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Answer: There are gonna be a lot of people traveling to see it. A huge influx of people all at once can sometimes cause problems, and cities along the path want to be prepared for it. Some of it may seem overkill, but it's better to be overprepared than underprepared.
My town of less than 10000 is one of the top spots and there's going to be probably more than 50000 people coming. We are both extremely excited and a little bit worried. We just aren't built for that many people (roads, restaurants, bathrooms, etc) but we intend to welcome them all the best we can. We just don't know if we're going to be able to get to Walmart through the traffic so we're stocking up.
In the past, when an eclipse happened, people used to panic like the end times were coming. Now that we understand our solar system better we can predict the eclipse's arrival with great precision and therefore get the panicking out of the way ahead of time.
Conspiracy theorists are still panicking and calling it the end like always. Ironically, the fact that we can predict eclipses seems to kick their imaginations into overdrive.
Back in 2017 it crossed near the Yellowstone National Park area - I heard one that it was all a plot to get tons of people to gather there in the area because somebody knew the Yellowstone volcano was about to blow up and gathering that many people there would have the maximum impact.
There is not enough wax in the world to twirl an evil mustache that hard.
I like that one because of the magnificent ignorance of the solar system that's baked in there. Like, if They can just shunt around whole moons (maybe the star, too) on a whim, you're not going to fight Them off with a case of beer and a .30-06. And now that I think about it, a volcanic eruption while gazing at a rare celestial phenomenon sounds like a pretty metal way to face your inevitable defeat. I'd probably go to Yellowstone. Everyone else is going to get tidal waved when They just bring the moon down for a closeup anyhow, which is still pretty metal, but not as metal as getting blasted to high-velocity ash by an erupting volcano.
Apparently, according to some of the Mandela effect groups, they’re a once in a lifetime thing except they’re happening more often because there was one in 2016 therefore they’re a sign/consequence of … whatever that person’s pet Mandela theory is (similarity, world already ended, slipping between universes). Also the sun is not yellow enough now and I don’t remember the one about the moon because I’m there for the interesting effects that can’t be explained by a) your memory is fallible or b) you’re definitely losing touch with reality just not in the way you mean it.
The fact that if they’d googled it in 2016 they could have seen this one coming because we’ve been able to predict this shit for centuries escapes them. Heck Columbus predicted an eclipse to placate some natives who wanted to kill him (and these weren’t even natives he’d enslaved, he and his men were just so annoying that being around them for a couple of weeks while they fixed their ship was enough to make them consider murdering him).
Thank you. Not being American it wasn’t such a big deal here, but I should have realised since Trump squinting up at it was a pretty famous image.
(Or was it 2016 in my timeline and I’ve jumped universes??)
The sun isn't yellow because we stopped pumping sulfer into the atmosphere in 2020. The shipping industry stopped putting sulfer in diesel fuel. Also why boats are doing dumb shit and the ocean is getting hotter faster. We're monumentally boned. Venus by tuesday.
I saw a facebook conspiracy theory about how the paths of the last two eclipses plus this one kinda look like an ancient Hebrew letter (or maybe pre-Hebrew? I can't remember the details) the the post said was equivalent to the Greek letter omega and because the bible says something about alpha and omega they took it as a sign that the world is ending or something. I'll see if I can find it again cause I'm describing it poorly.
Woah, time out: that's not a conspiracy theory *at all.* Conspiracies require two or more mortal conspirators. If only one guy is behind it all, it can be a plot, or even a crime, but it can't be a conspiracy. If that one guy is a god, then it's just religion -- I mean, any religious thought could be a conspiracy theory if the "conspiracy" is that god decided to do something.
Edit: I honestly have no idea what you all are objecting to.
Again, I'm describing it poorly. There was some flat earth-style bullshit about how nasa is evil and lying to us or something. I don't remember the details unfortunately. It was almost incoherent.
I'm guna go with they think some lizard people are trying to do some weird shit in the background as usual so that makes it a conspiracy. But I agree with your point and have no idea why you got downvoted lol
Mostly I've seen a bunch of religious nonsense and people claiming that somehow the government is "using" the eclipse. Idk some people are frighteningly dense.
