Sorry for the long post, but I thought some of you might find this useful. It has been over 37 years since the last total solar eclipse was visible in the United States (Feb 1979,) but next year we will play host to thousands of umbraphiles (eclipse chasers.) On Monday August 21st, the day after GenCon ends there will be a total solar eclipse that will cross across United States from Oregon (Salem) to South Carolina (Charleston.) Even if you are not in the path of totality, the rest of North America will be able to bear witness to a partial eclipse. Total solar eclipses are one of those rare astronomical events that you need to experience, but you need to take some precautions and preparations to make it safe and awesome. While some might think that 9 months before is a little too much, some of you might want to take advantage of the holiday sales coming up. First a note about safe viewing. Please take a moment to read the following advisory:
Here is an interactive map that shows the path of totality:
You might have noticed that the path of totality moves from West to East (i.e. Salem, Oregon will see totality long before Charleston, SC.) This may seem counterintuitive, since the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, but what is happening is that the moon's orbit is slower that the relative speed of the Earth axial rotation. Simply put, the sun is moving faster than the moon, so the shadow cast moves west to east. For those of you in the Midwest will note that northern Kansas City and southern St. Louis are on the edges of the path of totality. If you can, try to move close to the midline of the path of totality. The closer to the midline, the longer you will be in the shadow of totality. As far as viewing goes, the Midwest weather is somewhat unpredictable especially in August. I was checking out sites back in August, and had rain, clouds, and relatively clear skies on three days. Mobility has been a key to successful eclipse viewing. In 2012, there were parts of Brisbane it overcast, but the was a small window of semi-clear skies about 10 miles north where you could capture totality (most of the rest of the coast only got a glimpse of the partial eclipse.) Keep an eye on the forecasts. Here is a link to some important weather data for the 2017 eclipse:
If you are in the path of totality, here is a timeline of some of the things to look for: First Contact: This is when the moon first begins to block out the sun.
Once Second Contact begins, it is perfectly safe to watch the eclipse without your stylish eclipse glasses. Once Third Contact starts you need to put them back on. The moon is completely blocking out all of the sunlight. As this point you can see the solar corona. Depending on the amount of solar activity, you might be able to see some solar prominences. If you are photographing the eclipse you might be able to capture some other solar activity (e.g. solar mass ejections.)
If you decide to try to photograph the eclipse here are some helpful tips if you are using a DSLR (or mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses):
A bunch of us GMing brought special/different chronicle sheets for this purpose. I think this one may be best left in the hands of the GM, as I think the effort:reward ratio is a bit skewed against it. I used 32# semigloss paper for most of my chronicles. So, we seem to agree that they should be special. I also agree that printing up several thousand chronicles may be a bit ambitious, but ~1100 (~160 tables x7 each) chronicles for the special event might be do-able. Failing that, I would like something more universal, so we don't have 100+ versions of "special" chronicles. Perhaps a watermark pdf or something similar.
I thought that this is the best organized GenCon that I've been to. While I was only on the receiving end of the mustering, it seemed to have gone off extremely well. Most of my tables were seated within 10 minutes after the hour. Runners distributing water is a hold over from last year, but I still appreciate the effort that the staff has gone to make sure that the volunteers are being properly cared for. I do have a couple of thoughts to make next year's GenCon even better: GM check-in:
Special GenCon Chronicles:
henwy wrote: It seems like the general consensus of the RAW crowd is that Wednesday is one day too late and us Way of the Kirin people would be borked as far as the boon is concerned. I don't suppose there are any GMs around on Tuesday who would want to run the scenario? :P Pretty please? Pretty please with a beer on top? I'll be flying in Tuesday afternoon. If you can get a table organized, I'll be happy to run Way of the Kirin for you any time after 6:00.
Yes, this is the first post on the boards. Benjamin Franklin wrote some great advise about survival with a group of strangers, "It is better to remain silent and let people think you are ignorant, than open your mouth and remove any doubt." I would like to thank everyone, and hope to see you all at Winter Fantasy in January. PS- DragonMoon that wasn't me, I used paper flats at PaizoCon. |