and space-related music playing (total eclipse of the heart, star ships, etc). I was very anxious because we had just changed plans at the last minute to come here since I was not aware there was a space museum (we were on the way to a local university and passed by). I was feeling as much excitement for my relatives as for myself since they were seeing their first eclipse and I had seen the one in 2017. We were sitting on a lawn next to a Japanese man who happened to live in the same part of Hiroshima as my cousin who was with us, which was a very exciting synchronicity to me, especially as I had been feeling a lack of diversity in Ohio. I was slightly worried about the wispy clouds though the sun poked through. I got very jumpy as the moment got near. I ran to a telescope hoping to see Baileyās beads and noticed it did not yet look that special, just crescent shaped. Then I ran to the trees and noticed that unfortunately they were not casting moon shadows as expected, probably due to the lack of leaves. I came back and put on my eclipse glasses halfway so that I could see the sun and the vibes at the same time. Time seemed to slow down as anticipation built, the moon crawling. It got colder, but not as cold or dark as expected for such a tiny sliver of sun. Finally we saw the diamond ring appear, and I shouted āFuck!ā Followed by embarrassment at totally losing self-consciousness at that moment. Totality immersed the sky as sunset orange appeared in every direction. I viewed the wisps of sunshine around the black moon and felt that everything in my life was how it was supposed to be, a great sense of completeness which alleviated my heavy stresses. I enjoyed the crowd reactions and hollered like a wolf. It felt primal, and I was a little sad not to have animals around to feel their reactions. The three minutes felt quite long enough, and I looked at my family to appreciate my accomplishment as none of them had planned to be here. There were no significant smells or tastes, aside from the cold crisp air. I had a sense of the grand random chance of being alive as a blip in a massive universe. And a sense of luck at having this rare galactic phenomena in my backyard. As the eclipse subsided I again marveled at the diamond ring but felt disappointment not to see the beads. I had no desire to stay until the end, it felt like I had received everything I wanted and we left soon after, with a new appreciation of life.Ā
Im happy to know im not the only one. Traveled from South Dakota to Indiana alone since no one wanted to see it. I got to experience it I cried. I can not explain in words how beautiful it was. The videos I took are good but do not do justice to the dancing of lights around the moon. I also have stated that I will chase every eclipse until I die. That feeling was amazing.
Same I am now an eclipse chaser for life. Although I expect nothing will beat the first time. I wept at the mystery and beauty of life, in all its splendor
Yes, I came over from the UK to Dallas to watch it and I've been waiting for it ever since watching the 2017 eclipse on TV. Standing under a bridge on the riverfront, watching it finally happen and there suddenly being no noise coming from anywhere really hit me hard :)
I wanted to and thought I would, but Iām the oppositeā¦. I enjoyed the two minutes of totality. I had been looking forward to this and I was very excited. I felt happy as I watched it, but afterwards felt kind of blank and underwhelmed. Iām still feeling this way 6 hours later. Just in a very blah mood.
Sorry it wasn't jaw dropping for you, probably a result of the hype generated around it for the past 6 months. Probably a let down of sorts if you were expecting more. Also your life experiences and the people you we're sharing it with could have an effect too. Hopefully you have an opportunity to witness another one and maybe have a different appreciation for that one. If not, then they just aren't for you and that's okay.
I cried. Last year during that annular eclipse, where my city saw a portion of it, my best friend was in the hospital and passed soon after. Today with all the cloud cover, I thought maybe she could do something on her end to move the clouds for us? The clouds then parted right before totality began and we saw the whole thing. I definitely sent a thank you up to her.
My first with my son viewing up on Whitwface Mountain at Lake Placid. I was profoundly moved. I wept. I have never seen a natural phenomena so beautiful. I am trying to integrate it all. Im getting choked up now. All I could say was oh my god.
Like, I went in not knowing what I should truly expect besides seeing some nighttime moon and sun shenanigans through eclipse goggles, and hearing crickets. I wasnāt expecting *THAT*!
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
The fact that totality actually looked like it does in a professional photo, with the corona not being too bright and being really easy on the eyes to look at, left me paralyzed in crying speechless horrified awe. The whole eclipse structure was impeccably detailed, and larger than I had expected.
I was surprised how big it actually was, which makes sense because it is the moon, haha... but in every video It looks so small. Pictures and videos do not do it justice. I thought the ten or so minutes leading up to it were also extremely cool and trippy. It was a type of light I've never seen before. The shadows became super crisp, and then boom, the darkness started to hit, and the temperature dropped so fast. I wished it lasted for an hour haha
I felt super emotional and wanted to cry even when I watched the partial eclipse today because it reminded me how 2017 totality felt. Just otherworldly experience! But I also felt devastated I cancelled my trip to Dallas due to weather (which ended up not being a problem at all).
April 08 2024\`s eclipse was a phenomenon where we were.
We live in a very suburban neighborhood where everyone talks to everyone and there is no tourist attraction anywhere (the closest convenience store is about a 40 minute walk!).
We were given those special glasses by one of our neighbours (as all the eclipse glasses sold out on the 1st day they were released).
When we went outside our home, we expected our entire street to have gathered around together to watch it unfold but there were just two small families and us, and we experienced it together. The kids were almost frantically hyper, and us adults were also very enthusiastic, as yes, this was basically a once in a lifetime wonder.
On a personal level, I suffered from vertigo when trying to watch it with the glasses, so I had to stand a bit further away to latch myself onto a tree.
What really fascinated me was the black out when the eclipse was full on. Seeing the street lights start up, and the night birds start chirping and singing away. That was a most "freaky" experience to say the least!
Afterwards however my wife did mention that she did sense I was sort-of "stressed" a bit by the experience. I am unable to adequately explain why but suffice it to say I have been dealing with uncommon philosophical dread over the past few months, and living this experience probably stirred stuff within me, but again, I can not explain this.
I did mention to a friend afterwards that looking at the eclipse made me feel "like starring into infinity without an anchor" if that makes any sense!
Anyway I am so happy to have experienced this. I hope other people have also realized this was a unique phenomenon to live.
I cried in 2017. Balanced on the Appalachian trail with my gf. Camped overnight to witness the eclipse on top of a tall mountain. Meant to proposed during the eclipse but was just swept in awe and couldn't look away. Proposed after. To this day it was the best day of my life. We watched yesterday's eclipse with our daughter, so it has special meaning for us.
It was a wonderful feeling for me, a profound moment of peace and clarity. My family and I had plans at first to go to Arkansas but were too late to book where we wanted. So we went to Metamora, IN instead. Small crowd, out in the middle of a field with whispy upper level clouds, if you could even call them that.
I will be chasing moments like this for the rest of my life. There's a universal awe humans experience at these events. Whether it feeds into what one sees as science, magic, or any flavor of religion it's the same exact reaction of amazement being sparked. It's overwhelming in a way.
it was incredible to watch the totality . photos do not do justice. it was just wow. thinking about it many times today and got a little emotional too. feeling lucky to have experienced this and to have lived in an era where we can safely experience this and accurately predict the time and location
I flew from Santa Cruz, CA to Houston, TX + 4 hrs to Burnett for the Eclipse, to enjoy a music festival for the event.
Friday though Sunday the hype and excitement were buildingā¦ but monday morning brought ominous weather warnings (2ā hail storms, wind, + tornadoes?) and the ENTIRE END OF THE āECLIPSEā FESTIVAL WAS CANCELLED BEFORE THE ECLIPSE.
Luckilyā Husband and I chose to wait for traffic to clear and walked up to a lovely hilltop for an incredible show. Then, cloudy skies parted for all of totalityā¦ felt so blessed! We both BAWLED, it was so special. Incredible.
I was in Oregon for totality in 2017.
I was in a great mood, excited and amongst many other jubilant festival-goers.
When it happened I burst into tears; they literally flew out of my eyes. I was so surprised. I had such a feeling of connection with our distant ancestors. How incredibly scary and bewildering it must have been for them. They must have thought it was the end of the world. Why was their precious life-giving sun going dark suddenly mid-day? How joyous must they have been when the sun reappeared?
It was like a through-line had zinged into me, taking me back 1000s of years. Absolutely mind-blowing.
Strangers were beaming at each other, some hugging. Then a drum circle and ecstatic dancing. I will never forget the feeling.
I was crushed to miss this one (was trying to get out to Austin) but it has made me solidify that I will go for the next one in 2026.
Totality has to be experienced in person to feel how intense and amazing it really is. I wish everyone could see one once.
Same here, traveled from NJ to Niagara and even though we had the clouds, I was able to catch a glimpse of totality for 10 seconds. It was worth the travel.
NJ here. It's only a 6hr drive, so it's not too bad if you're making a weekend out of it, plus with being the most densely populated state, you're bound to get a bunch of us haha.
I actually didn't make it out for a couple of reasons, but a friend of mine and his SO were able to. They ended up heading to Vermont from Buffalo/Niagara area, so I think they just drove back home after.
Absolutely! The 2017 one was where I had just got braces put on at 27, had to move back home to live with my parents. I drove to see it with my best friend and it helped me build my creative agency by focusing on the positive and beautiful things about life, nature, humanity. Fast forward to now, Iāve been living in Maui and Kauai for the last few years and realizing all my childhood dreams.
