Around 2017 I had the idea of whether it was possible to use the sphere of the Berlin TV tower for a solar eclipse. Calculated a little with the angles and it should work – I think. Finding the right location turned out to be more difficult than I imagined. Various attempts later and with the experience correction from the previous day, I still managed it in April 2020.
Hi again! I’m the same person who made the “Tips if you are coming to León” post a while ago.
One of the biggest concerns people seem to have about this eclipse is how low the Sun will be during totality, so I wanted to share something that may reassure you a bit.
On April 30th, at 19:30h, my partner and I went out to several viewing areas around León because the Sun was at almost the exact same position and height it will have during the eclipse on August 12.
Honestly, the Sun is higher than we expected.
As long as you are somewhere open with a clear west/northwest view, visibility is actually very good. The eclipse does NOT disappear into the horizon during totality.
The important part is simply avoiding local obstacles:
trees
buildings
hills/mountains directly in front of you
But from open countryside, fields, viewpoints or wide open areas, the view should be perfectly fine during the entire eclipse.
So if you were worried that the Sun would be “touching the horizon” the whole time — it really isn’t :)
The first 2 pics are with a flashlight shining at them from the side, 3rd and 4th are in normal lighting, and 5th is the back side which has no lines. All 5 pairs look like this.
They are bresser glasses manufactured by american paper optics bought on astroshop, so this is as legit as it gets. Could some of you with legit glasses check if you also have these lines?
I've found several eclipse simulators online but I find them confusing and misleading. I'm looking at viewing locations in Palma. Many of the simulators say you can "see" the eclipse from one particular location, but what I think they mean is that you will be able to see some of the eclipse, but perhaps not all of it. Even though Palma is well within the area for totality for the 2026 eclipse, from what I can tell, it seems to me that unless you're on a spot where you can actually see the sun setting on the horizon, you will not see totality. Sure, it will get dark, but you won't really be able to see the moon covering the sun. Am I incorrect?
Heatmap + eclipse simulation taking into account the mountains around. Works great on mobile too! https://www.treseclipses.es/
Hi everyone,
I’ve been working on a small project for solar eclipse enthusiasts and I’d love to get some feedback from people who actually care about eclipses beyond just the headlines.
The site focuses on upcoming and future solar eclipses around the world.
You can explore eclipses through:
- interactive maps
- countries and cities affected
- local visibility data
- estimated peak obscuration
- eclipse progression animations
One thing I wanted to make more tangible is the feeling of an eclipse from a specific location.
So besides the astronomical data, the site also includes:
- a simulation of the Moon crossing the Sun
- a light progression animation showing how the environment darkens over time
- a generated visual preview of how the atmosphere may look at peak obscuration from a chosen location
The idea is less “scientific software” and more:
> “what will this eclipse actually feel like from where I am?”
You can also place a custom pin anywhere on the map to simulate the eclipse from that exact spot.
This is still an early version and I’m actively improving:
- accuracy
- maps
- city coverage
- realism of the environmental simulations
- mobile experience
I’d genuinely appreciate feedback from the eclipse community:
- what feels useful
- what feels wrong
- what features you’d personally want during eclipse planning
Hope you like it 🌑
I’m going solo to Madrid/Zaragoza for the eclipse. Trying to see if any in the Zaragoza camp want to start a discord or group chat so we can help each other plan, scout locations, provide weather updates, etc.
If there is interest I will build it! lol
EDIT: If you build it they will come!
Hi,
I live in Limoges (France) without a car and not even a driver's license.
Does anyone know the best places to travel to using only public transit and manage to experience the total solar eclipse, in terms of easiness of access, transportation cost, accomodation cost, tourist density ?
In terms of national train, it seems the closest I'll get is through a 7-8 hour multi-layover ride :
Then there's transportation to whichever's the best destination from there to figure out.
In terms of international train, there's only a 10 hour multi-layover ride to Barcelona, still "20mi" from totality, for almost 115€, though I'm guessing the final step of transit would be easier from there.
In terms of international bus :
What do you think ? I mostly need help regarding local logistics.
Also, flying is out of the question, and carpooling is too risky in case of cancellation for such a very time-sensitive occasion.
Thanks !
Today marks 100 days until this year's total solar eclipse!
This was originally written for the eclipse thread the Iceland sub. It applies everywhere, but look east, not at Russia.
•••
If you have a choice about where to go to see the eclipse, try to choose a point at some elevation. You want to be able to see quite a distance in all directions.
The city of Reykjavík is at about 64° north latitude. At that latitude, a cross-section of the Earth would be a circle with a circumference of about 17,500 km or 10,900 miles. Since it takes the Earth about 24 hours to rotate on its axis, that means that the speed at which Reykjavík is rotating about the Earth's axis is about 730 km/hr or 450 mph.
[The farther south you go, the faster the rotational velocity of your location. I see several people talking about going to Spain to watch the eclipse. The latitude of Barcelona is 41.8°N. At that latitude, the circumference of a cross-section of the Earth is about 30,000 km or 19,000 miles. The shadow of the eclipse would be moving toward you at over 1200 km/hr or 750 mph.]
If you can stand on a hill and look eastward, in the direction of Russia [or whatever's east of where you are, if you aren't in Iceland], in the seconds before the eclipse happens, you will be able to see the shadow that the Moon is casting on the Earth run up at you at that speed. Science (and science fiction) writer Isaac Asimov wrote about expecting it but still being blown away to witness the phenomenon.
For example, if you were able to go to the top of Mount Esja, you could see at least 30 km or 19 miles eastward. You would be able to see the eclipse shadow running toward you for a total of about 2 1/2 minutes.
We’re hosting an AMA over on r/Sun — feel free to join us at https://www.reddit.com/r/sun/comments/1t4lf79/were_from_the_astro_team_at_timeanddatecom_we/
🗓️ Thursday, May 7 — 12 noon EDT / 9 am PDT / 16:00 UTC — find your local time here
Why doesn’t the longest day of the year have the earliest sunrise? Why is summer longer in the Northern Hemisphere than the Southern Hemisphere? Do some places get more solar eclipses than others? What’s the aurora outlook for the rest of this solar cycle?
We’ll be here for 2 hours — ask us anything! Happy to answer anything about eclipse paths, timing, visibility, and upcoming events.
Feel free to drop questions in advance.
Party of four planning to visit Mallorca during the eclipse in August and although I am late to the planning it does seem that there are options for a boat hire to avoid the shadows for the sunset eclipse. I’m looking to share a tour boat with another party of 4-6 to keep costs down. Any interest?
