The Sequel to the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse story….

When I experienced the 2017 eclipse, I saw it as a rookie with no idea what to expect… having no idea that I’d be working at the Observatory 4 months later! By 2024, I arrived as a seasoned veteran public astronomer, and experienced astro-photographer!

For the gallery of DSLR Images and Videos, Scroll Down to the Bottom… Otherwise, enjoy reading the story of what I got to experience this time.

The Trip

Witnessing and experiencing the October 14, 2023 Annular Eclipse over Beaver, Utah, definitely served as an opening act and a great teaser to the wonder that was to arrive in just under 6 months time.

Unlike the October 2023 Annular Eclipse, which the path of Annularity was a short 6-7 hour hop from Phelan, CA… the required travel to the 2024 path of Totality alone was going to be well over 20 hours for me, due to the predicted Path of Totality going in a line from Southwestern Texas through to Northern Maine. Those who would have stayed in Southern California would only see a 50% partial, and it would have been even less if I resided in the Pacific Northwest!

Like many people, the initial thought as far back as 2017 was “head to Texas” due to that area being historically reliable for good weather in April. As such, many of my astronomy and observatory friends/colleagues either drove to or flew to spots along the path in Texas.

For myself, the goal for 2024 was always to get my mother to experience Totality. She had missed out and settled for a 92-93% deep partial in Boulder, CO due to fears of amenities not being available to her – while my father and I experienced totality in Glendo, WY. And since they were now residing in the Kansas City area since late 2021, that meant that they only lived 5 or so hours from the path of Totality!

That 7 year waiting period actually flew by, and once Easter 2024 came and went, I remember thinking, “oh! I need to get packing and drive to Missouri!”

April 4-7

After arriving in the Kansas City area on April 4, I spent a couple of days in Lee’s Summit visiting my sister’s family.

On April 5, I used the opportunity to make sure all of my equipment was in working condition, as well as set up my telescope on their balcony to provide views of the Sun, and later some bright stars after dark. There was a nice sunspot visible on the surface of the Sun.

With my telescope set up, my sister used that as an opportunity to let all the neighborhood families know that “my astronomer brother is here with his telescope!” So as the day progressed, about a dozen or so kids with their parents came over to the house to check out the sun. One child, whose mother said was “a huge fan of space and astronomy” acted very starstruck and shy once he saw me… which having done public astronomy in Los Angeles for 6 years at this point I can tell you is quite common. Meanwhile, my 8 year old nephew took all the information I said to him about the Sunspot and he relayed it to all the kids who showed up.

April 6 was spent in Gladstone, MO, where my parents reside – going over where we would possibly go to chase the best weather. Just like 2017, I was constantly looking for the best possible forecast.

By this time, the forecasts leading up to the eclipse were not looking great for most locations in the Path of Totality.

Many long term forecasts were predicting Texas as being the worst for weather, while locations in the Northeast were going to be the best… which is a reversal of historical trends for April. Many who went to Texas and Arkansas had to work harder to chase the good weather, or stay where they were and hope for the best.

But by April 6, the forecasts for Missouri were actually among the BEST for weather! So you could imagine the huge sigh of relief when we realized “we don’t need to leave Missouri!”

From Gladstone, MO, we made the drive towards Doniphan, MO. This route took us south towards Springfield, and then east over the Ozarks to where we needed to go. But just before we were going to arrive, we decided on Poplar Bluff due to it being a larger town, and possibly having more amenities available.

Knowing full well that all the lodging was booked full possibly years in advance, we ended up spending the night in my parent’s van, in the parking lot of a Wal Mart!

But hey, we had easy access to food, restrooms, and we were right across the street from a hospital! Everything that we needed, minus a bed, was within walking distance!

April 8 – the Day of Black Sun

Many others had the same idea we had… in the same Wal Mart parking lot, there were about a couple dozen cars, vans and RV’s that were parked with us in the same corner. We found a spot with a grassy knoll at the end, which added some level of cooler comfort compared to those who set up on the concrete.

Compared to what I saw in Glendo, WY in 2017, the mood this time was much more relaxed in Poplar Bluff.