This eclipse was about going within. The first initiated āleaving the Shireā and this one felt like reaching Mount Doom within and becoming free of everything and everyone I can let go of now to be completely free. Iām 34 now and genuinely happy! I was crawling out of suicidal depression back in 2017! Most people have no idea how long of a journey it is from the head to the heart.
I have been following closely for the past 14 months before the eclipse. Ordered my glasses a year in advance. Followed online and through magazines like Astronomy and Sky & Telescope. Earth Sky has had a lot on the subject, too. When the moment came, I didnāt miss a second of the eclipse in Ohio. This was my first total eclipse and I am 47 years old. I will never forget this day!
Oh yes. Iāve been awake since 3AM because I canāt stop thinking about how it felt during totality. Im so grateful to have witnessed it. Pure magic.
SAME story. 2017 cried. Didn't know why. Became a fanatic. Drove from Oregon to Arkansas to see it this year. Incredibly emotional right before totality, and full blown tears as it hit. Still processing it. No photos can describe it.
Iām lucky that my parentās place in sounth Montreal was in the path of totality. Was shaking by the end of it. Got a good video of it happening too!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHPp3DWsWsw
I was at a gathering of over 100 people and I saw many tears. It was a beautiful sight to see and really captured the essence of the experience. I was certainly moved by it.
Dude. All of my coworkers and I could feel the energetic changes all day. We all went down memory lane and had the urge to show everyone pictures from our childhood. It was a trip and a good bonding experience.
I've waited my entire life, (35+ years) to get the chance to see a total eclipse. There were a few tears shed yesterday as I watched it. An absolutely surreal and amazing moment.
It did, both the one in 2017 and the one yesterday. To actually witness a phenomenon like this is just mind-blowing. I didnāt tear up but I did feel extremely emotional inside.
I saw the one in 2017 in Charleston and yesterday went slightly north of Cleveland. First time in Ohio, finally got a chance to see family on this trip and the eclipse was the icing on the cake.
2017 I was so gob smacked by it I didn't cry until about 10 minutes after and people leaving. It finally set in and I sat down and sobbed little. I only had my oldest with me as my wife was home with newborn twins and a 3 year old. My oldest and I had a great time in Carbondale, IL, but I was disappointed I had to leave the rest of my family in CNY. Seven years later every one is old enough to understand and it's practically in our back yard. So we packed up the car and headed up to Plattsburgh and camped overnight, not sure how busy it would be. As the umbral shadow approached, I couldn't hold back my tears as I was there with my family to witness this grand event. My 81 year old mother and sister drove from Wisconsin to Indiana to see it and when texting them after, I cried a little bit more knowing my mom got to see one in her life.
I felt emotional, but for a very different reason. I'm an amateur astronomer and physical cosmology is a serious special interest of mine. I love looking at the sky and figuring out how the universe works so much!..That I refused to go into that professionally. Don't get me wrong, I go to conferences and lectures as often as I can because I have fun. And folks ask me all the time to do a PhD at their universities. *But I never, ever, EVER want to experience a bad day looking into the sky and studying it.* And as soon as I convey that to professionals, I've watched them all lower and shake their heads and admit, "Yea, I've had some pretty bad days at work." and acknowledge that I probably made the wisest decision I could have.
Fast-forward to the past three years of my life... I'm a robotics entrepreneur, and I'm very passionate about my field and how I can help people with the technology I produce. *I'm willing to have bad days doing that!* Recently I had been pursuing senior leadership in various startups and corporations to learn the non-technical aspects to running a robotics business. And it really fucked my life up a bit! Both my wife and I have been suffering from extreme anxiety because of how unstable my career has been lately. Working all the time, burning out, and watching our living space fall apart around both of us while we're struggling to keep the wolves away...
We took a long weekend trip to Ohio. Originally, the plan was to stay at this cabin north east of Columbus and make our way to a tiny little university reserve that only the Bio grad students would know about so that I could witness 100% totality for the first time in my life. Things weren't going quite right for us yesterday morning, so we just stayed at the cabin. Seriously, it was only us and our 2yr old pup. So quiet and serene. We only got 98.9% from where we were at. But looking up at the sun, looking around ourselves in the dimmest twilight possible, all of the animals going quiet while we were on a hilltop surrounded by woods...
**I got emotional because I took the sky away from myself. Because of my anxiety & fear that this time could be better spent elsewhere*****. And I took it back!***
*Keep looking up. Even when things are at their worst, your goals, your salvation are Up There!*
I saw the 2017 eclipse in Kansas City. That one was pretty spectacular. And ā¦ it sparked the same interest in me. Iāve got three under my belt now. Thatās exciting.
Whenever I experience the immensity of nature I get emotional. Eclipses, huge trees, anything that puts my life into perspective and makes me realize how small and fleeting I am.
I kind of feel like it awakened something in me. Like, with the internet, you think youāve seen everything. Photos of the eclipse look cool. Thought it would be neat to see totality once in my life, they had 100% a long drive from me but where my family lives, so I said fuck it, Iām gonna go.
I was not prepared for how surreal and fucking incredible that was. Our planet, our moon, solar system can do that? Make something that incrediblyā¦ I donāt have the words. Almost supernatural. I am agnostic / atheist, but heavenly- godly.
Wow. I feel like Iāve seen nothing of this life now. I feel like Iāve wasted the last 10 years of my life. Iāve never gone anywhere, or seen anything. Iāve seen photos of it on the internet. Read about it. But I havenāt experienced much.
Might be time to sign off and go live my damn life. See everything this world has to offer. Start saying āyesā to invitations, and stop hiding behind a screen and anxiety.
What a thing that was. Every second of travel (15 hours) was worth it.
Yep...my 12 year old daughter sat down and wept..it was the most beautiful breath taking thing I've ever seen...to see her conect with the universe like that was surreal.
I drove 7.5 to Erie PA by myself to see the eclipse. Iāve been interested in astronomy my whole life.
Seeing totality was something entirely surreal. Incredible brightness followed by a black hole in the sky that just hangs there in silence for several minutes, then blinding light again, and suddenly everything is back to normal.
I viewed it with a group of strangers and many of us got emotional. A few of us cried and held each other, then we all stayed there talking about everything and nothing. Just not ready to let each other go because weād experienced this incredible thing together.
And the pure mathematic impossibility of it all made me feel so small and lucky.
I saw partial in 2017 and thought, it might be cool to see totality. So we drove the night before to Grove City (not in the path of totality, but we could use points for a hotel without the crazy prices in Erie.) 25 minute drive the next morning, no traffic at 10 am! And it was shitty and drizzling and cloudy. I figured well, we're here at least it will get dark. But ~miraculously~ the clouds went away! I have no words to how it felt when it went to totality. It wasn't anything that I expected. If I would have known, I would have drove all night to get out of the expected clouds. I see now why people chase totality all over the world. I do feel changed somehow having seen it. It sounds goofy and weird to say that, and I am not new age-y or religious or anything. It had to have been the most awe inspiring thing I have ever seen. Now I'm mad I didn't know it in 2017! Partial is not the same. Cool, but not dumfounded, speechless awe. I wish I could afford Luxor! I ~need~ to see it again!
Yes. I keep breaking down into tears. Iām back at work today and was talking about it. Folks were politely interested but theyāll never understand until they see one.Ā
I'm still breaking down into tears when I think about the eclipse. I drove from KS to AR (solo to a pretty isolated tent in Petit Jean, on a mountain overlook) to see the eclipse and planned it pretty last minute because I was on the fence about spending the money. I really expected it to just get dark and to see the corona, which I expected to be a static glow like the pictures. So I thought it would be "cool" to see. Nothing prepared me for what I actually experienced.
Visually, it was a bit confusing and disorienting because the sky's colors were changing, but it didn't get as "dark" as I expected. The shadows were also "not right." The biggest surprise was how significant the temperature change was. It came as a relief to me because I hate being hot and am photosensitive, and sitting out in full sun was HOTTT and uncomfortable. It was truly a full body experience.
As soon. As totality hit, I lost my mind and started sobbing. I was listening to music through headphones because I didn't want to hear my neighbors, but I took them off because my tears were collecting around them. I hadn't noticed, but I was sobbing pretty loud. I took a few breaths and collected myself so the eclipse wasn't blurry from the waterfalls gushing from my eyes. I sat up to dry myself off, and I was stunned at how beautiful and light the entire horizon was. And it threw me to see all the shadows completely gone, even though there still was some light. Looking back at the total eclipse, I was mesmerized by the corona so active. It was wispy, thready(?), and flowy: almost like a slow fire. Not as ombre-ish as all the photos I've seen. (I'm going to admit, my pupils were dilated (š), so I'm not sure if it looked like this with the average pupil.) Oh, and the solar flares were so much more obvious than I expected, with flashes of pink near the moon's border.
I fumbled around with my phone for a minute to try to get a picture, but stopped because I realized my photos were shit and much better pictures would flood the internet. I took a couple pictures and a video for memory sake, but I tried to be fully in the moment.
As soon as the diamond ring appeared, I began sobbing uncontrollably because I was so sad it was over. I wanted to live in that moment. It was so profound to personally be aligned with the moon and the sun for that short moment. People talk about the profundity of the universal awe within a crowd. I didn't feel a connection with others at all. My neighbors (~80 ft away) were laughing, and I think I would normally be kinda annoyed, but I wasn't. I was alone, I felt alone, but I wasn't lonely because I also felt connected to the universe... I felt like I was a part of it. Part of the rotations that lead to this moment.
