Closest place to DC to see total solar eclipse?

[Anonymous]

FWIW, if you are in Falls Church, the library is giving out eclipse glasses. Currently it's just for FCC residents but they are offering them to everyone beginning August 7.

http://www.fallschurchva.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?CID=8

[Anonymous]

What is the best scientific (but accessible) website for the eclipse (and future ones)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the best scientific (but accessible) website for the eclipse (and future ones)?

This is a really good site that is run by several astrophysicists (including some from NASA's GSFC) and some eclipse chasers, e.g. people who are hard-core hobbyists. Very good info:
http://www.eclipse2017.org/

Also, I just posted a bunch of information about the eclipse on the other thread
http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/659282.page#11313631

[Anonymous]

Fwiw I watched the last full solar eclipse of the previous millennium (that's how it was billed!) from southern Iran - we had paper glasses that were free giveaways somewhere so I can't imagine the quality control was too high. But no one went blind or had any bad reactions! It was an incredible experience to watch the world go from day (hot and sunny) to night and back again within a matter of minutes.

I'll miss this one but hope the rest of you have an amazing time!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the closest place e to DC to see the eclipse? I'm looking to drive down to see it in a day, Spend one night in a hotel and drive back the following day.

From my other post:

As for traffic, according to the guy here at NASA, the solar physics team has been in close contact with several other groups including major traffic centers to determine the impact. They are estimating that around 10-25 million people will be trying to travel to the path of totality. With nearly 100 million people living within range, and standard traffic even from those not trying to see the eclipse, the traffic mavens have said this is likely to be a major traffic day. Treat it much like you would a major holiday travel conditions and allow extra time to travel anywhere in the region of totality. From the other thread, the person who was thinking of just “driving down the day of the event” to see it would probably need to leave before 4:00am to make it for the approximately 2:42 pm event, assuming travel time of around 6-7 hours.

[Anonymous]

I actually had arranged a place to stay near Nashville, with family, but I'm getting concerned about the traffic now. I fear it will be like Thanksgiving x 2 , where normal driving takes twice as long and an 8 hour drive morphs into 16. It would be just me driving with my kids, and I have to be back home immediately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I actually had arranged a place to stay near Nashville, with family, but I'm getting concerned about the traffic now. I fear it will be like Thanksgiving x 2 , where normal driving takes twice as long and an 8 hour drive morphs into 16. It would be just me driving with my kids, and I have to be back home immediately.

My thinking is the drive down will not be that bad. The number of people going down the day before is limited by the number of hotel rooms. The day of, there are no limits. it could be really bad.

My plan is to avoid 95. (I am going to SC). Going down, I will leave on Sat, stay in SW VA, SAT night, and drive to SC sunday. We will drive about 150 miles towards home after the eclipse, and stay in Southern VA.

Tuesday, we will drive the rest of the way home, but off the interstates.

[Anonymous]

Damn having no leave time-I just used it all for my mil to visit

I will have to catch it on a live stream at the office

[Anonymous]

To me if you have sat in dc area traffic and outer banks traffic, other traffic jams will be the same.
And if you have been to India or China, traffic can not be as crazy here than it is in those countries.

I would sit at the entrance of 95 and once it's over, i'll be one of the first ones on 95.