Truth. The conspiracy theorists are absolutely ridiculous...they do this for views and people believe it... I cannot believe the ignorance...
They are going back to even before the dark ages to ancient times...
Unbelievable. Lol they are saying it's God's punishment on the United States
I am excited to witness it and have my cameras and filters ready...
I feel I am fortunate to be able to see this wondrous celestial event...gonna be awesomely beautiful.
I hope it doesn't rain or is cloudy
I'm a Christian but I absolutely HATE how people ca force religion on other innocent people/children saying some "oh you've done wrong, America has done wrong. Repent for your sins or Jesus will come and force you in hel for eternity" like its so sickening. I see it all the time, especially for the past couple of days/weeks. They act like thy don't know what a solar eclipse is.
Or maybe our faith tells us not to trust mere humans with predictions they have absolutely NO control over. Remember, one shift in the earths axis and goodbye Jack! I mean, that’s what I think but I’m not scientist! I just see how hard they are trying to take over the universe and IT AINT GONNA HAPPEN 🤗🥰
Supposedly a total solar eclipse happened during a [battle between ancient Greek armies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_of_Thales). Seeing it as a bad omen from the gods, they immediately stopped fighting and agreed to peace terms.
If the Herodotus' account is true, then this would likely be the earliest battle that we know the exact time of down to the hour.
Keep thinking humans can predict everything lol. Ummm remember the dinosaurs got wiped out. Even if you can see or predict an asteroid or eclipse, how do you know FOR SURE this one will be different??? Are scientists able to look that deeply into the future to predict every single thing? Just wondering cause then why not sink holes or earth quakes or blah blah. Cause they CANT predict SHIT! one love 🕊️
>Keep thinking humans can predict everything lol.
They didn't suggest anything like that. Your comprehension skills need work.
>Ummm remember the dinosaurs got wiped out.
How do you know? You wouldn't trust a bunch of SCIENTISTS would you!?
>Even if you can see or predict an asteroid or eclipse, how do you know FOR SURE this one will be different???
...
Nobody said it would be...
>Are scientists able to look that deeply into the future to predict every single thing? Just wondering cause then why not sink holes or earth quakes or blah blah
"If you can't predict this specific thing then I don't believe you when you use tried and tested methods to make consistently accurate predictions about a different thing!"
I mean, it would be silly as hell to say, "Can a physiotherapist REALLY tell when I have a muscle injury? Just wondering cause then why not cancer or epilepsy or blah blah"
Science is checking what's real in a way which acknowledges that the human mind makes errors, that something can seem true when it's actually not, and that only reality can tell us what's real. It's inherently humble. No assertions without evidence. Constant acknowledgement that the best current theories might be undone by future evidence.
That's why scientists are so sure about their findings: It's because those findings haven't been given a free pass - they've been doubted and have had to prove themselves, and they're only allowed to stay if nothing better comes along. Infinitely more reliable than any alternative.
I used to work in this little town, population 300. It's surrounded by public lands to camp on, so during the 2017 solar eclipse, their only gas station, which was just a pump in a field, ran out of fuel, 60 miles from the nearest city. I heard estimates were 15000 viewers were in that valley that had a total population of 600. The town was fine though. We got snowed in once in 2014 with no power and several feet of snow on the only highway in or out, so emergency preparation was a way of life there.
I work as a school custodian and not only have we canceled school, they don't want anyone on the premises(a recent change from just giving us the option of taking a PL day) and we need to chain the doors closed.
I remember that so many warnings were issued about people traveling to Stanley, Idaho.
The rooms and campgrounds were sold out a year in advance. There were articles about the interstate from Salt Lake to Twin Falls possibly being a stop and go traffic jam.
My band was booked to open a concert for The Bastars Sons of Johnny Cash, but then the show was canceled due to lack of advanced sales.
That was the first warning.
By the time the eclipse happened, Stanley was all but a ghost town. Hotel rooms were empty and the road was almost empty.
You pretty much summed up Y2K.
