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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

The Chicago Astronomer Observes the Total Solar Eclipse from Missouri

08 April 2024

Maria and I have been planning this event for years.

After the 2017 eclipse in Nebraska, we were not going to settle for 94% in Chicago and must in in the totality path. 

Laying out our route, we kept our destination covert and elusive, as we desired to avoid annoying crowds and interruptions of whistling, shouting, yelling and screaming out the obligatory "Oh my god!". I teach, instruct and organize observation events throughout the year with thousands of eager sky lovers in Chicago....I just wanted the peace and quiet of this event of the two us. Just the Sun, Moon, Earth and us in alignment.  When asked where we were going to view the eclipse, I always replied "West of the Mississippi".

Maria had reserved our hotel accommodations a year in advance in Farmington Missouri, just inside of the path of totality and we planned to drive toward the 100% line the day of. The extended weather predictions looked promising and I think it was a solid choice...




We loaded up the Subie with gear...cameras, telescopes, power packs and everything needed to image the event. (Note: Always ignore those who state to leave the photographs/video to the professionals to capture the event and just enjoy the experience. But, those photos are not yours and no memory connection established.) I myself had five cameras at the ready and Maria had Three. I also had spare cell phones to let them run ambiance video, but I just forgot to set-them up.



We got our eclipse patches for the event and ready...

Looks good on the 152mm Refractor.  It'll stay on here as a constant pleasant reminder of the solar event.



On our way to Missouri, we followed Route 66 and passed familiar points of interest, like this 1950's Gas Station...



NOTE:  We had thought about renting a SUV for the trip, but the expense could be better spent on a new car...so we did...in blue!

Somewhere along the route for a rest stop, we met Marcus who wanted to see the eclipse, but had no glasses.  I gave him a pair and made quick friends...



Heading toward southern Illinois was a long drive, hanging right at St. Louis and into Missouri.



Avoiding anything east of I-57



Only halfway thru Illinois...oh man....



Gutter dining....




We certainly did not want a site anywhere near Carbondale Illinois or Grand Ghardeau Missouri, but it had to be somewhere along the path of totality. Our hotel was within easy reach of highways in case we had to move to clear skies quickly....




As all good eclipse chasers did, we monitored the Mid-west weather conditions intently...




There was a low pressure mass threatening our area, but gratefully, it had moved to the north and we were to be granted fair skies in our general area in southeastern Missouri. Most excellent!



Now...where to set-up telescopes. 

I still did not know exactly where we were to set-up, somewhere along that Red line of 4 minute totality. I read where the red line was not where it was drawn out, but slightly farther southeast and that is where I concentrated my search for maximum event time.  We went on a exploration saga in unknown territories.  The day before the event was  overcast & rainy, but the forecast for mid-day called for clearing....and it was so...







I really do not like long drives.

The maps, both digital & paper, only give so-much info and we spent the day before exploring this part of Missouri - back roads,  hidden patches of open land and identifying potential candidates for our Chicago Astronomer site....but nothing that shouted out to us.  I did not want to set-up on private property and risk being chased off.  Also,  we saw these Purple ribbons and paint often...which is a sign of "Don't even think about it".






We passed a great many abandoned dilapidated structures along our searches...

    

 

And you don't see Sinclair Gas stations much any more



I was getting quite disparaged, as the Sun was setting lower and lower... and still we have not found a suitable spot.  As an ultimate back-up plan, I'll just plop a telescope outside our hotel in the parking lot if I had to....but there has to be a spot closer to the maximum path.



I thought perhaps this was a good spot...looked isolated enough...perhaps too much...and this sign makes it a no go...



Mile after mile of searching with winding roller coaster roads...some turning into unpaved gravel




I even contemplated puller over and setting up next to cemeteries.

In our hotel room, we spent a good time researching routes, alternates routes and alternate potential set-up sites.....but always with the mindset of no crowds and the quiet of solitude...



On the day of, it was wall-to-wall news all about the eclipse event...



Filling up at a small gas station nearby in Arab/Zelma Missouri ($3.11 per gallon), I spotted this Dollar General store in the middle of fields and isolated..


 




This structure was right at the edge of that tan field to the west of Route 51



With plenty of wide open south sky, ample parking, access to food and drink...and most importantly...restrooms

This is it!

I went inside to ask an employee if it was ok to set-up gear along the side of the store the next day.  It was ok by him, but he would have to ask the Manager.  He would call me with the verdict.  He called me a few hours later and said it was fine by the Manager.  Here after receiving his call while dining...



We have found our spot...



The day before the eclipse....looks great and very excited...



After dinner, we went back to the hotel and researched more weather patterns and a direct route to our designated spot for the next day.    I checked to see if there would be any organized gatherings to avoid.....

And in our selected area...there would be none....most excellent again!



Our spot would provide 4 minutes and 11 seconds of shadow and the weather was looking solid...with rainy conditions Sunday and Tuesday...leaving Monday Eclipse day with fair skies....




Off we go to our Observation site...full of anticipation and excitement of this adventure by a couple of Chicago kids....



We have arrived to meet the shadow......



This is it....our long sought after site...with everything we planned....this is gonna be soooo fantastic!



 We unload our gear...I mean lots of gear...but look at this vista we have...



Bring on the Shadow...we are ready....



What we brought along was a Celestron 5" SCT, with full aperture Baader solar filter the 152mm Explore Scientific Achromatic Refractor, with full aperture Baader solar filter and the 60mm Coronado Solar scope riding on top.  Four Canon DSLRs and a smattering of pocket cameras.  Of course, we have the Solar umbrella, as only chumps stay out in the blaring Sun.

We also had some visitors, but they respected our space and left us alone for the event.  Only approaching us before and after.