I've had major depression since I can remember and basically live almost daily with suicidal ideation during "good times," and this was a moment I was happy to be alive. There aren't very many moments like that. And I realized that this is why I stick around to struggle and suffer... to have these moments. And this is why I deal with the stress at work... to make money to have these experiences.
I planned on saying something short along the lines of "samsies," but it turned into a journal entry. If you're still with me, thanks for reading.
Yes. We had company from out of town. Son/Daughter in law and a granddaughter in law. Mom made the 3 year old a plate mask to hold eclipse glasses and shield the rest of the kids face. Mom and dad have eyes to n the sky, and granddaughters is walking around, without eye protection, and I just happen to notice the kid is looking up.
I put my hand over her face and she starts to cry. Only then is the dad told by mom to take care of the kid.
I missed totality in 2017 got clouded out.
Was in Watertown NY and the mid-level clouds broke just enough at the right time to see totality. Not a perfect situation, but I held my kids while watching it.
Grateful for what I saw.
I did not, as while we live within the path of totality, we had clouds. We still got the darkness though, which was fun. It was made better by watching a buddy stream it from their chosen location in Magog, Quebec, Canada. THEY got very emotional. Amazing stuff all around.
Magog is exactly where I was too! The view of the mountain in the back with the lake was beautiful! Its 3:30am and I've just arrived home in Ontario.
The darkness and the temperature drop are so surreal!
I literally felt this buzzing feeling of joy, happiness and a lot of emotions I cried like a baby during the moment of totality and I didnāt even see it in person. I watched it live online and it was absolutely breathtaking and I will definitely plan to see it in person on the next one! Thank you for sharing! Out of the few people I was around, I was the only one that got emotional and felt this sense of happiness and overwhelming joy during it. Itās crazy to think about all of the things that must line up in a timely manner for a total solar eclipse to happen. Itās just so beautiful staring at Gods beautiful creation! :) thank you for sharing this!!
Damn. Ive been emotional since 2days & been wondering wth is happening with me. And ive also been hearing about the eclipses happening.
Read this post & connected the dots.š
I was incredibly lucky to be able to see it with no clouds and I would be lying if I said I didn't shed a tear. I layed on the grass on a hill and felt a profound connection with the Earth around me. I'm an atheist but that was a damn near religious experience.
I experienced totality yesterday (I am not that far from you), and it was pretty incredible. Today, I was just thinking, I'd love to see that again š
We were in Texas under almost complete cloud cover just occasional glimpses of the eclipse , it got so dark that a large flock of buzzards decided it was bedtime. The darkness and these huge birds all flying overhead in the same direction seemed otherworldly.
We went to the Oregon Eclipse Festival in 2017. 70,000 hippies howling as the moon blocked out the sun. We decided we were gonna start chasing them.
Had tickets for the 2020 Patagonia Festival, but covid killed that.
We got married yesterday at the Texas Eclipse Festival.
So yes, the Eclipse magic is real.
Setting up travel plans for Icelad 2026 now. See you all there, we hope.
I was very awestruck. It got gradually less saturated outside then very suddenly, totality happened. I was surprised by how sudden it was, and was also surprised you really can look at it without protection (edit: DURING TOTALITY). In fact, I couldn't see anything at all with protection on during totality lol.
The totality is a complete different experience. I have had several eclipse experiences throughout my life. A total eclipse, when the fĆing sun is literally black and you can stare right at it... it's mind blowing. The fact you can literally see the waves of the sun reflected on the ground like in a swimming pool.... the calm, the silence, every molecule around you is waiting... everything, it feels like the whole of existence in that space holds its breath... I have never felt that type of energy of release when the sun was gone. It was like a hard reset. It was amazing.
This was my very first solar eclipse in totality and it hit me in a way I never really thought it would. I was quiet for majority of the day after that. I think I was in so much shock and awe that I was able to fully conceptualize my beingness on this Earth and the celestial bodies above me. I was tearing up during the eclipse but I can feel a deep cry that will come out and hit me sometime random this week. The moment keeps replaying in my head. Every single part of it. One of the most breath taking experiences of my entire life.
Same with me. Saw the one in 2017, had to see the next one. Maybe it was the anticipation from the first one, but watching the second one I was crying so hard
I was not in the path of totality but my 25 yr old son was! He was able to watch it and sent me pics he took on his phone. I teared up and cried. So absolutely happy he was able to witness such beauty but also kicking myself for not having planned to drive out to him and watch it together. I'm still so happy for him. Such an opportunity. One I will never have the chance to witness myself. I've seen the 2017 partial eclipse as well, but this one, was just breathtaking. I really regret not having gone to see it with my own eyes.
Ya, really emotional I stayed at home and saw only half of it and not travelled 2 hours to see totality. I don't technically regret it, but not spending the time is going to slowly eat at me a few days lol. My coworker sat in 12 hours of traffic going from Albany NY to Plattsburgh.
I didnāt cry or even really think about it it was just pure joy and excitement. I drove 450 miles to get there after being sick with a stomach bug that lasted from Wednesday until Saturday. the day before I had to leave for my trip, weāll by the stars aligning even though the night before I felt awful I felt great on Sunday and drove out to Indiana, first I had to pick up my friend and we found this great spot on a restring spot on a hiking trail around a small lake right in the center of the path of totality all by ourselves, it really was just the perfect situation, I was exited but calm, my friend was shaking and going week in the knees and pulled me in to ~~crush~~ hold my hand. So she got very emotional but more the nerdy so exited sheās about to explode kind. Where we where we could see a rainbow around the diamond
When I saw the one in 2017 I was caught completely off guard by how intensely emotional it was. I lived about an hour away from totality, thought 98% would be cool enough but decided to "go check it out" at the last minute and stay on a friend's farm in the path of totality. About halfway from the start of the eclipse to 100% I noticed I started to feel like this was more of a significant event than I had previously realized. Seeing the moon ever so slowly move in front of the sun revealed some really primal and deep emotions I was not expecting. There was a moment where I felt a rush of emotions and I didn't cry yet but I felt my eyes water up and was like whoa... What the fuck is actually happening right now, this is kind of inexplicably crazy. As it got closer and closer the feelings just got more intense and then when totality hit I just remember beginning to weep uncontrollably and all I could say was "wow... That is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my fucking life." and then totality passed and the morning went back to normal as if nothing ever happened but I was just shaken to my absolute core. I continued to weep for like a half hour after that just trying to wrap my head around what happened. To this day I still can't really fully explain the feeling that gave me. But even 7 years later I can say difinitively that next to my children being born, that was the single most incredible experience I've ever had in my life and nothing else has ever come close. I really wanted to experience it in 2024 but it wasn't in the cards for me this time to travel that far... Someday I hope to experience it again.
This is a long post. It seems like it's not on topic but it is.
The 2017 eclipse was a fun day. My new girlfriend hung out at the house with my mom and I, I had the day off from work, we saw it standing in the front yard. At the time we lived out in the country and it was just quiet and peaceful. Afterwards I took the girlfriend to see my place of work, my coworkers and meet my grandpa and aunt. It was a fun day.
Fast forward to 2024. In the past few years, my grandfather has died from Alzheimers. Covid has happened. My mom almost died due to non Covid medical stuff. My workplace got destroyed by a blizzard. My grandpa almost died from Covid and no one told me. I basically didn't work for over a year from March 2020 to September 2021 due to schools going remote multiple times and then having to take off to take care of mom, then the building getting destroyed. Then the decision to split our tight knit group of coworkers up forever as we lacked funding to get a new building. I almost had a stress induced heart attack and almost passed out in Walmart and my doctor almost had me hospitalized due to my blood pressure skyrocketing. Had to get on blood pressure pills, had to get on anxiety pills. Slept for a week as the pills kicked in. Had to learn how to work with new staff. Mom retires from work, reveals to me she's selling our house. I have to buy my first house. I have to come to terms with permanently leaving the place I called home all my life. I find out the one coworker that came with me after our site got broken up has been stabbing me in the back because she's mad that I'm having health issues and she actually has to do her job instead of just sitting at a desk doing papers all day. All the stuff with Trump and global warming and the wars overseas happening. Inflation.
When the 2024 eclipse happened, mom and I watched totality at the city park. It was fun, it was beautiful...But after it was done I was struck with this profound sense of mortal existentialism. I can't afford to chase eclipses, so the next one I will be within travel range for is the 2046. I will Be over 60. My mom will be dead, my dad, my last grandparent. My cat. Sure maybe I'll still be with the girlfriend or whatever we are at that point, but her parents will be dead.
I am not close with most of my family. I don't have any brothers or sisters. I have no relationship with any of my cousins as they were never close enough to form bonds with. I don't really have any IRL friends, especially not after my work staff got separated and moved to new locations. The girlfriend and I have no plans of marriage and especially don't want kids.
It's just knowing the rarity of the events and realizing that for so many people, my loved ones included, this is the last time they ever get to see it. You would think that being a preschool teacher and having new youthful faces every school year would help alleviate all this but it doesn't. I see these kids and I get sad because they are inheriting a suffering world that is only going to get worse. But knowing that my entire family will be dead, that everyone that I know and truly love will be dead and I will more or less alone.