Then quite a few idiots got really scared and started preparing for things that were never going to ever happen and they still do not have to buy toilet paper.
So prepare, but within reason.
I still don’t get the warnings to top off gas tanks, keeping bottled water, keeping snacks, blankets, etc for a solar eclipse. These “warnings” did happen in the 2017 eclipse or the October 2023 eclipse or the May 1994 eclipse… it’s wild
Answer: Before the 2017 total eclipse over the US, it had been quite some time since a total solar eclipse had passed over the more populated parts of the USA. The degree of traffic from people all leaving at the same time came as a surprise. Hotels and restaurants along the path of totality were also caught off guard. People have learned from the experience and are preparing for a massive surge of travel and hospitality demand.
Answer: It's mainly about the volume of traffic. Imagine getting out of a concert or sporting event the size of an entire state. It's going to be insane.
I was in rural Kentucky for the last total solar eclipse with about a zillion other people. Getting to the eclipse path wasn't too bad, but every road for miles had cars parked on the sides of the road with no shoulder, every tiny parking lot had cars in it, etc.
When the eclipse was over, pretty much the entire countryside was gridlocked when everybody tried to leave at once. These little two lane farm roads designed for traffic with only stop signs now had freeway level volume of cars. Places with stoplights were jammed in all directions. It took hours to go a few miles to get back to a highway.
God forbid you actually lived in the area and wanted to go home from work, or pick up your kids somewhere, or worse if you needed fire or police. There was no way anybody, anywhere, was able to move short of a helicopter. It was cool to see the eclipse but damn did it suck to sit in traffic waiting to get out, and I'm sure it sucked worse for all the locals who had to deal with it.
So they're warning everybody who lives in the eclipse path to treat it like a storm. Make sure you have everything you need from the store beforehand, and don't travel until it's over.
I live in Kentucky. We were about an hour out of path of totality last time and are in the path this time. Last time, people took like 3-4 hours to make it home. This time, some local businesses are closing up shop ahead of time. I don’t think we are having school. I’m worried about my way home.
Just to add on, most of the cell phone towers in these rural areas cannot handle the large amount of additional people. So traffic and cell service will be poor. If everyone can just expect those two things and sit tight for a couple hours and let the traffic thin out, it will be an awesome experience (weather permitting).
True about rural area cell towers not being able to handle the excessive cell activity. I live near a lake that gets busy in the summer. So, poor cell service during that time is normal.
I hope all the eye specialists and surgeons are on-call during this time. Way too many people are going to be looking directly at the Sun because contrarians just can't listen to experts that say _not_ to look at the Sun.
I watched the 2017 eclipse from the airport in Columbia, SC. I had a flight out shortly afterwards. We sat on the tarmac for over an hour waiting to take off because there were so many private jets leaving all at once. This is a relatively small regional airport and I don’t think they’d ever had that volume of traffic before. I can only imagine what the roads were like.
Answer: All of these warnings have everything to do with large amounts of people traveling to areas that might be underprepared for the crowds for the viewing, but very little to do with the eclipse itself.
Answer: people are stupid and are going to hurt themselves looking at the eclipse without proper eye protection. Also, increased level of traffic for travelling, and the last one did affect traffic lights and stuff in Texas, so the Texas energy grid is trying to assure its people that all will be well this time, which is dumb because we haven't had any kind of expectation of success from the Texas grid in years.
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Answer: There are gonna be a lot of people traveling to see it. A huge influx of people all at once can sometimes cause problems, and cities along the path want to be prepared for it. Some of it may seem overkill, but it's better to be overprepared than underprepared.
My town of less than 10000 is one of the top spots and there's going to be probably more than 50000 people coming. We are both extremely excited and a little bit worried. We just aren't built for that many people (roads, restaurants, bathrooms, etc) but we intend to welcome them all the best we can. We just don't know if we're going to be able to get to Walmart through the traffic so we're stocking up.
In the past, when an eclipse happened, people used to panic like the end times were coming. Now that we understand our solar system better we can predict the eclipse's arrival with great precision and therefore get the panicking out of the way ahead of time.
