Below is a 360-degree video of the eclipse as viewed near Madras, Oregon on
August 21, 2017. We're part of a group of about 60 people, only a handful
are experienced observers (it was actually much more fun that way).
Note that the Sun itself nor any of its interesting behavior shows up in the
video (sorry).
(drag your mouse to look around (if you click the View in
Youtube tab, you can also zoom in and out))
(if you're in a hurry, skip to about 3:10. that's
when totality begins)
0:00
We start deep into the partial eclipse. 3:20 until
totality. It's darker and cooler (although the camera's auto-exposure
does its best to cancel out the changing lighting)
The change in lighting is like nothing else. Up
to now, it's by far the most-elipsey thing other than the sun itself.
Assuming that the video is centered on the front
of the car, there is a tripod front and center. It is manned by a
20-year old senior in Business Management and Computer Game Design. He
and his family have driven upf from LA. My family, and Bob, Alex, Isa,
and Margia (who drove up from San Diego) and Nephew Nick (who flew in
from Vegas) are to the left of the tripod.
The gaggle of people to the north (along the
trail) is our main group. 60+ people
Behind the tripod to the left a bit, is Mt.
Jefferson. It is visible to us but not to the camera because of haze.
It's over 20 miles away and along the shadow path
to the west. It's dimming out will be an indication of the shadow
travelling 1500mph towards us.
That's why everyone's back is to the sun. We want
to see the shadow race towards us.
2:20
1 minute before totality Mt. Jefferson is in
shadow. The haze blocked it from the camera, but now we can't see it
with our eyes, either.
3:05
Mt. Jefferson is starting to standout noticeably
(perhaps the sky behind it is far enough behind the shadow now that it
is backlighting the mountain). It's dark like early twilight.
Considerably cooler.
3:35
The Diamond Ring: instants before totality. A
lot of cheering. Massive darkening.
3:40
And the Crowd Goes Wild! Corona Time! Paydirt.
3:56
"There's Venus!" The nearby clouds have
disappeared.
4:00
"You can see Stars"
To the west now, it looks like a sunrise is going
on.