Because Poplar Bluff was a larger town, and did an excellent job preparing for the increased number of people, those who wanted to experience the eclipse in a festive environment at special viewing locations with vendors, entertainment, and live music, could do so… while those who wanted less crowds and a more “chill” atmosphere could enjoy their eclipse in peace. And this time, we didn’t need to pay a resident to park on someone’s property!

What about the cloud cover?! It was just a thin layer of high altitude cirrus clouds, which were forecasted to actually thin out during eclipse time from around noon to 3pm. Having experienced the same conditions with the October 23 Annular Eclipse, I knew we had nothing to worry about – yet I couldn’t help but have that “what if…” thought in the back of my mind.

The following videos and pictures show the scene of many arrivals setting up to witness the historic eclipse!

Of course because I happened to have the largest telescope on the block, it was impossible NOT to see it, and many of the eager viewers did come check it out. As I had my DSLR set in place ready to take images and video through the telescope, I did allow people to look through my small finderscope which also did have a safety filter on it.

At 12:39pm local time, right on schedule as predicted, “First Bite” occurred.

I had to do a meridian flip after 1pm, just to make sure the telescope counter weights weren’t sticking in the air and the tube wasn’t upside down for totality…

More and more of the sun was being bitten off between “First Bite” and Totality… which would take about 77 minutes.

As I’ve said before, one REALLY has to be there to experience the noticeable dimming.

While yes, we need those special viewers to safely observe the sun without our eyes getting damaged, that’s only PART of the experience! I always kept encouraging people to check out the surrounding landscape, as even during a partial eclipse, one definitely notices something feels “off” with the ground. I felt that as the Sun got 50% obscured, I no longer needed my sunglasses on because the ambient light had dimmed enough.

Even though I did provide a video showing the scene at 50% coverage, the reality is that no picture or video will ever do these scenes justice! One really needs to be there!

By 1:50 pm local time, once the moon eclipsed the sun by 90% – about 6 minutes before Totality – the ambient levels of light had dimmed significantly and caused all of the outdoor lights in the parking lots and streets to automatically turn on. My sister who remained in Lee’s Summit and experienced a max of 90% said the same thing happened in her neighborhood, and provided an eerie sight that would surely catch people off guard if they didn’t know an eclipse was happening.

The planet Venus became visible in the sky to the naked eye about 1-2 minutes before Totality, when the sun was approaching 99% coverage.

1:56 pm – TOTALITY!

Throughout the eclipse, many of the friendly travelers who by chance ended up near me, trusted that I ” looked like I knew what I was doing.” Thus, they trusted me to tell them when it was safe to gaze at the sun without the glasses. So for the small window of time, the safety of their eyes was in my hands.

As Totality happened, just like the last time, the entire town started cheering! A wide range of emotions were being felt by everyone! There were two toddlers near me who were freaking out and started crying, hearkening to the times before eclipses were understood and predicted – when entire civilizations would get scared of the sun suddenly disappearing and day turning into night. It’s easy to see why such events were seen as omens, whether good or bad.

The solar corona was spectacular as always, and because Totality for this eclipse over Poplar Bluff was a healthy 249 seconds (compared to 150 seconds in 2017 over Glendo), I had more time to process what I was seeing. Because the Moon was a few thousand miles closer this time around, the eclipse definitely felt “deeper” due to the moon’s shadow being much larger.

Throughout the four minutes, I was a multi-tasking machine! I was constantly making sure the sun stayed centered in the video recording, while also looking at the sky, letting everyone else know what was going on, AND trying to share the moment with my two parents, who of course were feeling the same emotions I felt.

The other thing that was striking during Totality was the appearance of a large prominence, sticking out of the bottom of the Sun/Moon’s limb, which was visible to the naked eye. This large prominence looked like a glowing red “pimple” sticking out of the eclipse, and was actually as large, if not larger than the planet Jupiter! Because the Sun was approaching a “Solar Maximum” period in its 11 year cycle, that meant the surface was slightly more active than usual, leading to a display of more prominences visible during the Eclipse – in contrast the 2017 showing happened closer to a “Solar Minimum” thus not that many prominences showing up in my footage for that eclipse. These again are ONLY things one can visibly see without a filter DURING a total eclipse!