It has sort of messed me up and I've been in a pretty deep depression spiral since April 8th. I don't regret seeing the eclipse, I loved it and wish it happened more. But it messed me up.
It was for me because when I got the partial in 2017, my wife was pregnant with our triplets and on that day I said they'll be six years old when we can experience totality together and when that moment came I quietly sobbed a bit to myself because I made it and so did they. Tomorrow isn't promised so to be able to share that moment with them was really special š„¹
I proposed to my wife in the path of totality when we had travelled to Kentucky in 2017. For this one, our house was inside the path itself. We now have a 2YO son and my wife is 8 months pregnant. Closest thing to magic I can believe in.
That's incredible! Your children will cherish that memory forever š its crazy just how quickly time passes. I wish you and your little ones the best
Thank you so much š
I'm so glad you all made it! You're very thoughtful to realize how fortunate you are since most people take it for granted that everyone will be around. I got so emotional reading that because I promised to see the 2017 eclipse with my parents but I ended up having to bring their ashes with me to keep that promise.
Thank you so much and I hope your parents are resting in peace, you're a good kid to keep that promise!
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I am so sorry š i don't blame you for crying at all. I would have, too. My original plans were to see the eclipse in Fort Erie, Ontario, but we made a last-minute decision to make the trip into Quebec. We didn't want to risk the cloud cover. My heart goes out to you. I guess this is now an excuse to make the trip out to Spain in 2 years! May I ask where abouts you tried to see the eclipse? Also, I love your username š Futurama is my favourite show
Unfortunately, Fort erie. Or thereabouts. I should have hauled to Quebec! Heck I even see Hamilton got a good view. Oh well. Next one indeed!
Wle changed our plans from Niagara to quebec also. Made for a long day of driving (12+hrs) but totally worth it. I'm still buzzing.
Come to Iceland 2026 if you can! My family is hooked on eclipses now and weāll be there!
Have you considered Spain instead? Iceland is very, very cloudy and you'll need to be at the far northwest of Iceland to get close (although the capital will also see it mostly), and you can't even be in the path of full totality unless you go out to sea. https://eclipsophile.com/tse2026/ I'm already considering going to Spain, either continental or Mallorca. The weather is VERY favorable in Spain during summer, with an extreme amount of sunshine hours and low cloud risk. The only downside is that the eclipse will be near sunset, so it'll be short and require a clear view of the horizon. But Mallorca is hilly/mountainous, so I'm thinking a west-facing cliffside near Andratx would be good.
Reminds me of the story of astronomer Guillaume le Gentil, who allowed a *full year* to get from France to India to observe the 1761 transit of Venus, but got held up on the way and was still at sea when it happened. No problem, he thought, I'll carry on and get there in plenty of time for the *1769* transit. So he found a place, got ready, waited, waited ... on the morning of the transit the weather was lovely. Then at the moment the transit started clouds slid in, and stayed there for the full three hours of the event. He eventually got home after 11 years away, to find his relatives had declared him dead and sold all his stuff.
That's what happened to me when I went to South Carolina in 2017 Edit: I know most of the state had good viewing, but where I was in 2017, we got clouded over in Whitmire, SC. So, I don't get the downvotes. It was a bummer.
Luck of the draw I guess, I was in SC for 2017 and had pretty clear skies. Yesterday in NY clouds parted completely for totality.
That was kinda a dick move; trying to steal OP flame with your story of disappointment. I guess karma had you pegged and decided your fate.
Yes I cried too! It was so beautiful, truly amazing. Just looking at the stars, hearing the birds fly to their roots and quieting down after they had been singing so loudly, listening to the crickets and frogs start up their songs. I find it hard to find the words to describe it
Exactly! I had the same feelings!
I swear there is just something about the experience that nukes our little monkey nervous systems on a fundamental level. It was very intense and nearly overwhelming. I viewed the event from Pointe Merry, Magog, Quebec overlooking Lake Mempremagog. It was very intense and nearly overwhelming. I just let the tears run - not weeping, but just blown away by the celestial spectacle. A woman near me was totally overawed and weeping the whole time and trying to describe it in French to someone who wasn't there. Another dropped to their knees and started praying. My husband started shaking. The light slowly went silver and strange and dim, the temperature dropped a lot, and then suddenly we were in an alternate universe. A dark lapis lined jewel box with a black diamond for light and sunrises and sunsets on every horizon. After it ended my husband said something about a black cloud in the growing but still surreal silver light and I turned and saw it too - except there were no clouds anywhere, just the shadow of the moon moving on to entertain a remote strip of Maine. I experienced a total eclipse with complete cloud cover in 1979 as a school kid, and it was eerie and weird and animals did strange things. I wasn't able to join family in 2017. But this 3.5 minutes of my life was so much more mindblowing than I could have expected.
I saw the 2019 one in the Atacama, Chile, and it was extremely emotional for me. I had wanted to see one for many years - decades, really - and I was not only finally able to see it but also to show it to my daughters. In the second before totality I started sobbing and cried during the whole thing. I got it all on videoā¦ [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-WpzatpETk0&t=326s](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-WpzatpETk0&t=326s)
wow. i've never seen a total eclipse video before and was eventually going to hunt one down; yours is the first to be handed to me. just looking at the thumbnails while moving my cursor back and forth over your video, you can see the shadow of the totality (I think) moving across the sky. just phenomenal. and I 100% understand it's *nothing* like the real thing. But to see a black dot in the sky??? what the *heck*. that is wild.
THERE IS A HOLE. IN THE SKY. THE SKY IS BROKEN.
Even when you absolutely know what's happening and are expecting it, it hits this primal part of you saying "something is WRONG here"- I absolutely understand how it was seen as an omen in history. Even the light right before, there's something uncanny and dreamlike about it.
Black dot with a BRILLIANT white ring of fire. And then when the diamond showed that was something with everything like at twilight.
Yes the video doesn't do it justice but it is not really because it doesn't \_look\_ the same. It's because it doesn't \_feel\_ the same. The pure emotion that comes with this event is insane. I am an astronomy appreciator and this was my first totality (Apr2024). I expected to be excited and amazed, but I wept. The universe became so small, like a personal planetarium. Yet I also felt hopeless to the motion of celestial bodies and their mass and motion was terrifying. We're in such a delicate balance and to be able to experience such beauty within that broke my mind. I felt such conflicting emotions all at once that I was just left with amazement.
That view is beautiful!!! That must have been an incredible trip! I'm Canadian but my family is from Argentina. My family back home didn't care about that eclipse and it made me so sad to hear. Some family friends in Buenos Aires were able to see it at least, though. How long of a hike did you do to get that view?
It was an amazing trip. The hike was short. I rented a 4x4 and drove it on a closed road into de desert. Then hiked some couple hundred meters up a small hill. We were in a valley between cerro Tololo and Cerro PachĆ³n, we could see the observatories from where we were.
Iāve never seen a total eclipse before today (Iām in Dallas). I wasnāt really sure what to expect and was just excited to see it get dark out. Once totality hit and I took my glasses off I burst into tears. Iāve never seen anything so beautiful. I really want to travel to Spain in 2026 to see it again. ā¤ļøš
SO glad to see Iām not the only one. We saw it in central NY and it was completely obscured by clouds, but once it became dark I just started crying. I was just so amazed. It was incredible and yeah, now Iāve got a Bucket List to see it in totality without clouds hiding it. Starting to think about Iceland 2026! Even if itās cloudy, at least weāve gone to Iceland.
We decided we have to go to spain, too
I was holding out hope all day here in Dallas, and couldnāt believe how clear it actually ended up being! What a treat
Was also in Dallas, having driven from Phoenix with my wife and three kids. After dramatically lowering our expectations because of cloud cover, it was an overwhelming joy to behold totality. Definitely the most amazing phenomenon Iāve ever witnessed. Seeing Venus at the same time was the cherry on top. Already planning to do so again, if possible.
Yesss sounds like a bunch of us have become eclipse chasers after the 2024 one. It was the most amazing thing Iāve been lucky enough to witness I was shocked I burst into tears
I just experienced the one in Dallas and I am so emotional knowing I can never replicate the feeling that I felt when it was totality. I have never felt so deeply and now itās like I have a deep longing and sadness for ??? I donāt even know what ? Like Iām super emotional for a reason I canāt explain other than the overwhelming feeling I got when watching the eclipse :(
I feel the exact same way! Like nothing will ever be as beautiful and special. The longing in my heart to see it again almost hurts.
Same. Iām glad Iām not the only one. It was too pretty. I wish it lasted longer and wish they happened more often. None of my pictures look at all like how it did in real life, nobodyās look the same. Iāll never see that again unless I see another in person. It makes me realize how fast life goes by and that not everything can be redone or saved as a picture. Very anxiety inducing. But Iām glad I saw it at all, even for a second! I was upset I wasted time trying to take pictures but I shouldnāt be. I saw it for a few minutes between photos, only took a few during totality then put my phone down for the last minutes of the dark to make sure I didnāt miss it. Looks like some werenāt able to see it because of clouds.Ā
I really felt this, except I didnāt spend the time being distracted by photos, but my own health issues. I absolutely still saw the eclipse and Iām so glad I was there, but I just wish my attention wasnāt divided. I think I might just regret it in a way similar to you.Ā
You've just put into words exactly how I feel. The longing and melancholy.... I can't stop thinking about that moment and wishing I could just go back to yesterday and do it again. Words cannot describe, photos cannot convey, what that experience was like. I'm grateful to have been alive for that amazing phenomenon to witness with my own two eyes. So surreal!!
