re: All of the eclipse haters weren't in the totality path

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consumed so much solar eclipse content in the past 20 years

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I wasn't aware that there was 20 years worth of content to consume. Moon passes between the Earth and sun. It looks cool. Boom. Consumption over.

I was in the path of totality. It was surreal. Cicadas started getting really loud when it started getting dark. I saw a couple of hawks going freaking crazy...it was a pretty wild scene. The biggest thing for me was how quickly the temperature dropped. The other thing was how much different shadows looked as it approached totality. It was pretty strange.

The things that happened as a result of the sun being eclipsed, were as cool as actually seeing the eclipse.

Completely agreed with the OP.

I've seen two annular eclipses (around 99% blockage) and although they were kinda neat it just wasn't the same.

It was sort of like, sure, the lower light is kinda freaky looking but still not much special. Then suddenly over the space of about two seconds it happened. It was like God had suddenly drawn a curtain across the universe. The Sun very suddenly turned completely black with a ghostly white glow around it.

TV coverage just doesn't do it justice. If you weren't in the path, you missed the show entirely and I feel sorry for you.

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Totality was freakin amazing

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It was, exceeded my expectations. The view of the corona around the sun and solar flares on the edges was awe inspiring. We had a good scope I brought and killer views and could see the movement of the moon across the face of the sun. It didn't get as dark as I expected, pretty dim but not dark. Only a few stars out. But the crickets started chirping and it cooled down some. And a hawk landed behind us when it started getting darker and flew off when the sun came back out.

Our planned spot didn't work out just north of Kansas City. So my brother and I improvised and headed east around 120 miles to get past the clouds. We found a nice sunny spot just north of Jefferson City, Mo. along the Missouri River. Heavy traffic on I-70 headed back, it took about twice as long as normal. But it was completely worth it.

Already planning 2024. Probably a mountain in Mexico.

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I am a huge astronomy nerd who has consumed so much solar eclipse content in the past 20 years

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What does this mean? What is "consuming so much solar eclipse content?" How much content is there to consume? The moon passes in front of the sun, it looks kind of cool. Seems like the extent of content.

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It was the best natural phenomenon I have seen. Seen volcanoes erupt and the northern lights as well. This was better.

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I was in 100% totality for over two minutes in SC. I've also witnessed the northern lights and have to agree a TOTAL eclipse is better. The difference between a 100% and 99% eclipse is incomparable. It's truly indescribable.

Something like 90% of the sun was covered here in MS. The sky looked odd. Almost like looking through a tinted car window, but it wasn't nearly as dark as you'd think given so much of the sun was covered. Just goes to show just how bright the sun is that it can light up that much of the sky with only 10% visible.

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I live where there was 98% coverage. I learned 2% of the sun is pretty darn bright.

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98.4% at my house. It was like it was 8:30 pm on an early July night. Light enough to see, but you needed the lights on in the house. No way in hell I was going to face the interstate traffic for that last 1.6%.

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This. I've seen partial eclipses in person and total eclipses on TV, but seeing a total eclipse in person was a completely different experience. Anyone who saw it partially, even if 90%+, claiming to be underwhelmed is just talking out of their arse and has no idea what they missed.

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No doubt.

Annie Dillard's essay says it best.

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I had seen a partial eclipse in 1970. A partial eclipse is very interesting. It bears almost no relation to a total eclipse. Seeing a partial eclipse bears the same relation to seeing a total eclipse as kissing a man does to marrying him, or as flying in an airplane does to falling out of an airplane. Although the one experience precedes the other, it in no way prepares you for it. During a partial eclipse the sky does not darken—not even when 94 percent of the sun is hidden. Nor does the sun, seen colorless through protective devices, seem terribly strange. We have all seen a sliver of light in the sky; we have all seen the crescent moon by day. However, during a partial eclipse the air does indeed get cold, precisely as if someone were standing between you and the fire. And blackbirds do fly back to their roosts. I had seen a partial eclipse before, and here was another.

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