Mon, Apr 8 2024 - Safe Atlanta Viewing of near-total Solar Eclipse during Hike at Frazier-Rowe Park (View Original Event Details) Trip Leader(s): Charlie Cottingham Participants: Charlie Cottingham, David W., Jonny, Shilpa, David A, Gloria Colley, Mark W, Ed, Lisa S, Jenny C, Jane T, Marcy, Jules W, Vicky G, Tom Jarosz (Yah-rosz), Teresa Libbey

 Thankfully on 2024's unforgettable "Great American Solar Eclipse Day" we really lucked out, with ideal blue-sky hiking weather and safe clear views of the much-publicized phenomenon. Frazier-Rowe Park and its pretty adjoining Coralwood Nature Preserve worked out perfectly for this combo outing, as they had also for last October's similar "annular" partial eclipse. Our solar-filtered NASA-rated glasses & solar binocs came in handy for safely viewing the successive phases.  We enjoyed pausing at clearings along the hike to observe the sun and admire & discuss the native animal life and beautiful spring-blooming plants & trees.  It was fun having newly active AOCers in our friendly group along with several longtime Club veterans.
  Right on cue (at the advertised ~1:45 pm "first contact") we noticed that the moon had taken a small dark "bite" out of the sun as it began sweeping upward to the left across it.  By 3:05 PM the eclipse had reached it maximum darkness with the thin crescent-shaped sun ~82% blackened by the (otherwise invisible) new moon. By then we had noticed that how much darker and eerier it had become, with crescent shaped sun-shadows on the forest floor and an owl hooting. By ~4:00 PM the final "lunar bite" began to disappear off the top of the brightening sun.  Millions of eclipse watchers in the USA's narrow "path of totality" from Texas to Maine were treated to unforgettable views of the ~4-minute complete darkening of the sun's disk with its awesome flower-like corona and other special effects.
  Thanks to Ed for sharing with us his nice photos of the eclipse and of its weird "crecent leaf shadows" special effect!
    - Posted by Charlie Tue April 9th