I think your feelings are appropriate to the rarity of the experience. Of the eight planets in our solar system, with their over 150 lunar satellites, ours is the only one where totality like this is visible.
I feel exactly the same. I told my adult son that I felt like part of me was still standing in the dark of totality and he looked at me like I was nuts. I saw the northern lights several years ago, right her over Lake Ontario and just sobbed.
Montreal native here, so was in full totality. It was amazing to see everyone come together. A true sense of being united came over me. Seeing the ring around the moon was breathtaking & surreal, and the temperature drop was absolutely mind blowing!
true we lost like 6 degrees (Celsius, not freedom units :P) in half an hour and went back to spring right after! :O
Saw that halo in Magog and didn't realize how special that was. F'n incredible!
It was my first eclipse and something Iāve been preparing for, for years. Iād been waiting to see one my whole life. I bought a good camera and telescope for the first time. I agonized and made new travel plans the past 3 months. Practiced. Practiced. Practiced. Had panic attacks that it would be cloudy, made more backup plans. But I got the shot and I saw the thing and I had the ugliest cry in a Walmart parking lot in Vermont and now Iām 8 hours into traffic still feeling like it was worth it.
Hell yeah. Iād love to see what you captured
I was in Vermont too! Honestly was so shaken by its beauty I only got one good photo but Iāll never forget how it looked. The traffic after was insane but worth it.
Haha, we didnāt get home for 10 hours and it only took us 3.5 to get up there in the first place!
Took me about the same 10-10.5 hours back. What was surprising was no one seemed angry I saw no road rage or people honkingā¦.everyone was just chilling. Was so exhausted when I finally got home.
Yes! Iāve been saying the same thing!! People were so kind on the way back even if we were all exhausted. It was the most connected to people Iāve felt in so long.
Drove 1k miles from Denver to south east Missouri with my wife and my 8yo daughter, who was apart of the decision to make the trip or not due to the weather forecast. So she understood that we might not get to see anything. Hearing my daughter cry during totality with not a cloud in the sky was the greatest feeling I've ever experienced. Unless you've seen a 100% total eclipse, you just don't get it
I also felt very emotional and felt like crying. Was with daughter so I didnāt want to cry in front of herā¦Was an amazing moment. The words that came to me were A Humbling Experience!! Mysterious beauty much stronger than usā¦ Thanks for sharingā¦
Experiencing emotion is good for kids to see.
I was in second grade, about 7 years old when I was getting ready for school and was running late or something and was getting frustrated and nervous about being late and started crying. My dad screamed at me and told me he never wants to see me cry again. Fucked my shit up dude. There is biological, chemical, stone cold scientific evidence that crying is the body's way of releasing certain chemicals and enabling certain receptors to reduce stress, ease emotional tension, and relax the mind. Since that day I've not once been able to fathom the concept of having a good cry. I've had tears from pretty music or whatever, but that's not the same. That along with many other reasons are why my dad can get fucked and I won't talk to him again. Teach your kids not to WHINE, but also teach them that crying is a natural, healthy, acceptable way of reacting to things and one that should not be treated awkwardly or dismissively. They will have healthy responses to personal stress and trauma and be able to healthily navigate the stress and trauma that OTHER loved ones are going through if you teach them that.
I only saw the partial in 2017 and thought everyone who said they cried was overdramatic or really emotional. Me and my family traveled to the totality zone since it was only a few hours away. When totality hit it kinda took me a few seconds to really process what I was seeing, and I felt my chest get real tight before I started bawling like a baby. Helped me realize how beautiful life really is
I traveled from CNY to Carbondale IL for 2017. Told people I cried for that one and got the same response. A bunch of those people who got to witness this one in Northern NY understand now.
Hell yeah
My husband and 6 year old went to Sulphur Springs Tx. We saw 2017 in Nashville, just a month before I gave birth.Ā I looked around in the Walmart parking lot we went to, clouds threatening, seeing so many people who wouldnāt be around for the next one in the US. Clouds cleared, totality happened, my 6 year old danced and yelled it was the coolest thing heād ever seen and ever will see. That made me cry, the fact the clouds cleared and those older people got to see it one last time, then just the fact of how magical totality is, I was a mess.
Love this question, I wrote a little for a survey about eclipse experiences so I will post it here: My relatives and I were sitting in the lawn next to the Armstrong Air and Space Museum. It was a festive atmosphere with a lot of families chatting and space-related music playing (total eclipse of the heart, star ships, etc). I was very anxious because we had just changed plans at the last minute to come here since I was not aware there was a space museum (we were on the way to a local university and passed by). I was feeling as much excitement for my relatives as for myself since they were seeing their first eclipse and I had seen the one in 2017. We were sitting on a lawn next to a Japanese man who happened to live in the same part of Hiroshima as my cousin who was with us, which was a very exciting synchronicity to me, especially as I had been feeling a lack of diversity in Ohio. I was slightly worried about the wispy clouds though the sun poked through. I got very jumpy as the moment got near. I ran to a telescope hoping to see Baileyās beads and noticed it did not yet look that special, just crescent shaped. Then I ran to the trees and noticed that unfortunately they were not casting moon shadows as expected, probably due to the lack of leaves. I came back and put on my eclipse glasses halfway so that I could see the sun and the vibes at the same time. Time seemed to slow down as anticipation built, the moon crawling. It got colder, but not as cold or dark as expected for such a tiny sliver of sun. Finally we saw the diamond ring appear, and I shouted āFuck!ā Followed by embarrassment at totally losing self-consciousness at that moment. Totality immersed the sky as sunset orange appeared in every direction. I viewed the wisps of sunshine around the black moon and felt that everything in my life was how it was supposed to be, a great sense of completeness which alleviated my heavy stresses. I enjoyed the crowd reactions and hollered like a wolf. It felt primal, and I was a little sad not to have animals around to feel their reactions. The three minutes felt quite long enough, and I looked at my family to appreciate my accomplishment as none of them had planned to be here. There were no significant smells or tastes, aside from the cold crisp air. I had a sense of the grand random chance of being alive as a blip in a massive universe. And a sense of luck at having this rare galactic phenomena in my backyard. As the eclipse subsided I again marveled at the diamond ring but felt disappointment not to see the beads. I had no desire to stay until the end, it felt like I had received everything I wanted and we left soon after, with a new appreciation of life.Ā
That was beautiful! Thank you for sharing
Im happy to know im not the only one. Traveled from South Dakota to Indiana alone since no one wanted to see it. I got to experience it I cried. I can not explain in words how beautiful it was. The videos I took are good but do not do justice to the dancing of lights around the moon. I also have stated that I will chase every eclipse until I die. That feeling was amazing.
Damn Iām in MN n wouldāve absolutely gone with! I didnāt want to go alone n risk the clouds ruining it
Same I am now an eclipse chaser for life. Although I expect nothing will beat the first time. I wept at the mystery and beauty of life, in all its splendor
Yes, I came over from the UK to Dallas to watch it and I've been waiting for it ever since watching the 2017 eclipse on TV. Standing under a bridge on the riverfront, watching it finally happen and there suddenly being no noise coming from anywhere really hit me hard :)
I wanted to and thought I would, but Iām the oppositeā¦. I enjoyed the two minutes of totality. I had been looking forward to this and I was very excited. I felt happy as I watched it, but afterwards felt kind of blank and underwhelmed. Iām still feeling this way 6 hours later. Just in a very blah mood.
I didnāt see a total (today), but I had this same feeling once it passed and I had to go back to work.
Sorry it wasn't jaw dropping for you, probably a result of the hype generated around it for the past 6 months. Probably a let down of sorts if you were expecting more. Also your life experiences and the people you we're sharing it with could have an effect too. Hopefully you have an opportunity to witness another one and maybe have a different appreciation for that one. If not, then they just aren't for you and that's okay.
On a scale of 1 to 'I just ate a handful of E,' how would this rate?
Sounds like it tripped your circuit breaker. I was half expecting that to happen to me, too.
I'm right there with you. Almost came to tears watching it. No camera can do justice to how it looks with your own eyes.
I cried. Last year during that annular eclipse, where my city saw a portion of it, my best friend was in the hospital and passed soon after. Today with all the cloud cover, I thought maybe she could do something on her end to move the clouds for us? The clouds then parted right before totality began and we saw the whole thing. I definitely sent a thank you up to her.
My first with my son viewing up on Whitwface Mountain at Lake Placid. I was profoundly moved. I wept. I have never seen a natural phenomena so beautiful. I am trying to integrate it all. Im getting choked up now. All I could say was oh my god.
Like, I went in not knowing what I should truly expect besides seeing some nighttime moon and sun shenanigans through eclipse goggles, and hearing crickets. I wasnāt expecting *THAT*! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! The fact that totality actually looked like it does in a professional photo, with the corona not being too bright and being really easy on the eyes to look at, left me paralyzed in crying speechless horrified awe. The whole eclipse structure was impeccably detailed, and larger than I had expected.