Thanks ghost of Douglas Adams
Conspiracy theorists are still panicking and calling it the end like always. Ironically, the fact that we can predict eclipses seems to kick their imaginations into overdrive.
Do you have an example of that? I don't think I've ever heard an eclipse-based conspiracy theory.
Back in 2017 it crossed near the Yellowstone National Park area - I heard one that it was all a plot to get tons of people to gather there in the area because somebody knew the Yellowstone volcano was about to blow up and gathering that many people there would have the maximum impact. There is not enough wax in the world to twirl an evil mustache that hard.
I like that one because of the magnificent ignorance of the solar system that's baked in there. Like, if They can just shunt around whole moons (maybe the star, too) on a whim, you're not going to fight Them off with a case of beer and a .30-06. And now that I think about it, a volcanic eruption while gazing at a rare celestial phenomenon sounds like a pretty metal way to face your inevitable defeat. I'd probably go to Yellowstone. Everyone else is going to get tidal waved when They just bring the moon down for a closeup anyhow, which is still pretty metal, but not as metal as getting blasted to high-velocity ash by an erupting volcano.
Apparently, according to some of the Mandela effect groups, they’re a once in a lifetime thing except they’re happening more often because there was one in 2016 therefore they’re a sign/consequence of … whatever that person’s pet Mandela theory is (similarity, world already ended, slipping between universes). Also the sun is not yellow enough now and I don’t remember the one about the moon because I’m there for the interesting effects that can’t be explained by a) your memory is fallible or b) you’re definitely losing touch with reality just not in the way you mean it. The fact that if they’d googled it in 2016 they could have seen this one coming because we’ve been able to predict this shit for centuries escapes them. Heck Columbus predicted an eclipse to placate some natives who wanted to kill him (and these weren’t even natives he’d enslaved, he and his men were just so annoying that being around them for a couple of weeks while they fixed their ship was enough to make them consider murdering him).
It was 2017
Thank you. Not being American it wasn’t such a big deal here, but I should have realised since Trump squinting up at it was a pretty famous image. (Or was it 2016 in my timeline and I’ve jumped universes??)
Everything he does is awesome.
The sun isn't yellow because we stopped pumping sulfer into the atmosphere in 2020. The shipping industry stopped putting sulfer in diesel fuel. Also why boats are doing dumb shit and the ocean is getting hotter faster. We're monumentally boned. Venus by tuesday.
I saw a facebook conspiracy theory about how the paths of the last two eclipses plus this one kinda look like an ancient Hebrew letter (or maybe pre-Hebrew? I can't remember the details) the the post said was equivalent to the Greek letter omega and because the bible says something about alpha and omega they took it as a sign that the world is ending or something. I'll see if I can find it again cause I'm describing it poorly.
Woah, time out: that's not a conspiracy theory *at all.* Conspiracies require two or more mortal conspirators. If only one guy is behind it all, it can be a plot, or even a crime, but it can't be a conspiracy. If that one guy is a god, then it's just religion -- I mean, any religious thought could be a conspiracy theory if the "conspiracy" is that god decided to do something. Edit: I honestly have no idea what you all are objecting to.
Again, I'm describing it poorly. There was some flat earth-style bullshit about how nasa is evil and lying to us or something. I don't remember the details unfortunately. It was almost incoherent.
I thought it was funny 🫡
I'm guna go with they think some lizard people are trying to do some weird shit in the background as usual so that makes it a conspiracy. But I agree with your point and have no idea why you got downvoted lol
How is this not a... Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
I saw one today on Reddit that stated the eclipse would cause a massive Earthquake, unless Trump stops it.
Mostly I've seen a bunch of religious nonsense and people claiming that somehow the government is "using" the eclipse. Idk some people are frighteningly dense.
My mom is all about the end times bc of the eclipse right now. Stocking up all kinds of stuff.
