xkcd trolls Nate Silver

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Giving you a link to the Explain xkcd website because I feel lazy about providing my own commentary on today's xkcd comic.

http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1779

[muon2]

I've been waiting almost 18 years for the 2017 eclipse. Eclipses come in 18-year cycles - actually about 18 years, 11 days and 8 hours (10 days if there have been 5 leap days). I saw the last eclipse in this cycle on Aug 11, 1999 on the border between Austria and Hungary. 8 hours is a third of a rotation of the earth, and that extra 1/3 of a turn would put the next one over the US instead of Europe, so I've been planning accordingly to see two eclipses in the same cycle.

[kcguy]

I'm planning to take off work on Eclipse Day.  The eclipse will miss Kansas City itself, but I'll only need to drive an hour or two north.

I still haven't figured out where to go, though.  Would a public park make sense?  I've heard there may be an event at the Saint Joseph airport.

[The Other Castro]

I think I may travel to Nashville for this. I've been meaning to go there sometime anyway.

[7,052,770]

In-thread poll: Will you look at the eclipse, or just cast it onto paper like the "experts" recommend?

[100% pro-life no matter what]

I live in the path of totality, so I'll see it unless it is terribly cloudy.

[muon2]

I'm planning to take off work on Eclipse Day.  The eclipse will miss Kansas City itself, but I'll only need to drive an hour or two north.

I still haven't figured out where to go, though.  Would a public park make sense?  I've heard there may be an event at the Saint Joseph airport.

The northern half of KC will be in totality, and it gets longer as you go north. My mom is near hwys 169 and 152 and will have about 1:50 of totality. My brother in Smithville will get about 2:20. St Joe is where it is longest for the area at 2:38. That's why there will be more people and events there.

Since it can be cloudy at 1 pm on an Aug afternoon, you should be flexible and be prepared to drive east or west to beat the cloud cover if they are in the forecast. In 1999 I was staying in the Alps near Salzburg, but got up before 6 am and drove east for 6 hours to get to a clear area in the forecast.

I live in the path of totality, so I'll see it unless it is terribly cloudy.

[muon2]

I think I may travel to Nashville for this. I've been meaning to go there sometime anyway.

Nashville will get just under 2 min of totality, and the further north you stay in town the longer it gets. About an hour NW on I-24 is Hopkinsville KY. It has the point of the greatest eclipse at 2:40 and is planning a number of events.

[muon2]

In-thread poll: Will you look at the eclipse, or just cast it onto paper like the "experts" recommend?

During the partial phase you should either project it or look at it through special filters. Number 14 welders glass works fine. I have a pair of binocular filters made of it and they are completely safe.

Equally safe is specially made aluminized mylar that is opaque except to the bright light of the sun. It is made into paper eclipse glasses, fancier sun glasses, and even sheet to be used as photographic filters.

In the minutes before totality it will seem dim like twilight, and it's tempting to look at the sun. The sun's area is mostly blocked, but what remains is still damaging, so a filter or pinhole projector is still essential.

During totality, it is safe the view the sun directly without a filter. It's easy to tell when that happens since the sun won't be visible through a safe filter anymore. You also will be able to tell from the cheering of anyone near you that totality has been reached. Once totality ends and the bright sunlight appears as a tiny point, you should go back to a filter.

[The Other Castro]

I think I may travel to Nashville for this. I've been meaning to go there sometime anyway.

Nashville will get just under 2 min of totality, and the further north you stay in town the longer it gets. About an hour NW on I-24 is Hopkinsville KY. It has the point of the greatest eclipse at 2:40 and is planning a number of events.

Thanks for the tip! I've never been to either state so I might as well use my break to visit both.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

I both live and work underneath the path of the eclipse, so I'll get around 2½ minutes of totality at either location. Traveling to Kentucky for an extra 10 seconds of totality seems like a waste of effort.  My only concern is the weather.

[bagelman]

permalink to comic itself http://xkcd.com/1779/

[Lachi]

The next full eclipse over my area isn't until 2038..