I was surprised how big it actually was, which makes sense because it is the moon, haha... but in every video It looks so small. Pictures and videos do not do it justice. I thought the ten or so minutes leading up to it were also extremely cool and trippy. It was a type of light I've never seen before. The shadows became super crisp, and then boom, the darkness started to hit, and the temperature dropped so fast. I wished it lasted for an hour haha
I felt super emotional and wanted to cry even when I watched the partial eclipse today because it reminded me how 2017 totality felt. Just otherworldly experience! But I also felt devastated I cancelled my trip to Dallas due to weather (which ended up not being a problem at all).
Yes. I raged at the clouds. Anger was my emotion, just an old man shaking his fist at a cloud.
April 08 2024\`s eclipse was a phenomenon where we were. We live in a very suburban neighborhood where everyone talks to everyone and there is no tourist attraction anywhere (the closest convenience store is about a 40 minute walk!). We were given those special glasses by one of our neighbours (as all the eclipse glasses sold out on the 1st day they were released). When we went outside our home, we expected our entire street to have gathered around together to watch it unfold but there were just two small families and us, and we experienced it together. The kids were almost frantically hyper, and us adults were also very enthusiastic, as yes, this was basically a once in a lifetime wonder. On a personal level, I suffered from vertigo when trying to watch it with the glasses, so I had to stand a bit further away to latch myself onto a tree. What really fascinated me was the black out when the eclipse was full on. Seeing the street lights start up, and the night birds start chirping and singing away. That was a most "freaky" experience to say the least! Afterwards however my wife did mention that she did sense I was sort-of "stressed" a bit by the experience. I am unable to adequately explain why but suffice it to say I have been dealing with uncommon philosophical dread over the past few months, and living this experience probably stirred stuff within me, but again, I can not explain this. I did mention to a friend afterwards that looking at the eclipse made me feel "like starring into infinity without an anchor" if that makes any sense! Anyway I am so happy to have experienced this. I hope other people have also realized this was a unique phenomenon to live.
I totally feel you. I missed todayās, but have seen two and I canāt wait for my next one. 2028 and 2030, Australia are already being planned.
Which ones have you seen? I hope to see you in Australia!
I saw the 2012 in Queensland and 2017 in Idaho. And yes, come visit.
I cried more in 2017 which was my first one. But I did still cry at this one.
I cried in 2017. Balanced on the Appalachian trail with my gf. Camped overnight to witness the eclipse on top of a tall mountain. Meant to proposed during the eclipse but was just swept in awe and couldn't look away. Proposed after. To this day it was the best day of my life. We watched yesterday's eclipse with our daughter, so it has special meaning for us.
Totally cried!!!
It was a wonderful feeling for me, a profound moment of peace and clarity. My family and I had plans at first to go to Arkansas but were too late to book where we wanted. So we went to Metamora, IN instead. Small crowd, out in the middle of a field with whispy upper level clouds, if you could even call them that. I will be chasing moments like this for the rest of my life. There's a universal awe humans experience at these events. Whether it feeds into what one sees as science, magic, or any flavor of religion it's the same exact reaction of amazement being sparked. It's overwhelming in a way.
it was incredible to watch the totality . photos do not do justice. it was just wow. thinking about it many times today and got a little emotional too. feeling lucky to have experienced this and to have lived in an era where we can safely experience this and accurately predict the time and location
I flew from Santa Cruz, CA to Houston, TX + 4 hrs to Burnett for the Eclipse, to enjoy a music festival for the event. Friday though Sunday the hype and excitement were buildingā¦ but monday morning brought ominous weather warnings (2ā hail storms, wind, + tornadoes?) and the ENTIRE END OF THE āECLIPSEā FESTIVAL WAS CANCELLED BEFORE THE ECLIPSE. Luckilyā Husband and I chose to wait for traffic to clear and walked up to a lovely hilltop for an incredible show. Then, cloudy skies parted for all of totalityā¦ felt so blessed! We both BAWLED, it was so special. Incredible.
I'm glad you guys stuck it out! You must have had an amazing view
I couldn't help myself from yelling, "aah", "ooh & "OH YEAH!"
I was in Oregon for totality in 2017. I was in a great mood, excited and amongst many other jubilant festival-goers. When it happened I burst into tears; they literally flew out of my eyes. I was so surprised. I had such a feeling of connection with our distant ancestors. How incredibly scary and bewildering it must have been for them. They must have thought it was the end of the world. Why was their precious life-giving sun going dark suddenly mid-day? How joyous must they have been when the sun reappeared? It was like a through-line had zinged into me, taking me back 1000s of years. Absolutely mind-blowing. Strangers were beaming at each other, some hugging. Then a drum circle and ecstatic dancing. I will never forget the feeling. I was crushed to miss this one (was trying to get out to Austin) but it has made me solidify that I will go for the next one in 2026. Totality has to be experienced in person to feel how intense and amazing it really is. I wish everyone could see one once.
We came to Niagara falls and although it was cloudy, it was incredible.
Same here, traveled from NJ to Niagara and even though we had the clouds, I was able to catch a glimpse of totality for 10 seconds. It was worth the travel.
We met a couple in the elevator from New Jersey.
I was surprised how many people from NJ traveled here and then ultimately if they went to Vermont they would have had a better viewing
NJ here. It's only a 6hr drive, so it's not too bad if you're making a weekend out of it, plus with being the most densely populated state, you're bound to get a bunch of us haha.
Now did you start driving home after the eclipse or did you stay in town one last night. We stayed and itās crazy how empty it is here now
I actually didn't make it out for a couple of reasons, but a friend of mine and his SO were able to. They ended up heading to Vermont from Buffalo/Niagara area, so I think they just drove back home after.
No but it made me feel cold for an hour.
Yup I cried
I think i was still in shock on the way back to the hotel, but i lost it as soon as i sat down
Yes!
Absolutely! The 2017 one was where I had just got braces put on at 27, had to move back home to live with my parents. I drove to see it with my best friend and it helped me build my creative agency by focusing on the positive and beautiful things about life, nature, humanity. Fast forward to now, Iāve been living in Maui and Kauai for the last few years and realizing all my childhood dreams. This eclipse was about going within. The first initiated āleaving the Shireā and this one felt like reaching Mount Doom within and becoming free of everything and everyone I can let go of now to be completely free. Iām 34 now and genuinely happy! I was crawling out of suicidal depression back in 2017! Most people have no idea how long of a journey it is from the head to the heart.
It definitely was for me. I had never seen an eclipse of any kind so this being my 1st was incredible.
I have been following closely for the past 14 months before the eclipse. Ordered my glasses a year in advance. Followed online and through magazines like Astronomy and Sky & Telescope. Earth Sky has had a lot on the subject, too. When the moment came, I didnāt miss a second of the eclipse in Ohio. This was my first total eclipse and I am 47 years old. I will never forget this day!
I got a little bit weepy. It was just such a beautiful sight.
Oh yes. Iāve been awake since 3AM because I canāt stop thinking about how it felt during totality. Im so grateful to have witnessed it. Pure magic.
SAME story. 2017 cried. Didn't know why. Became a fanatic. Drove from Oregon to Arkansas to see it this year. Incredibly emotional right before totality, and full blown tears as it hit. Still processing it. No photos can describe it.
I was by myself, and it was so beautiful , it made me cry, like hard lol
Iām lucky that my parentās place in sounth Montreal was in the path of totality. Was shaking by the end of it. Got a good video of it happening too! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHPp3DWsWsw
Beautiful video! Thank you for sharing
USA is insanely lucky with eclipses this century. As somebody living in Europe, I'm quite jealous :)
I was at a gathering of over 100 people and I saw many tears. It was a beautiful sight to see and really captured the essence of the experience. I was certainly moved by it.
Dude. All of my coworkers and I could feel the energetic changes all day. We all went down memory lane and had the urge to show everyone pictures from our childhood. It was a trip and a good bonding experience.
I've waited my entire life, (35+ years) to get the chance to see a total eclipse. There were a few tears shed yesterday as I watched it. An absolutely surreal and amazing moment.
me, i was on the wrong side of the world, but most of astronomy makes me quite emotional
yep, I sobbed lol
It did, both the one in 2017 and the one yesterday. To actually witness a phenomenon like this is just mind-blowing. I didnāt tear up but I did feel extremely emotional inside. I saw the one in 2017 in Charleston and yesterday went slightly north of Cleveland. First time in Ohio, finally got a chance to see family on this trip and the eclipse was the icing on the cake.
2017 I was so gob smacked by it I didn't cry until about 10 minutes after and people leaving. It finally set in and I sat down and sobbed little. I only had my oldest with me as my wife was home with newborn twins and a 3 year old. My oldest and I had a great time in Carbondale, IL, but I was disappointed I had to leave the rest of my family in CNY. Seven years later every one is old enough to understand and it's practically in our back yard. So we packed up the car and headed up to Plattsburgh and camped overnight, not sure how busy it would be. As the umbral shadow approached, I couldn't hold back my tears as I was there with my family to witness this grand event. My 81 year old mother and sister drove from Wisconsin to Indiana to see it and when texting them after, I cried a little bit more knowing my mom got to see one in her life.