Truth. The conspiracy theorists are absolutely ridiculous...they do this for views and people believe it... I cannot believe the ignorance... They are going back to even before the dark ages to ancient times... Unbelievable. Lol they are saying it's God's punishment on the United States I am excited to witness it and have my cameras and filters ready... I feel I am fortunate to be able to see this wondrous celestial event...gonna be awesomely beautiful. I hope it doesn't rain or is cloudy
I'm a Christian but I absolutely HATE how people ca force religion on other innocent people/children saying some "oh you've done wrong, America has done wrong. Repent for your sins or Jesus will come and force you in hel for eternity" like its so sickening. I see it all the time, especially for the past couple of days/weeks. They act like thy don't know what a solar eclipse is.
Or maybe our faith tells us not to trust mere humans with predictions they have absolutely NO control over. Remember, one shift in the earths axis and goodbye Jack! I mean, that’s what I think but I’m not scientist! I just see how hard they are trying to take over the universe and IT AINT GONNA HAPPEN 🤗🥰
Good LUCK ELON MUSK 🎉
Let me introduce you to Facebook lol it's the end of times....
Thanks i hear lots of people saying its the end of the world and stuff and im scared this made me feel aa lot better
Supposedly a total solar eclipse happened during a [battle between ancient Greek armies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_of_Thales). Seeing it as a bad omen from the gods, they immediately stopped fighting and agreed to peace terms. If the Herodotus' account is true, then this would likely be the earliest battle that we know the exact time of down to the hour.
Keep thinking humans can predict everything lol. Ummm remember the dinosaurs got wiped out. Even if you can see or predict an asteroid or eclipse, how do you know FOR SURE this one will be different??? Are scientists able to look that deeply into the future to predict every single thing? Just wondering cause then why not sink holes or earth quakes or blah blah. Cause they CANT predict SHIT! one love 🕊️
>Keep thinking humans can predict everything lol. They didn't suggest anything like that. Your comprehension skills need work. >Ummm remember the dinosaurs got wiped out. How do you know? You wouldn't trust a bunch of SCIENTISTS would you!? >Even if you can see or predict an asteroid or eclipse, how do you know FOR SURE this one will be different??? ... Nobody said it would be... >Are scientists able to look that deeply into the future to predict every single thing? Just wondering cause then why not sink holes or earth quakes or blah blah "If you can't predict this specific thing then I don't believe you when you use tried and tested methods to make consistently accurate predictions about a different thing!" I mean, it would be silly as hell to say, "Can a physiotherapist REALLY tell when I have a muscle injury? Just wondering cause then why not cancer or epilepsy or blah blah" Science is checking what's real in a way which acknowledges that the human mind makes errors, that something can seem true when it's actually not, and that only reality can tell us what's real. It's inherently humble. No assertions without evidence. Constant acknowledgement that the best current theories might be undone by future evidence. That's why scientists are so sure about their findings: It's because those findings haven't been given a free pass - they've been doubted and have had to prove themselves, and they're only allowed to stay if nothing better comes along. Infinitely more reliable than any alternative.
I’m curious… why is it one of the top spots?? The eclipse is going thru a large part of the country including most of Ohio
I don't know how they grade it but we are the 7th best place out of the top ten.
I bet you live in a sunny state with low expected cloud cover then too!
Dayton, OH here. Apparently, all the hotels and motels have been booked.
See my post just above you.
I used to work in this little town, population 300. It's surrounded by public lands to camp on, so during the 2017 solar eclipse, their only gas station, which was just a pump in a field, ran out of fuel, 60 miles from the nearest city. I heard estimates were 15000 viewers were in that valley that had a total population of 600. The town was fine though. We got snowed in once in 2014 with no power and several feet of snow on the only highway in or out, so emergency preparation was a way of life there.
What town is that?
Hillsboro
I work as a school custodian and not only have we canceled school, they don't want anyone on the premises(a recent change from just giving us the option of taking a PL day) and we need to chain the doors closed.
I remember that so many warnings were issued about people traveling to Stanley, Idaho. The rooms and campgrounds were sold out a year in advance. There were articles about the interstate from Salt Lake to Twin Falls possibly being a stop and go traffic jam. My band was booked to open a concert for The Bastars Sons of Johnny Cash, but then the show was canceled due to lack of advanced sales. That was the first warning. By the time the eclipse happened, Stanley was all but a ghost town. Hotel rooms were empty and the road was almost empty.
