How far will someone travel for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
When it comes to a total solar eclipse, the answer is pretty far.
The first total eclipse over the mainland United States since 1979 (and the first to be visible coast-to-coast since 1918) has many astronomers and fanatics in South Jersey getting ready to hit the road to witness the event in its totality.
The sun, moon and Earth will line up perfectly in the cosmos Aug. 21, turning the daytime sky dark for a few wondrous minutes. The total eclipses path crosses the U.S. from Oregon to South Carolina.
There are an estimated 200 million people living within a days drive of the path. Paul Ostwald is one of them.
Ostwald, president of the South Jersey Astronomy Club, said he will be traveling Friday to Tennessee, where he will set up camp for the eclipse.
Ostwald said New Jersey residents will see only a partial eclipse about 75 percent and that the sky wont be as dark as it will be in the 14 states within the eclipses direct path.
He and his family are making a weeks vacation out of the trip, but Ostwald knows that the highlight will be next Mondays eclipse.
Its like a bucket list, he said. You ought to see one in your lifetime.
Ostwald gets excited describing what he has read about the process of a total solar eclipse: The moon covers the sun so quickly that the day appears to turn almost completely to night within a minute. The moon moves at more than 1,000 mph and temperatures drop 15 to 20 degrees, according to Ostwald. He will have a telescope and camera with him to capture the event.
Ive seen partial (eclipses), but never a total. Its something you only read about, Ostwald said.
Rich Dudek, of Asbury Park, comes down to South Jersey to take pictures of the moon. He will be traveling to the northern bank of the Missouri River in Columbia, Missouri, to capture a 360-degree pan of the eclipse.
Dudek will be shooting with multiple cameras, one on a 600mm telescope, another with a 200mm lens mounted on an equatorial head. Hell also have a high-definition camcorder with a GoPro mounted on a slow-panning head for the 360 view. Hell hook everything up to two golf-cart batteries to keep them running.
At 62, Dudek knows its now or never.
Im looking at pictures you see on the internet or in books. I just think it will be great with the darkness overcoming and the crickets, birds and clouds changing, Dudek said.
Harold Williams may have one of the best views, as he will be staying on the dead-center line of the eclipse in Nebraska. He has been planning the trip for more than a year.
Williams, of Galloway Township, plans to set up two video cameras one toward the shadow and one pointing away. He said he wont be taking photos, as he wants to experience the eclipse and not worry about the focus of a camera.
I can see it in my head and I know what to expect, but its like listening to a band play live as opposed to on TV: Yeah, its the same thing but its not, Williams said.
Read more:
- I Spy With My Little Eye… - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- A Crack Opens in the Ethiopian Landscape, Preparing the Way for a New Sea | 80beats - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The Politics of Addiction | The Intersection - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Finally! An iPhone App That Lets You Track Your Bathroom Habits | Discoblog - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Don’t Pack Your Bags Yet—New Planet-Finder Hobbled by Electronic Glitch | 80beats - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- In Controversial Scent Lineups, a Dog’s Nose Picks Out the Perp | 80beats - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Are You a Cognitive Miser? | Cosmic Variance - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The Secret Lives and Loves of Great White Sharks | 80beats - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Britain’s New Protected Minority: Tree-Huggers | Discoblog - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Inspired by Maple Seeds, a Robotic Whirligig Takes To The Skies | Discoblog - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- New Statesman on Accommodationism | The Intersection - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Laser-Powered Robot Climbs to Victory in the Space-Elevator Contest | 80beats - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Checking Back In With SEAPLEX | The Intersection - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Podcast: An Embarrassment of Genomes | The Loom - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- A Baby Neutron Star, Swaddled in a Carbon Atmosphere | 80beats - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Butterfliiiies… iiinnnn… SPPPAAAAACCCCEEEEE! | Bad Astronomy - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- My Slate Dialogue with Michael Specter Begins | The Intersection - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Musical, Fahrvergnügen-Inspired Staircase Makes Commuters Less Lazy | Discoblog - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Laser-Etched Fruit Is an Answer in Search of a Problem | Discoblog - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Ares and the carnivals | Bad Astronomy - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Toddler Gets a Telescoping, Prosthetic Arm Bone That Grows With Him | 80beats - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Neutered HIV Virus Delivers Treatment to Fatally Ill Boys | 80beats - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Specter’s First Reply: Denialism Kills People | The Intersection - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- LRO sees a Moonslide | Bad