The total eclipse is just a little over a month away!

3-03-24 11:30am. This total solar eclipse update is brought to you by Dietz-McLean Optical. www.dmoptical.com

I know it is still over a month away from the total solar eclipse, but it’s not too early to start getting prepared for the amazing event! The first thing you need to do is find out if the location you are planning on viewing the eclipse is in the “dark zone”. Partial eclipses are cool, but they can’t even come close to what you experience when viewing a total eclipse…it immediately becomes night, stars come out, temperatures lower and winds increase. And if there aren’t any clouds, it also gives you the super rare opportunity to look at the sun, where you will witness the corona and solar prominences.

A few things to plan before the date:

First of all, if you haven’t figured out where you are going to go on that date, you need to do so quickly, as hotels, RV Parks, etc. are probably already booked. Secondly, plan on a traffic nightmare a few hours before and for many hours after the total eclipse. I viewed the one in 2017 in rural Wyoming and traffic was at a complete standstill even 4 hours after the eclipse. I’ve also read that gasoline could be an issue, with so many people coming into the “dark zone” from all over the country and even internationally! It would not hurt to take a few gallons of extra gas with you. If you have not purchased eclipse glasses or filters for your camera, you need to do that ASAP, before stores run out. On a different note, if you want to look cool in an eclipse T-shirt, ordering one soon would also be a good idea…below is the one I will be wearing from Amazon.

As we near the event, I will be posting regular eclipse forecasts. Since I will be traveling to the Hill Country from Pagosa Springs, CO for the eclipse, knowing what weather to expect will certainly be important!

Mark