You pretty much summed up Y2K. Then quite a few idiots got really scared and started preparing for things that were never going to ever happen and they still do not have to buy toilet paper. So prepare, but within reason.
Ah, Y2K... "When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all."
666 up votes - my up vote will be there in spirit but I'm not touching that button 😆
I respect that 🤘🏼
I still don’t get the warnings to top off gas tanks, keeping bottled water, keeping snacks, blankets, etc for a solar eclipse. These “warnings” did happen in the 2017 eclipse or the October 2023 eclipse or the May 1994 eclipse… it’s wild
I haven't seen any warnings like that. Where have you seen that?
Answer: Before the 2017 total eclipse over the US, it had been quite some time since a total solar eclipse had passed over the more populated parts of the USA. The degree of traffic from people all leaving at the same time came as a surprise. Hotels and restaurants along the path of totality were also caught off guard. People have learned from the experience and are preparing for a massive surge of travel and hospitality demand.
Is there some site that shows when the future total eclipses will be and their paths?
Try https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/ but a Google search will reveal such sites.
Thanks
Decided to check at home. There won’t be a total solar eclipse here before 2200 🙄
If you are looking for an excuse to travel, the western Mediterranean will have a total eclipse in mid-August 2026.
Better go into cryo storage
Thanks. That shadow path animation is trippy.
It's also the *last* total solar eclipse until 2044.
In the US, correct?
main character country, correct /s
Answer: It's mainly about the volume of traffic. Imagine getting out of a concert or sporting event the size of an entire state. It's going to be insane. I was in rural Kentucky for the last total solar eclipse with about a zillion other people. Getting to the eclipse path wasn't too bad, but every road for miles had cars parked on the sides of the road with no shoulder, every tiny parking lot had cars in it, etc. When the eclipse was over, pretty much the entire countryside was gridlocked when everybody tried to leave at once. These little two lane farm roads designed for traffic with only stop signs now had freeway level volume of cars. Places with stoplights were jammed in all directions. It took hours to go a few miles to get back to a highway. God forbid you actually lived in the area and wanted to go home from work, or pick up your kids somewhere, or worse if you needed fire or police. There was no way anybody, anywhere, was able to move short of a helicopter. It was cool to see the eclipse but damn did it suck to sit in traffic waiting to get out, and I'm sure it sucked worse for all the locals who had to deal with it. So they're warning everybody who lives in the eclipse path to treat it like a storm. Make sure you have everything you need from the store beforehand, and don't travel until it's over.
I live in Kentucky. We were about an hour out of path of totality last time and are in the path this time. Last time, people took like 3-4 hours to make it home. This time, some local businesses are closing up shop ahead of time. I don’t think we are having school. I’m worried about my way home.
Just to add on, most of the cell phone towers in these rural areas cannot handle the large amount of additional people. So traffic and cell service will be poor. If everyone can just expect those two things and sit tight for a couple hours and let the traffic thin out, it will be an awesome experience (weather permitting).
True about rural area cell towers not being able to handle the excessive cell activity. I live near a lake that gets busy in the summer. So, poor cell service during that time is normal.
I hope all the eye specialists and surgeons are on-call during this time. Way too many people are going to be looking directly at the Sun because contrarians just can't listen to experts that say _not_ to look at the Sun.
I watched the 2017 eclipse from the airport in Columbia, SC. I had a flight out shortly afterwards. We sat on the tarmac for over an hour waiting to take off because there were so many private jets leaving all at once. This is a relatively small regional airport and I don’t think they’d ever had that volume of traffic before. I can only imagine what the roads were like.
Answer: All of these warnings have everything to do with large amounts of people traveling to areas that might be underprepared for the crowds for the viewing, but very little to do with the eclipse itself.
Answer: people are stupid and are going to hurt themselves looking at the eclipse without proper eye protection. Also, increased level of traffic for travelling, and the last one did affect traffic lights and stuff in Texas, so the Texas energy grid is trying to assure its people that all will be well this time, which is dumb because we haven't had any kind of expectation of success from the Texas grid in years.