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The solar eclipse on Wednesday 12th August

(209 Posts)
FriedGreenTomatoes2 Thu 06-Aug-26 09:00:37

I’ve just bought some Celestron Solar Eclipse Glasses on line (cardboard frames) for myself and family for safe viewing. This eclipse will be as good as the one in 1999 - if cloud cover allows.

Do you plan to watch the event?

JackyB Thu 13-Aug-26 08:39:01

If you look carefully you can just see the crescent shapes.

Jaxjacky Thu 13-Aug-26 09:02:48

Thanks JackyB I see them.

JenniferEccles Thu 13-Aug-26 09:21:01

Here the sun was behind the trees at the bottom of the garden so I knew we wouldn’t have been able to see anything even with the glasses, but I was certainly expecting it to become much darker than it did.

It was never going to be as impressive as the 1999 one, but I would have thought the 90 percent coverage would have made it darker.

Lathyrus3 Thu 13-Aug-26 09:35:43

srn63

But it did happen, just because you didn't see it happen or see any changes doesn't mean it didn't happen. The sun was eclipsed.

Well yes it happened.

But there are between 2 and 5 solar eclipses every year.

A solar eclipse only hapoens where it happens because it is the phenomenon of the moon blocking out the sun from a certain viewpoint. It is a subjective xoerience.

If you are not in that place the solar eclipse doesn’t happen for you.

Like this one.

Cabowich Thu 13-Aug-26 09:37:09

Disappointing here in the North West, too. It went darker, but I could still hear the birds. The eclipse bit covered about 40% of the sun.

I wondered about this 'atmosphere' people talk about - would a blind person (who knew nothing about the eclipse happening) have felt this atmosphere?

Anyway, the most interesting encounter was the pattern it left on my kitchen door and a wall.

Wyllow3 Thu 13-Aug-26 09:45:26

These simple pictures have their own charm, I bet you are glad you took them. I cannot believe I forgot!

Farmor15 Thu 13-Aug-26 10:09:29

Here's another pic showing interesting crescent patterns

Oreo Thu 13-Aug-26 10:11:19

Lathyrus3

srn63

But it did happen, just because you didn't see it happen or see any changes doesn't mean it didn't happen. The sun was eclipsed.

Well yes it happened.

But there are between 2 and 5 solar eclipses every year.

A solar eclipse only hapoens where it happens because it is the phenomenon of the moon blocking out the sun from a certain viewpoint. It is a subjective xoerience.

If you are not in that place the solar eclipse doesn’t happen for you.

Like this one.

Exactly, it was very much a non event from where I saw it.

Oreo Thu 13-Aug-26 10:12:35

Fallingstar

We shared our eclipse glasses with a neighbour sitting in our backyard, didn’t know it had started until we put on the glasses, it took a while until we thought we noticed the light growing dimmer, but it probably wouldn’t have occurred to us that anything dramatic was happening if we hadn’t known there was an eclipse. I had prayed it would get cooler but it didn’t.
I suppose you need a total eclipse to notice it.

Just what I thought.

Silvershadow Thu 13-Aug-26 10:17:16

Here, it went suddenly darker than five minutes before and there was an eerie silence. But no actual blackout. We are in the south in a rural area.

srn63 Thu 13-Aug-26 11:06:34

Lathyrus

But they still happen, if they are seen or not. That is my point. Just because this one didn't live up to people's expectations or because they couldn't see it, it still happened. You can't be disappointed because it didn't cause phenomenoms that you expected and then claim that it didn't happen for you. The expected phenomenoms didn't happen but the eclipse certainly did.

Oldnproud Thu 13-Aug-26 12:05:44

srn63

Lathyrus

But they still happen, if they are seen or not. That is my point. Just because this one didn't live up to people's expectations or because they couldn't see it, it still happened. You can't be disappointed because it didn't cause phenomenoms that you expected and then claim that it didn't happen for you. The expected phenomenoms didn't happen but the eclipse certainly did.

But we can presumably rightly claim that the visual phenomenon didnt happen for us, and that is what most of us mean.

Luckily, I have experienced other eclipses that were visible even to the naked eye, and that certainly were noticeable even when unaware in advance that they were going to happen.

