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Solar Eclipse Weather Cartoons
Author: Bill Kramer
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Solar Eclipse Weather Cartoons

- by Bill Kramer

There is no doubt that weather is a very important subject for eclipse chasers. Since a total solar eclipse only lasts a few minutes the weather must be good at the right time and that is not an easy thing to predict. Especially since the shadow of the Moon actually has a cooling effect on the atmosphere. Sometimes that can work to your advantage and other times it may not work well. It is an ongoing study and data collection is always appreciated.

These cartoons highlight the weather aspect of eclipse chasing.

Click the image for a higher resolution display. You can use these images in your own presentations with the following acknowledgement: Image (c)Bill Kramer, www.eclipse-chasers.com. For commercial requests (publications) please contact me.

 

On Eclipse Day, Clear Sky feels Good. Yes, it does. After years of preparation that feeling of relief when the sky is good on eclipse day is intoxicating. Take it in and savor the feeling a couple times before the eclipse starts.

Of course, the worse the weather is that day before the eclipse, the worse one feels. Once you've seen the eclipse, the weather is no longer important. That is, with the exception of the expected weather at the next eclipse.

 

Selective Hearing: The only important part of the weather report is what is going on around eclipse time. The rest is for the tour guide to worry about.

Eclipse chasers have selective hearing when it comes to weather forcasting. So long as the weather report is good for eclipse time, the rest of the day can be a complete disaster and they will not care one little bit.

 

Extreme Eclipse Chasing: Being tall, ground level fog is not much of a problem, however I can see where a trampoline could be handy. I guess the well-prepared eclipse chaser better pack one. Although photography would be difficult unless you use a Go-Pro.

 

Body Language: The weather report as seen in the face of an eclipse chaser. Clear feels great, hazy or light clouds bring on a nervous state, and outright storming brings out all sorts of negative vibes. Best to avoid eclipse chasers when it is storming on eclipse day and they have no back up plan available.

 

Eclipse Trip Report: When eclipse chasing is involved, it is all about those few minutes around totality. The rest of the adventure is quickly forgotten if it was not something special itself (such as seeing the pyramids, a safari, or touring historical sites - including observatories).

 

Cloud Busters: A dream of all astronomers is to have a tool to bust up the clouds on demand. This is especially true of eclipse chasers who have specific timing requirements for the clear viewing.

This eclipse parodies a couple of eclipse chaser behaviors and strange characters.

 

One Little Cloud: A perfectly clear sky is the best way to watch a total solar eclipse and as the eclipse time gets closer and closer, every little cloud threatens to ruin the show.

Mobility is important but should not be abused. If there is a good chance of seeing an eclipse at a particular location, stay put even if some clouds wander in. Chances are the eclipse cooling effect with drive them away. On the other hand if they seem to be building up, that is the time to rethink the local microclimate and may be move away from them.

 

All eclipse cartoons were created by Bill Kramer using an iPad and the ArtRage drawing program.