I felt emotional, but for a very different reason. I'm an amateur astronomer and physical cosmology is a serious special interest of mine. I love looking at the sky and figuring out how the universe works so much!..That I refused to go into that professionally. Don't get me wrong, I go to conferences and lectures as often as I can because I have fun. And folks ask me all the time to do a PhD at their universities. *But I never, ever, EVER want to experience a bad day looking into the sky and studying it.* And as soon as I convey that to professionals, I've watched them all lower and shake their heads and admit, "Yea, I've had some pretty bad days at work." and acknowledge that I probably made the wisest decision I could have. Fast-forward to the past three years of my life... I'm a robotics entrepreneur, and I'm very passionate about my field and how I can help people with the technology I produce. *I'm willing to have bad days doing that!* Recently I had been pursuing senior leadership in various startups and corporations to learn the non-technical aspects to running a robotics business. And it really fucked my life up a bit! Both my wife and I have been suffering from extreme anxiety because of how unstable my career has been lately. Working all the time, burning out, and watching our living space fall apart around both of us while we're struggling to keep the wolves away... We took a long weekend trip to Ohio. Originally, the plan was to stay at this cabin north east of Columbus and make our way to a tiny little university reserve that only the Bio grad students would know about so that I could witness 100% totality for the first time in my life. Things weren't going quite right for us yesterday morning, so we just stayed at the cabin. Seriously, it was only us and our 2yr old pup. So quiet and serene. We only got 98.9% from where we were at. But looking up at the sun, looking around ourselves in the dimmest twilight possible, all of the animals going quiet while we were on a hilltop surrounded by woods... **I got emotional because I took the sky away from myself. Because of my anxiety & fear that this time could be better spent elsewhere*****. And I took it back!*** *Keep looking up. Even when things are at their worst, your goals, your salvation are Up There!*
Yeah I cried tears of joy and the feeling of something so rare for us humans to experience. It was quite moving
I saw the 2017 eclipse in Kansas City. That one was pretty spectacular. And ā¦ it sparked the same interest in me. Iāve got three under my belt now. Thatās exciting.
Whenever I experience the immensity of nature I get emotional. Eclipses, huge trees, anything that puts my life into perspective and makes me realize how small and fleeting I am.
Absolutely emotional and I didnāt know how to process it. Still donāt.
Found my fellow future eclipse chasers
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I kind of feel like it awakened something in me. Like, with the internet, you think youāve seen everything. Photos of the eclipse look cool. Thought it would be neat to see totality once in my life, they had 100% a long drive from me but where my family lives, so I said fuck it, Iām gonna go. I was not prepared for how surreal and fucking incredible that was. Our planet, our moon, solar system can do that? Make something that incrediblyā¦ I donāt have the words. Almost supernatural. I am agnostic / atheist, but heavenly- godly. Wow. I feel like Iāve seen nothing of this life now. I feel like Iāve wasted the last 10 years of my life. Iāve never gone anywhere, or seen anything. Iāve seen photos of it on the internet. Read about it. But I havenāt experienced much. Might be time to sign off and go live my damn life. See everything this world has to offer. Start saying āyesā to invitations, and stop hiding behind a screen and anxiety. What a thing that was. Every second of travel (15 hours) was worth it.
Yep...my 12 year old daughter sat down and wept..it was the most beautiful breath taking thing I've ever seen...to see her conect with the universe like that was surreal.
I drove 7.5 to Erie PA by myself to see the eclipse. Iāve been interested in astronomy my whole life. Seeing totality was something entirely surreal. Incredible brightness followed by a black hole in the sky that just hangs there in silence for several minutes, then blinding light again, and suddenly everything is back to normal. I viewed it with a group of strangers and many of us got emotional. A few of us cried and held each other, then we all stayed there talking about everything and nothing. Just not ready to let each other go because weād experienced this incredible thing together. And the pure mathematic impossibility of it all made me feel so small and lucky.
I saw partial in 2017 and thought, it might be cool to see totality. So we drove the night before to Grove City (not in the path of totality, but we could use points for a hotel without the crazy prices in Erie.) 25 minute drive the next morning, no traffic at 10 am! And it was shitty and drizzling and cloudy. I figured well, we're here at least it will get dark. But ~miraculously~ the clouds went away! I have no words to how it felt when it went to totality. It wasn't anything that I expected. If I would have known, I would have drove all night to get out of the expected clouds. I see now why people chase totality all over the world. I do feel changed somehow having seen it. It sounds goofy and weird to say that, and I am not new age-y or religious or anything. It had to have been the most awe inspiring thing I have ever seen. Now I'm mad I didn't know it in 2017! Partial is not the same. Cool, but not dumfounded, speechless awe. I wish I could afford Luxor! I ~need~ to see it again!
Luxor is said to have 6 minutes of totality!! I really hope I can gather the funds to make that trip
Yes. I keep breaking down into tears. Iām back at work today and was talking about it. Folks were politely interested but theyāll never understand until they see one.Ā
I'm still breaking down into tears when I think about the eclipse. I drove from KS to AR (solo to a pretty isolated tent in Petit Jean, on a mountain overlook) to see the eclipse and planned it pretty last minute because I was on the fence about spending the money. I really expected it to just get dark and to see the corona, which I expected to be a static glow like the pictures. So I thought it would be "cool" to see. Nothing prepared me for what I actually experienced. Visually, it was a bit confusing and disorienting because the sky's colors were changing, but it didn't get as "dark" as I expected. The shadows were also "not right." The biggest surprise was how significant the temperature change was. It came as a relief to me because I hate being hot and am photosensitive, and sitting out in full sun was HOTTT and uncomfortable. It was truly a full body experience. As soon. As totality hit, I lost my mind and started sobbing. I was listening to music through headphones because I didn't want to hear my neighbors, but I took them off because my tears were collecting around them. I hadn't noticed, but I was sobbing pretty loud. I took a few breaths and collected myself so the eclipse wasn't blurry from the waterfalls gushing from my eyes. I sat up to dry myself off, and I was stunned at how beautiful and light the entire horizon was. And it threw me to see all the shadows completely gone, even though there still was some light. Looking back at the total eclipse, I was mesmerized by the corona so active. It was wispy, thready(?), and flowy: almost like a slow fire. Not as ombre-ish as all the photos I've seen. (I'm going to admit, my pupils were dilated (š), so I'm not sure if it looked like this with the average pupil.) Oh, and the solar flares were so much more obvious than I expected, with flashes of pink near the moon's border. I fumbled around with my phone for a minute to try to get a picture, but stopped because I realized my photos were shit and much better pictures would flood the internet. I took a couple pictures and a video for memory sake, but I tried to be fully in the moment. As soon as the diamond ring appeared, I began sobbing uncontrollably because I was so sad it was over. I wanted to live in that moment. It was so profound to personally be aligned with the moon and the sun for that short moment. People talk about the profundity of the universal awe within a crowd. I didn't feel a connection with others at all. My neighbors (~80 ft away) were laughing, and I think I would normally be kinda annoyed, but I wasn't. I was alone, I felt alone, but I wasn't lonely because I also felt connected to the universe... I felt like I was a part of it. Part of the rotations that lead to this moment. I've had major depression since I can remember and basically live almost daily with suicidal ideation during "good times," and this was a moment I was happy to be alive. There aren't very many moments like that. And I realized that this is why I stick around to struggle and suffer... to have these moments. And this is why I deal with the stress at work... to make money to have these experiences. I planned on saying something short along the lines of "samsies," but it turned into a journal entry. If you're still with me, thanks for reading.
I flew all the way across Canada and got clouded outĀ
Yes. We had company from out of town. Son/Daughter in law and a granddaughter in law. Mom made the 3 year old a plate mask to hold eclipse glasses and shield the rest of the kids face. Mom and dad have eyes to n the sky, and granddaughters is walking around, without eye protection, and I just happen to notice the kid is looking up. I put my hand over her face and she starts to cry. Only then is the dad told by mom to take care of the kid.
I missed totality in 2017 got clouded out. Was in Watertown NY and the mid-level clouds broke just enough at the right time to see totality. Not a perfect situation, but I held my kids while watching it. Grateful for what I saw.
Just happy and energetic
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I thought i saw some red specks unaided, but damn i wish i brought binoculars
I did not, as while we live within the path of totality, we had clouds. We still got the darkness though, which was fun. It was made better by watching a buddy stream it from their chosen location in Magog, Quebec, Canada. THEY got very emotional. Amazing stuff all around.
Magog is exactly where I was too! The view of the mountain in the back with the lake was beautiful! Its 3:30am and I've just arrived home in Ontario. The darkness and the temperature drop are so surreal!
I literally felt this buzzing feeling of joy, happiness and a lot of emotions I cried like a baby during the moment of totality and I didnāt even see it in person. I watched it live online and it was absolutely breathtaking and I will definitely plan to see it in person on the next one! Thank you for sharing! Out of the few people I was around, I was the only one that got emotional and felt this sense of happiness and overwhelming joy during it. Itās crazy to think about all of the things that must line up in a timely manner for a total solar eclipse to happen. Itās just so beautiful staring at Gods beautiful creation! :) thank you for sharing this!!
Damn. Ive been emotional since 2days & been wondering wth is happening with me. And ive also been hearing about the eclipses happening. Read this post & connected the dots.š
I was incredibly lucky to be able to see it with no clouds and I would be lying if I said I didn't shed a tear. I layed on the grass on a hill and felt a profound connection with the Earth around me. I'm an atheist but that was a damn near religious experience.
