Bryan Guess -- Blog

Today, the fam and I witnessed a total solar eclipse. It was our second time. The first time (in 2017) we were fortunate enough to be near the path of totality and traveling towards it on the way to somewhere else. It was a magnificent experience.

This time we traveled over eight hours.

The 2024 total solar eclipse would be the last the continental US would see in about two decades. We all agreed we had to go.

If you haven't experienced a total solar eclipse, do it. You owe it to yourself.

Drive. Fly. Hike. Sail. Climb. Go out of your way.

Whatever you have to do to get there, it's worth it.

Notice I didn't say "if you haven't seen a total solar eclipse..." A total eclipse is an experience. Don't settle for photos or even videos. Don't even settle for some person's account - not even mine. You need to feel it with all your senses - in real time.

I'm not talking about some spiritual moment... though some might take it as one. This is a rare, fleeting, precious, and unusual physical event. And it's unlike any sunset or sunrise (or frankly any other moment) you've experienced.

But, if you're going to do it, you have to be in the path of totality. Otherwise, you're really just getting a partial eclipse. And that's fun, don't get me wrong. It's just not the same thing.

Rather than try harder to convince you, I'll point you to Tim Urban and David Baron, who both do a better job at describing how magnificent it is.

Hopefully that will convince you that it's worthwhile to get to an eclipse. If you don't go, you'll never understands how a group of strangers (without coaching or prompt or sporting event or common religion) could gather in a field and share this response...

If you want to find an eclipse somewhere in the world, here are some maps of all eclipses through the year 2040. Look for the word "total" in the column "Eclipse Type".