The extra 99 seconds definitely felt like an eternity, as if time was standing still. For these events, no matter what your spiritual beliefs, or where you lean politically… this is something that can be equally enjoyed. For those 4 minutes, this Greater Los Angeles resident got to share the experience with his Missouri parents, along with people we met who came from many parts of the country including Wisconsin, Florida and Colorado. We were all complete strangers, but we all treated each other like we were longtime friends or relatives, and all made sure everyone was safe and secure.

Experiencing a total eclipse is definitely a life changing moment…. and it’s only understood by those who DID experience it… those who settled for deep partials for their own personal reasons just won’t get it.

2:00 pm – Totality Ends

About 30 seconds before Totality ended, the sky was noticeably getting a little brighter by the second, so I warned people that “this is their last chance to see the Sun!” I knew once that second “Diamond Ring” flash occurred, then that was the moment people needed to stop looking at the Sun unprotected.

There was another cheer as expected… and while most people who arrived to experience Totality began getting in their cars to leave within 10 minutes after it ended, my work was not done yet – I needed to take pictures of the post-totality partial phase. As such, even though this portion of the eclipse is very anti-climatic, it has to be done if you’re a photographer wanting to make full sequences and time lapses.

But there were quite a few people who did approach me during this time asking “what did you get?!” And I showed them the entire totality sequence as shot through my DSLR.

I wish I was video recording the loud “OOOHHHH!” when the group of college students from Denver saw the moment of the corona appearing after the Diamond Ring effect.

The change in lighting post-totality, going from dim to bright, felt like a faster transition compared to pre-Totality. By 3pm local time, about an hour after Totality, the normal daylight resumed, and it was as if the Moon never eclipsed the Sun at all!

By about 4pm, the van was fully packed and ready to leave Poplar Bluff.

Media was always warning us about the potential overcrowding, and terrible traffic jams as a result of the eclipse. Many other sites were advising to stock up on food and resources if we were traveling to witness it. I know such warnings caused people to have second thoughts, and even refuse to travel thinking, “oh, well if it’s THAT much of a hassle than I’ll settle for a partial.”

For months beforehand, we were always dreading the thought of the ride back. My father and I remembered vividly how a 210 minute drive from Boulder, CO to Glendo, WY took almost 480 minutes on the way back in 2017. That bumper to bumper traffic for that long was grueling and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemies.

But that was due to all the people coming from Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas all having to use a single Interstate Highway chokepoint getting in an out of Wyoming’s path region. With Poplar Bluff on the other hand, there were more major roads and highways to get out of the path region… so people could leave and travel in all directions…

As such, the drive back was MUCH easier and far more enjoyable. While it was still about a 6-7 hour drive back to Gladstone from Poplar Bluff… Over 90% of the journey back saw us traveling at normal speeds, and we only experienced traffic jams and slowdowns when the US highways went through the small towns along the way back.

My parents, who were in their mid 70s when they experienced the 2024 eclipse, were absolute troopers. It was tough for them with the long journey, the lack of sleep and comfort overnight in the parking lot, and the longer journey on the way back. But they powered through, and they’ll be the first to tell anyone reading this that all of the non-comforting negative things associated with eclipse chasing are well worth it in the end! And now that both of them have experienced at least one total eclipse, it’s something they can cross off their list of things they got to see.

As my father said, one doesn’t just go see a total eclipse, one EXPERIENCES it! For most major once in a lifetime celestial events like a total solar eclipse, they require effort to do so.

While there are those who are lucky enough to reside where they happen, most have to travel, and find themselves in situations way out of their comfort zones. But if this 36 year old author, with parents in their 70s will tell you it’s well worth the trouble, then do yourself a favor and plan for the next total solar eclipse if you have not done so already!

I’m sure I will NOT want to wait another 20 years for the next one over the USA.

And now… for what you’ve been waiting for… the large gallery of images and videos from this eclipse!

And of course… here are a few videos!

The video above is the entire Totality sequence shot through my 8″ telescope. Since my DSLR does not record sound, I added in one of my favorite songs by Nightwish to accompany it.

The following is a video that was commissioned… it is the full sequence from the start of partial eclipse, totality, to the end of partial eclipse.

Keep Looking Up!

-Anthony