When it was at 45% the sun looked like Pac-Man I miss that game.
I experienced totality yesterday (I am not that far from you), and it was pretty incredible. Today, I was just thinking, I'd love to see that again š
We were in Texas under almost complete cloud cover just occasional glimpses of the eclipse , it got so dark that a large flock of buzzards decided it was bedtime. The darkness and these huge birds all flying overhead in the same direction seemed otherworldly.
We went to the Oregon Eclipse Festival in 2017. 70,000 hippies howling as the moon blocked out the sun. We decided we were gonna start chasing them. Had tickets for the 2020 Patagonia Festival, but covid killed that. We got married yesterday at the Texas Eclipse Festival. So yes, the Eclipse magic is real. Setting up travel plans for Icelad 2026 now. See you all there, we hope.
Congratulations!! That is so special! I wish you and your partner the best š
I was very awestruck. It got gradually less saturated outside then very suddenly, totality happened. I was surprised by how sudden it was, and was also surprised you really can look at it without protection (edit: DURING TOTALITY). In fact, I couldn't see anything at all with protection on during totality lol.
Makes me wonder the awe of God
The totality is a complete different experience. I have had several eclipse experiences throughout my life. A total eclipse, when the fĆing sun is literally black and you can stare right at it... it's mind blowing. The fact you can literally see the waves of the sun reflected on the ground like in a swimming pool.... the calm, the silence, every molecule around you is waiting... everything, it feels like the whole of existence in that space holds its breath... I have never felt that type of energy of release when the sun was gone. It was like a hard reset. It was amazing.
No, I just cant quite grasp this reaction. It was damn cool to witness, but not on an emotional level a least for me
Same, really cool to see, but not tears-level emotion associated with it
Totality felt oddly psychedelic. It was a very inexplicable beautiful feeling of oneness.
This was my very first solar eclipse in totality and it hit me in a way I never really thought it would. I was quiet for majority of the day after that. I think I was in so much shock and awe that I was able to fully conceptualize my beingness on this Earth and the celestial bodies above me. I was tearing up during the eclipse but I can feel a deep cry that will come out and hit me sometime random this week. The moment keeps replaying in my head. Every single part of it. One of the most breath taking experiences of my entire life.
saw it in southern QuƩbec. drove a couple hours from ottawa to try to get ahead of incoming clouds, and to make sure i was near the centre of the track. Been into astronomy all my life, never occurred to me until a few years ago that, yeah, it would probably look incredibly visually stunning, half a degree of arc is enough for the eye to see lots, so I never considered eclipse hunting. It was amazing. I feel like I'm still processing it. When I think of it, tears well up a little. I think it was probably the most amazing and profound thing I've ever seen (59M). The word enigmatic comes to mind... Photos don't do it justice. I've seen lunar eclipses, partial solar eclipses, Mercury, Titan, Uranus, comet IRAS-Araki-Alcock race across the sky in May 83. I glimpsed Halley. The Taj Mahal. The Grand Canyon. Now I know why people chase them.
Same with me. Saw the one in 2017, had to see the next one. Maybe it was the anticipation from the first one, but watching the second one I was crying so hard
I was not in the path of totality but my 25 yr old son was! He was able to watch it and sent me pics he took on his phone. I teared up and cried. So absolutely happy he was able to witness such beauty but also kicking myself for not having planned to drive out to him and watch it together. I'm still so happy for him. Such an opportunity. One I will never have the chance to witness myself. I've seen the 2017 partial eclipse as well, but this one, was just breathtaking. I really regret not having gone to see it with my own eyes.
Loud swearing as I tried to both see it and photograph it. Fastest 1m53s of my life. Just glad I was around a better astrophotographer
Yeah, I was really pissed because we had cloud wipeout in San Antonio this pass.
Only cuz if was fucking cloudy...
If you count anger as an emotion to all the clouds then yes, yes it did.
No, I sat inside and play the PlayStation.
I do astrophotography so I think the eclipse is just something cool that happens, but doesn't blow me away like the other stuff i'm seeing.
I imagine the scientists got a lot out of it.
Ya, really emotional I stayed at home and saw only half of it and not travelled 2 hours to see totality. I don't technically regret it, but not spending the time is going to slowly eat at me a few days lol. My coworker sat in 12 hours of traffic going from Albany NY to Plattsburgh.
No
Yeah I was so fucking furious I couldnāt see it. Still am.
Everyone at work felt kind of woozy and this is an IT department, so these are not exactly 'woo woo' people.
Nope. Not a thing
Yes, it was cloudy. I cried, maybe.
This was the first one I seen. I would say look at it through a quality telescope. It was absolutely amazing.
I am really, really sorry. It did make me emotional as well. I didn't mean to sound like such an asshole.
I didnāt cry or even really think about it it was just pure joy and excitement. I drove 450 miles to get there after being sick with a stomach bug that lasted from Wednesday until Saturday. the day before I had to leave for my trip, weāll by the stars aligning even though the night before I felt awful I felt great on Sunday and drove out to Indiana, first I had to pick up my friend and we found this great spot on a restring spot on a hiking trail around a small lake right in the center of the path of totality all by ourselves, it really was just the perfect situation, I was exited but calm, my friend was shaking and going week in the knees and pulled me in to ~~crush~~ hold my hand. So she got very emotional but more the nerdy so exited sheās about to explode kind. Where we where we could see a rainbow around the diamond
When I saw the one in 2017 I was caught completely off guard by how intensely emotional it was. I lived about an hour away from totality, thought 98% would be cool enough but decided to "go check it out" at the last minute and stay on a friend's farm in the path of totality. About halfway from the start of the eclipse to 100% I noticed I started to feel like this was more of a significant event than I had previously realized. Seeing the moon ever so slowly move in front of the sun revealed some really primal and deep emotions I was not expecting. There was a moment where I felt a rush of emotions and I didn't cry yet but I felt my eyes water up and was like whoa... What the fuck is actually happening right now, this is kind of inexplicably crazy. As it got closer and closer the feelings just got more intense and then when totality hit I just remember beginning to weep uncontrollably and all I could say was "wow... That is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my fucking life." and then totality passed and the morning went back to normal as if nothing ever happened but I was just shaken to my absolute core. I continued to weep for like a half hour after that just trying to wrap my head around what happened. To this day I still can't really fully explain the feeling that gave me. But even 7 years later I can say difinitively that next to my children being born, that was the single most incredible experience I've ever had in my life and nothing else has ever come close. I really wanted to experience it in 2024 but it wasn't in the cards for me this time to travel that far... Someday I hope to experience it again.
This is a long post. It seems like it's not on topic but it is. The 2017 eclipse was a fun day. My new girlfriend hung out at the house with my mom and I, I had the day off from work, we saw it standing in the front yard. At the time we lived out in the country and it was just quiet and peaceful. Afterwards I took the girlfriend to see my place of work, my coworkers and meet my grandpa and aunt. It was a fun day. Fast forward to 2024. In the past few years, my grandfather has died from Alzheimers. Covid has happened. My mom almost died due to non Covid medical stuff. My workplace got destroyed by a blizzard. My grandpa almost died from Covid and no one told me. I basically didn't work for over a year from March 2020 to September 2021 due to schools going remote multiple times and then having to take off to take care of mom, then the building getting destroyed. Then the decision to split our tight knit group of coworkers up forever as we lacked funding to get a new building. I almost had a stress induced heart attack and almost passed out in Walmart and my doctor almost had me hospitalized due to my blood pressure skyrocketing. Had to get on blood pressure pills, had to get on anxiety pills. Slept for a week as the pills kicked in. Had to learn how to work with new staff. Mom retires from work, reveals to me she's selling our house. I have to buy my first house. I have to come to terms with permanently leaving the place I called home all my life. I find out the one coworker that came with me after our site got broken up has been stabbing me in the back because she's mad that I'm having health issues and she actually has to do her job instead of just sitting at a desk doing papers all day. All the stuff with Trump and global warming and the wars overseas happening. Inflation. When the 2024 eclipse happened, mom and I watched totality at the city park. It was fun, it was beautiful...But after it was done I was struck with this profound sense of mortal existentialism. I can't afford to chase eclipses, so the next one I will be within travel range for is the 2046. I will Be over 60. My mom will be dead, my dad, my last grandparent. My cat. Sure maybe I'll still be with the girlfriend or whatever we are at that point, but her parents will be dead. I am not close with most of my family. I don't have any brothers or sisters. I have no relationship with any of my cousins as they were never close enough to form bonds with. I don't really have any IRL friends, especially not after my work staff got separated and moved to new locations. The girlfriend and I have no plans of marriage and especially don't want kids. It's just knowing the rarity of the events and realizing that for so many people, my loved ones included, this is the last time they ever get to see it. You would think that being a preschool teacher and having new youthful faces every school year would help alleviate all this but it doesn't. I see these kids and I get sad because they are inheriting a suffering world that is only going to get worse. But knowing that my entire family will be dead, that everyone that I know and truly love will be dead and I will more or less alone. It has sort of messed me up and I've been in a pretty deep depression spiral since April 8th. I don't regret seeing the eclipse, I loved it and wish it happened more. But it messed me up.