Big Astronomy jerking us around

I hope for Barron’s sake that this picture is worth more than a thousand words of contrast between the two Trumps.

it's when it goes total that the world turns eerie and your mind is blown. Total ones are pretty rare and you have to travel to see them.

If you haven't seen a total, you don't know. Once you have, you are one of us.

It totally makes sense to have a religion where you stab out someone's heart during a total eclipse. It's one of the most naturally awe-inspiring events there is. Right up there with an explosive volcanic eruption, which also gets religions based on it.

I can’t decide if you are a deep state plant, and MSNBC plant or just a plant.

It briefly gets dark. whoa

obviously you are not one of the initiated.

Go see a total, and you will understand. It's not dark, it is a light that shows the world as you've never seen it and will never forget

The astromy/industrial complex exists to makes money for the plutocrats, while keeping the truth about the heavens from those of us who pay taxes to support their witchcraft.

I’d love to hear newname’s take on this

Yeah, why have astronomy when we already know that some white dude with a grey beard, wearing a gown, just created himself then the rest of the world.

Come on man...

I've seen a total eclipse and the only thing that sticks out is the traffic jam trying to get back home.

I'm also struggling to understand what the big deal is

Why all the press about Taylor Swift, or anything involving the British Royal family? What's the harm in some coverage of an eclipse? It seems like there are worse/more trivial things the media could be covering non-stop. At least we know when the coverage will end.

It's an incredible experience of you ever get to experience. It takes a lot of effort and is incredibly boring for the hours leading up to it. ...but that boring time is still 1000x more exciting than watching a 10k track race.

There have been way more eclipses than Taylor Swifts or queens. And the “media” covers them because they literally get paid to by Swift’s agent and the Royal house. The moon isn’t paying the media so someone is. little BnB’s in podunk towns aren’t either.

What? I’m not comparing it to track. Nobody covers 10k in the New York Times and for good reason. I think you made my case.

It is like track, but you are at the olympics and the 100m winner runs 5 seconds flat, trumpets blare from the sky, time stands still, cats and dogs become friends, and goats sprout wings and start flapping around in formation.

It's like nothing you've ever seen, or maybe will again... unless you take the trouble to travel to the most convenient next one. Those of us who have seen them know secrets of the universe you don't.

I mean ok, I accept the premise it’s cool to see. But that doesn’t explain 24/7 coverage. Lots of cool things don’t get covered, like my dog can do 180s catching frisbees but that’s not on the news. Someone is cashing in disproportionately to the interest in an eclipse and I want to understand who and why.

And what I mean by my dog doing 180s is she run away from me and catches frisbees overhead Willie Mays style while rotating back to land facing me. I will start another thread tomorrow to explain this because it’s frankly very unique.

I think it's Big Eclipse Glasses trying to convince us to buy their leftover glasses from 2017. Sheeple!

There have been 100s of pop stars and there will be 100s more. There is nothing unique aboout Swift. And there have been kings and queens for centuries. It's always the same - one dies, another ascends to the throne, another has a scandal, etc.

Who do you think is funding all of that eclipse coverage - those billionaire astromers? The media covers it for the same reason we see non-stop coverage of reporters standing in the rain every time there is a hurricane. Sensationalizing the trvial is the media's lifeblood. Nothing to see there, just go for a long run.

your premise that there’s no science to be learned. You’re wrong! 1. The sun’s energy is transferred to space and to earth first via the sun’s corona. The study of the corona is the science to be learned. 2. Solar particles and radiation are absorbed in the earth’s atmosphere primarily where all of our satellites orbit. Both 1 and 2 can best be studied during an eclipse. There are other ways to study it, just that the eclipse is the best way. Hope that helps (..and I’m a runner and not a scientist)