WEATHER & ASTRONOMY - WEATHER and Solar Eclipses!
gschn...@stsci.edu
> Weather and Astronomy
> by Todd Gross
> WEATHER and Solar Eclipses!
> 10/1/95
>
> (Cross posting to sci.astro, sci.astro.amateur, and ne.weather)
... (rest deleted for brevity)
Hi Todd,
I hate to renew an acquaintanceship lost for more than a score by chiding you,
but seeing how bemused I was by your rather fanciful tale (certainly embellished
over time) I thought I must. After traveling to the umbral shadow 17 times and
being clouded out of 4 attempts (with two acknowledged long-shots at best), I
wholeheartedly concur with your thesis that mobility is the essential ingredient
for a successful eclipse expedition. However, on rereading your diatribe I
recognized that I was being unjustly maligned by a voice from the
almost-forgotten past. A situation I do take exception to and must voice my
opposition.
To put all this in proper perspective toward the end of your vindictive prose
you state that "Glenn later claimed, and still claims TO THIS DAY that is was ME
that suggested we continue to go for Cap Chat." First, to my knowledge I
haven't event thought about you in at least the last 15 years, and had I not
stumbled across your posting I probably never would have again. Time has a way
of doing that with old acquaintances. So the concept that I am making ANY
claims in this regard "to this day" is absurd, as I hadn't even though about
these events for nearly for two decades. Second, to set the record straight, I
do not remember specifically who made the suggestion to continue to Cap Chat -
however, I fully accept the responsibility for our being clouded out. I am
making no claim that it was your suggestion. Third, your commentary, "I made
sure to ask Glenn AHEAD OF TIME if we would have MOBILITY in case we needed to
go to Nova Scotia due to clouds. He assured me there would be no problem
switching in midstream. WRONG! He forgot about the bus driver union.", is simply
incorrect. Union rules were considered, which is why we had hired two bus
drivers. We could have changed sites to Nova Scotia if we had a longer advance
warning of the changing weather. Given the time scale for the weather change
which enveloped the Gaspe, and the lead time which would have been required to
make a run for Nova Scotia, the latter was logistically impossible. This
eventuality was a shortcoming in planning, one which I can only attribute to my
inexperience at the time. Given the options opened to us I will maintain "to
this day" that with the distance required and overland travel time, the southern
shore of the St. Lawrence at Cap Chat was a logical choice. If you recall we
had clear skies until ~60% eclipse, when the front caught up with us, and a
small break at ~96-98% (just a hair too early!). Indeed, over the years I've
met numerous people who saw totality just 2km from our location. Hindsight is
always easy. Would I do it the same way again. Of course not, our mobility was
too limited. Serious eclipse chasers should always have an air-escape route ,
overland transport is just too limited.
I guess the real thorn under my bottom here is your insinuation of my "weather
deception". I do not believe there is an umbraphile anywhere with a greater
sense of urgency regarding the absolute need to maximize the probability of
obtaining clear skies. This is why, 23 years later I am heading for a point
1.2km north of dynamical centerline, south of Fatipur Sekri, India. Though the
longer totality of southeast Asia and north Borneo is tempting the weather
certainly is not. I'll take 52 seconds of totality in clear skies. Given this
philosophy, I fail to understand your choice to observe the 1991 eclipse from
Hawaii rather than the southern end of the Baja peninsula. I fully believe that
one should play the weather-odds (taking into account the mitigating effect of
the eclipse on local the local weather) and staying mobile - just in case.
With all this said, I wish you the best of luck in your future shadow chasing,
and I hope to meet you one day again in the path of totality to both set the
record straight and to revel in illuminated darkness.
*==============================================================================*
* <<< Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer >>> *
*==============================================================================*
* GLENN SCHNEIDER * Phone: 520-621-5865 FAX: 520-621-1891 Telex: 467175 *
* Instrument Scientist * email: gschn...@as.arizona.edu *
* Steward Observatory * ftp: starsrus.as.arizona.edu *
* NICMOS Project N326 ********************************************************
* University of Arizona * World Wide Web Information Server: *
* Tucson, AZ 85715 USA * http://nicmosis.as.arizona.edu:8000/NICMOS.html *
*==============================================================================*
* !!!! "Wishing you clear skies, and good seeing." !!!! -GS- *
*==============================================================================*
Todd Gross
>>that suggested we continue to go for Cap Chat."
> First, to my knowledge haven't even thought about you in at least the last
>15 years
Glenn, when I wrote that, I had hoped, the very slim hope, that you would hear
of it and contact me. You may not remember me well, but I cherished your
friendship (even though you were kinda kooky - an off-beat genius) and
am thrilled you caught my bait! Also, last we talked, you did tease me that it
was my fault, true it was around 1975, we were young, and you were probably
just teasing me!
>Given the time scale for the weather change which
>enveloped the Gaspe, and the lead time which would have been required to make
>a run for Nova Scotia, the latter was logistically impossible.
You know, if I was a *real* weatherdude like I am today, you were probably
right... I really WOULD have been able to insist on Nova Scotia much earlier
in the trip. I was only 17! I take it back.. it's my fault! I'll have to fix
the article!
>I guess the real thorn under my bottom here is your insinuation
>of my "weather deception".
Purely tongue and cheek.. you don't remember, but you never let me live down
the Cap Chat weather (at the time). Just chiding back!
The reason that this sticks out in my mind, understandably, is that I have
only seen one sunny total eclipse, while you have managed 13!!!!! Wow, does
anyone on sci.astro.amateur know of another living human being who has taken
in more full-view Total Solar Eclipses? Even Joe Rao and his diverting that
public airliner doesnt' compare to that!
>I fully believe that one should play the weather-odds (taking into account
>the mitigating effect of the eclipse on local the local weather) and staying
>mobile - just in case.
Exactly!
>With all this said, I wish you the best of luck in your future shadow chasing,
>and I hope to meet you one day again in the path of totality to both set the
>record straight and to revel in illuminated darkness.
Definitely! Please, let's not make it another 20 years! And whatever happened
to that Sky and Telescope subscription you guys promised me .................
;)
-Todd
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Todd Gross
Channel 7 Meteorologist, Boston
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