Astronomy - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Al Gore’s New Book: A Focus on Solutions | The Intersection - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The Universe Has Us in Its Crosshairs | Bad Astronomy - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Makers of Universes | Cosmic Variance - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Can Your Pet Catch & Spread Swine Flu? Yes, If Your Pet’s a Ferret | 80beats - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Droid 2.0 Vs iPhone | The Intersection - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Tangled Bank News: An Excerpt and More | The Loom - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- LHC Shut Down By Wayward Baguette, Dropped by Bird Saboteur | Discoblog - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Careidolia | Bad Astronomy - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Slate Reply to Specter Up–We Need a National Dialogue on Synthetic Biology | The Intersection - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Pray this doesn’t get passed | Bad Astronomy - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- You Can’t Make This Stuff Up | Cosmic Variance - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Mother Tongue, Indeed: Newborn’s Cries Mimic Mama’s Accent | 80beats - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Ripped From the Journals: The Biggest Discoveries of the Week | 80beats - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Alternative Landscapes | The Loom - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Can an iPhone App Decipher Your Baby’s Cries? | Discoblog - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Reminder: Carl Sagan Day | Bad Astronomy - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Are There Pesticides in Your Soup? Dunk a Pollution Dipstick to Find Out. | 80beats - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Log in and Join the Conference - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Conference Ends - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Conference Archive Opens - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Galaxy Zoo - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- .Astronomy 2009 Dates - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- .Astronomy 2009: Programme and venue details - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- .Astronomy Gets Some IYA Love - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- 2009 Posters and Imagery - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- 2009 Sponsors - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- When in Holland… - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The WHAT Cloud? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The Jewel Box - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Happy Halloween! - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Ares 1-X Launch - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Confessions of an Alien Hunter - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- LRO Spies Apollo 17 Site - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Mercury in Color - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Hubble and M83 - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Cassini Flyby of Enceladus - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Preserving A Moth [Science Tattoo] | The Loom - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Another Russian rocket spiral lights up the sky | Bad Astronomy - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- A (Very Gentle) Riddle to Complete Your Saturday - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Darwin Gets Swine Flu: The YouTube Edition | The Loom - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Happy Slothy Holidays | The Loom - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Jetting to Copenhagen | The Intersection - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Michael Gerson Attempts Thoughtfulness on “ClimateGate,” Then Gives it Up | The Intersection - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Incredible VISTA of the cosmos | Bad Astronomy - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Bundle up Sunday Night to Watch the Geminid Meteor Shower | 80beats - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- “ClimateGate” a PR Disaster That Will Be “Taught in University Communications Courses” | The Intersection - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Is Google the Guardian Angel of Rainforests? | 80beats - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- La ciencia es importante. Una vez mas. | Bad Astronomy - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Sensenbrenner Pulls an Inhofe, Asserts Global Warming is an “International Conspiracy” | The Intersection - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Let Kids Eat Dirt: Over-Cleanliness Linked to Heart Disease | 80beats - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- What Are The Best Science Papers Of The Past Decade? | The Intersection - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Finally! Math Shows How to Cut Evenly Sized Pizza Slices | Discoblog - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Half-baked math | Bad Astronomy - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Can “Biological Passports” Save Sports From Doping? | 80beats - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Aiiiieeee! Slow down! | Bad Astronomy - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Weekly News Roundup: Bad Headlines, Martian moons, and Rotating Houses | Discoblog - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]