Luke, the nice young man I first approached at Dollar General came out to see our gear and I offered him views of the Sun before the event...



Luke saved us and we are most appreciative of him and the staff at Dollar General.



And this very nice family was there to enjoy the eclipse







The quiet lull before the action starts...thinking if I have forgotten anything...



Maria had a Baader solar filter on one of her Powershot cameras, just to zoom in on the solar disk.  



I was ready to shoot my own images and vid...



I walked into that tan field that stretched out before us for a long shot, but failed to realize something...



It was not until just before totality, that I noticed from the corner of my eye, that the wall behind us, displayed the elusive shadow bands in all it's glory on perhaps the largest screen around...and I missed capturing it on camera.  It didn't occur to me to aim a cam at the wall from this distance just for an ambience shot.

Damn!

But the shadow bands did not occur at the 3rd contact, only just before totality...hmmm.

I had the Eclipse timer on a speaker...and it was announcing the contact times of the event...and I guess I was as ready as I ever was, but never enough time to prep 100%...






With just a minute to go, the entire area took on a dimmed surreal specter of subtle lighting.  Colors were muted, but I did not do the Green/Red experiment.  Cameras running, the temps got cooler, the birds stopped and we were aware of the insects around us.  I was running around from camera to camera, making sure things were ok..and they were...



Right on time with the Eclipse timer announcement...we were enveloped in the Moon's shadow...



I had to shout out to Maria to "LOOK UP!", as she was engrossed in her camera screen

An Eclipse kiss in this rare moment....

What I like to do is take a selfie with the eclipse, like we did in 2017...



This is from the 152mm Refractor and Canon T7i DSLR...




And some more from both of us...

The Moon's silhouette was the blackest black I have ever witnessed, even over the 2017 event in Nebraska...quite spooky and it momentarily startled me.

And in Hydrogen-Alpha Wavelength..



(Now, I had an issue with my CGX mount.  It was so heavy, with the two scopes, cameras and counterweights, that one leg started sinking into the soil, unleveling the set-up, so that the bottom in some pics of the Sun the bottom is cut off.  I attempted to compensate from time to time to center it, but it's something that just happened that I did not expect.)


Here is Maria's Video of the totality event thru the 5" SCT in a 4:45 capture:



In Hydrogen-Alpha Wavelength...interesting how the sunlight streams through the lunar mountains here:



And...here is my vid of totality thru the 152mm Refractor, which performed beautifully.....



One leg had slightly sunk into the grassy soil, changing my level alignment and cutting off the lower part of the solar limb.  I did constant adjustments, but ok...the vid is wonderful despite the slight tilt.

Then, as suddenly as it started, our area was brightening and the event was now in reverse, but still taking images and no Shadow Bands.

The little 5" SCT did a fine job for Maria and the 152mm Refractor performed with excellent results....practicing the month prior with solar technique and camera.   With our Chicago Astronomer caps and tired....a job well done and 100% success on all expectations from years of planning to down-to-the-minute execution and imaging.  Everything fell into place, weather, location, transportation...and no crowds.

But, like a Inner-city Chicago kid, I tagged our spot with a Chicago Astronomer sticker..

And...I claim this field in the name of the Chicago Astronomer...



All packed up from a great experience and ready to go...



Thank you crew from Dollar General!!


And then...the looong trip back, taking about six hours.  We decided to make a straight run back into Chicago without a hotel stop along the way..

Paper maps rules....





And a Bigfoot sighting....



Avoiding the major highways like I-55, it look a little longer, but did not encounter any Eclipse traffic madness that the masses bring.  We arrived home about Midnight Tuesday morning and quite satisfied on our adventure to the Totality Path in Missouri. 

Getting ever so closer to the Big City...



Seems like an endless journey....and we put over 1000 miles on this chasing of the shadow...



The day after, we unpacked all our gear...still quite tired, but would do it again...



Also, these "Chicago Astronomer 2024 Eclipse pins are quite popular...need to make some for those who viewed the event...



And this nice gentleman observed us at our Hotel Continental Breakfast and enjoyed our interaction with each other.  He introduced himself and we had a nice talk on the eclipse and our lives.  I presented him with a Chicago Astronomer Eclipse pin and he loved it.



Washing off Missouri mud....and a hearty Chicago breakfast....





And the Subie did a great job transporting us without an issue...we bestow an 2024 Eclipse adventure decal for her...




Here I proudly display Paulie Christman's Eclipse Postcard from Indiana...



This is probably my last Total Solar Eclipse, as the next events are in Europe and Egypt and in Montana. 

Montana 2044



Iceland/Spain/Africa-Egypt - 2026/2027/2028





I dislike long trips, but quite content on my two Totals and the image captures.

Excelsior!!!

[Paulie pchris00]

Great trip!

I can appreciate your desire to experience totality in seclusion, but it's not a requirement for me. It's hard enough finding contingency locations in the path, so I don't mind sticking to the spots where I know they are expecting eclipse chasers, and welcoming them.

What an adventure! Drove a lot of miles through Indiana and Illinois that weekend, but when the shadow came, I was where I'd planned to be for more than six years, back in my home state of Indiana in Vincennes.

The longer totality this time certainly helped, but this totality was so much better than 2017. The first time was so overwhelming, and this time I better knew what to expect. My best friend's daughter Emily joined me for the entire adventure, we met my sister and brother-in-law in French Lick the day before the eclipse, then my aunt and cousins drove down to Vincennes the morning of E-Day. I did my best to get all my first time friends prepped for what to expect. What a perfect totality, I saw it all: shadow bands, Halley's Beads, both diamond rings, coronal streamers, naked eye prominences. Couldn't have been better, and I got to see a lot of places in Indiana that I'd never been to. On to Gibraltar, 2027!