This one was hyped up to the extent that I dont think we are being unreasonable to feel disappointed, because as far as our vision is concerned, nothing visual did happen for many of us.

srn63 Thu 13-Aug-26 12:56:53

But how can you say that the visual phenomenom didn't happen just because you didn't see it? It's the same as the philosophical question 'if a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it does it make a sound?', or words to that effect. I would say it does because it causes physical air vibrations. The same with the eclipse, it happened, as millions of people would agree, just because you didn't see it doesn't mean it didn't happen. Disappointment regarding individual expectations of the phenemonems of an eclipse is an entirely different matter.

Lathyrus3 Thu 13-Aug-26 13:01:59

I don’t know how to explain this.

An eclipse occurs when the travel of light between two points is blocked.

Any point of light can be eclipsed by moving a solid object between the two points.
Let’s say the line of light is A to B.
C, the object, moves between and the line of light is interrupted It has been eclipsed.

But the eclipse has only happened at point B because the light can no longer travel to that point.

It is the source of light that is eclipsed. If the light is still travelling to another point, say D, E or F, an eclipse has not happened at those points.

( I’ve tried not confuse with partial eclipse where some light still travels)

watermeadow Thu 13-Aug-26 13:11:07

I wasn’t trying to watch this eclipse but expected some changes. In a total eclipse it is eerily dark, cold and silent.
What happened here was it being slightly overcast for a short while. A disappointment as are most astronomical events.

merlotgran Thu 13-Aug-26 13:18:26

I’ve been amused by some of the ‘phone-ins’ on the radio today. Some people are so miffed that they didn’t see anything I think they’re expecting a refund for the special glasses from Mother Nature. 😂

BlueBelle Thu 13-Aug-26 13:20:45

srn63

But it did happen, just because you didn't see it happen or see any changes doesn't mean it didn't happen. The sun was eclipsed.

But that’s what I ve just spent 5 minutes saying why are you so determined to wrong my post

I said IKNOW IT HAPPENED BUT not everyone saw anything happening I cannot put it any plainer than that Why
I m out of here before I pull my hair out

MayBee70 Thu 13-Aug-26 13:31:55

It’s like the pictures of the aurora that you see on Facebook. I’ll be kicking myself for not going out to see it only to find the actual picture was taken on a camera using time lapse photography ( or something like that). I didn’t even see the Perseids last night because it clouded over and my house was directly under the flight path of the nearby airport on what must have been their busiest night of the year. First time that I’ve not seen a single meteor.

Lathyrus3 Thu 13-Aug-26 13:34:00

It did happen but only at the pint where the line of light was blocked.

It’s about the line of light.

Desdemona Thu 13-Aug-26 13:40:35

Much Ado About Nothing.

It happened. It has happened since the dawn of time. Why does the media whip people up into such an unnecessary frenzy?

Oldnproud Thu 13-Aug-26 13:43:32

srn63

But how can you say that the visual phenomenom didn't happen just because you didn't see it? It's the same as the philosophical question 'if a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it does it make a sound?', or words to that effect. I would say it does because it causes physical air vibrations. The same with the eclipse, it happened, as millions of people would agree, just because you didn't see it doesn't mean it didn't happen. Disappointment regarding individual expectations of the phenemonems of an eclipse is an entirely different matter.

I am not saying that the visual phenomemon did not happen per se- I am simply saying that it didnt happen for me. as in it was not visible by the methods available to me (and many other people) at the time.

Obviously I know that not only did the eclipse happen, but that it was also visible many other people.

I dont see what is so controversial about that. confused

Oldnproud Thu 13-Aug-26 13:44:50

BlueBelle

srn63

But it did happen, just because you didn't see it happen or see any changes doesn't mean it didn't happen. The sun was eclipsed.

But that’s what I ve just spent 5 minutes saying why are you so determined to wrong my post

I said IKNOW IT HAPPENED BUT not everyone saw anything happening I cannot put it any plainer than that Why
I m out of here before I pull my hair out

Me too, BlueBelle.

AuntieE Thu 13-Aug-26 14:23:29

Here there barely was any change in the light or the heat.

Nothing like the one in the 1990s where everything went cold, grey and eerie.

Mjord70 Thu 13-Aug-26 14:48:39

If I hadn't seen all of the hype about the eclipse I wouldn't have known about it. It just went dull for about 1/2 hr, like it was going to rain heavily (too bad it didn't we are desperate for it)

Lathyrus3 Thu 13-Aug-26 14:57:16

It has nothing to do with who can see it or not.

How egocentric we humans are😬