There’s been something magical in a celestial sort of way during our visits to the beach these last two years. Last summer, Bill and I got up at 3:30 AM two mornings in a row to watch the Perseid Meteor Shower, and I wrote about our phenomenal experience in Watching A Meteor Shower While On A Run.
We were lucky enough to be on the Outer Banks again for another historic event, this time during the 2017 solar eclipse. We had about 90% coverage here versus around 82% at home and considered ourselves lucky to be on vacation so we could relax and enjoy the event.
A couple of weeks ago, I got two pairs of NASA approved solar eclipse glasses from one of my clients who had ordered 75 pairs and was selling them at her cost of $1.50/pair, a greatly discounted price since she’d ordered in bulk. As a child, I remember my papaw burning soot on a piece of glass for us to look through to watch the solar eclipse, something I’m sure wasn’t NASA approved. He also made me a box with a pin-hole so I could watch the moon pass in front of the sun with my little contraption, something much safer for my eyes.
I decided to go for an easy three-mile run and timed it so I’d be finished just before the maximum coverage. As I got ready for my run, I checked to see what the sun looked like through my fancy eclipse glasses.
I headed out just after I saw that first tiny indentation in the sun. Wearing my Oakley sunglasses (affiliate link), I carried my eclipse glasses with me and stopped a couple of times to check the progress. I didn’t know how dark it would get with 90% coverage and didn’t want to miss the maximum coverage with my back to the sun. An eerie glow came over the beach, and as I finished my three miles I looked again to see just a sliver of the sun sticking up above the moon.
Bill joined me on the beach and pulled out the GoPro (affiliate link) to captured me running under the moon covered sun. I was somewhat disappointed with how the sun turned out as a normal looking glowing ball; but nonetheless, I will always remember the 2017 solar eclipse and my run under its eerie glow on the Outer Banks.
Since I didn’t get a picture of what the sun looked like here on the Outer Banks at the time of maximum coverage, and because I know you’ve missed my sketches, I thought I’d share my artist’s rendition. 😉
- Questions:
- Were you able to see the solar eclipse?
- If so, what percentage coverage was there where you were?
- Do you remember seeing a solar eclipse before?
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Sounds like a wonderful way to experience the eclipse. In Maine we only had about 67% coverage. Many years ago my family and I enjoyed a partial solar eclipse at a beach on the North Sea in Scotland which was definitely memorable.
Your solar eclipse memory from Scotland sounds lovely. 🙂
Sounds like a great way to view it! I tried to view it here in CT. I saw a little bit of it but it was super cloudy here so it was pretty uneventful, lol
Kimberly G recently posted…Packing Tips for Your Rock ‘n’ Roll Racecation
Ah bummer that it was cloudy there. It’s funny that I didn’t even think about the weather being an issue as I bought my eclipse glasses and planned for the afternoon until my brother mentioned that he’d checked the forecast for where he lives. Duh!
This sounds like my way of experiencing the eclipse. It was overcast here, but people were still standing out on Michigan Ave ogling. It just got even more dark and then a bit lighter later on! Some friends got amazing pictures of it, though.
Ahh, too bad it was overcast there. My brother was in the 100% coverage area and got some amazing pictures.
I also thought it was really interesting how normal the sun looked without the glasses on. Glad you had a fun one!
Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner recently posted…Spicy Cauliflower and White Bean Veggie Burgers
Thanks, Deborah! I think without the eclipse glasses to appreciate the changes, you had to be in the 100% coverage area to realize the solar eclipse was going on (other than the short-lived eerie glow).
I pretty much missed it. I tried to do the cereal box thing but that didn’t work that well. And it turned out that the library around the corner from my house was giving away free glasses to everybody. 2024 will definitely be more prepared:)
You’ve got seven years to plan!
[…] afternoon I headed out for a 3-mile easy run to celebrate the solar eclipse and timed it so I finished up just prior to the 90% maximum coverage we got here on the Outer […]