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On January 29th, I attended the Science in the South Conference hosted by my alma mater Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. The conference, for local science educators, offers a series of workshops on current trends, topics, and technology in science. This year, the upcoming 2017 eclipse was the highlight of the conference. Full disclosure: I wasn’t aware of an upcoming eclipse that would engulf my hometown in its shadow.
I decided I would finally attend an eclipse workshop to finish out the day. The session was about the Citizen CATE experiment, the goal of which is to make a continuous 90 minute movie of the solar corona during the 2017 total solar eclipse. You can read more here. The workshop was full of professional and amateur astronomers, and me, the lady that was totally oblivious to this whole thing. After the session, I realized how big this event was going to be for Southern Illinois, Carbondale, and our little school in Gallatin County. I wanted to be involved.
A couple of days after the conference, I contacted the presenter of the workshop, Bob Baer the computer/electronics specialists in the Physics Department and the Illinois State Coordinator for the Citizen CATE project. I wanted to be a part of this. I told him of my teaching position at Gallatin County and that I was also a filmmaker; my being a filmmaker sparked his interest.
On Febuarary 22, I stopped by SIU to film a meeting for the Citizen CATE experiment. Bob and the lead student on the CATE project, Sarah Kovac, would be leaving soon for Indonesia, and I wanted to make sure I got their pre-trip feelings captured on video. Sarah decided to take my Go Pro along for the trip, since I wouldn’t be able to join them.
The next day, Bob emailed me expressing his thanks for filming the meeting. He also mentioned a commercial flight that would intercept the March 8th/9th eclipse and introduced me to Mike Kentrianakis, the Solar Eclipse Project Manger at the American Astronomical Society who was part of the keynote address at Science in the South. Mike immediately contacted me and sold me on the idea of filming from the plane, the only way to even see the eclipse outside of Indonesia. This was possibly a once-in-a-lifetime trip he told me. I told him I was in but two days later, before I had bought my ticket, the plane had sold out. Mike suggested calling the airlines twice a day, maybe there would be a cancellation.
On March 3rd, I noticed a seat had opened and I booked immediately. The only problem was, it was a middle seat, not the starboard window seat I needed to get the best view. But it was only a seat away to where I needed to be, so it would do. With only five days left before the eclipse, I booked my hotels in both Anchorage and Honolulu, made arrangements at the school, and on March 6th I left Evansville Airport for a connecting flight to Chicago that would then take me to Anchorage Alaska. On the flights over I realized two things: I had to get that window seat somehow and I had to have access to my equipment; not so easy in the tight spaces in coach.
I decided I would finally attend an eclipse workshop to finish out the day. The session was about the Citizen CATE experiment, the goal of which is to make a continuous 90 minute movie of the solar corona during the 2017 total solar eclipse. You can read more here. The workshop was full of professional and amateur astronomers, and me, the lady that was totally oblivious to this whole thing. After the session, I realized how big this event was going to be for Southern Illinois, Carbondale, and our little school in Gallatin County. I wanted to be involved.
A couple of days after the conference, I contacted the presenter of the workshop, Bob Baer the computer/electronics specialists in the Physics Department and the Illinois State Coordinator for the Citizen CATE project. I wanted to be a part of this. I told him of my teaching position at Gallatin County and that I was also a filmmaker; my being a filmmaker sparked his interest.
On Febuarary 22, I stopped by SIU to film a meeting for the Citizen CATE experiment. Bob and the lead student on the CATE project, Sarah Kovac, would be leaving soon for Indonesia, and I wanted to make sure I got their pre-trip feelings captured on video. Sarah decided to take my Go Pro along for the trip, since I wouldn’t be able to join them.
The next day, Bob emailed me expressing his thanks for filming the meeting. He also mentioned a commercial flight that would intercept the March 8th/9th eclipse and introduced me to Mike Kentrianakis, the Solar Eclipse Project Manger at the American Astronomical Society who was part of the keynote address at Science in the South. Mike immediately contacted me and sold me on the idea of filming from the plane, the only way to even see the eclipse outside of Indonesia. This was possibly a once-in-a-lifetime trip he told me. I told him I was in but two days later, before I had bought my ticket, the plane had sold out. Mike suggested calling the airlines twice a day, maybe there would be a cancellation.
On March 3rd, I noticed a seat had opened and I booked immediately. The only problem was, it was a middle seat, not the starboard window seat I needed to get the best view. But it was only a seat away to where I needed to be, so it would do. With only five days left before the eclipse, I booked my hotels in both Anchorage and Honolulu, made arrangements at the school, and on March 6th I left Evansville Airport for a connecting flight to Chicago that would then take me to Anchorage Alaska. On the flights over I realized two things: I had to get that window seat somehow and I had to have access to my equipment; not so easy in the tight spaces in coach.
I arrived at my hotel in Anchorage around 12 am Alaska Standard Time. It was too dark to see much; I could only see the evergreen trees and the old dirty snow left on the ground. By morning, I woke up with a beautiful view of the mountains that had been hidden the night before. Looking out my window, I could see ice on the sidewalks, not the walking friendly city I was hoping for since I didn’t get a rental car.
| My hotel shuttled me downtown where I spent the morning and afternoon walking around and purchasing last minute camera equipment I needed for the flight. At 3 pm, I went back to the hotel to meet Dan McGlaun who would be on the flight with me. Dan would be the first “eclipse chaser” or “umbraphile” I would meet on the trip. He agreed to a chilly interview in the Alaskan cold where he informed me of his past eclipse experiences. What I would soon realize is chasing an eclipse is a lot of work. It involves physics, analyzing weather patterns, having backup plans, maybe chartering a plane, and in our case, calling the airline to have them reroute and delay a commercial flight.  Going over the next day's plans with Captain Hal Andersen.  |  Gloves, beanie, coffee, and camera essentials for a cold Alaskan interview.  Dan McGlaun being a sport out in the cold. After the interview, I prepared for the evening where I would meet all the other chasers on the flight. I was picked up by Mike, finally meeting him in person and we left for Simon and Seaforts for dinner. Our pilots, Captains Hal Andersen and Brian Holm, agreed to eat with us and celebrate. It was a whirlwind of who’s who of eclipse chasers, fascinating globe trotting stories, and the science behind a topic that I would soon realize I had just begun to understand. I now felt the enormity of the event that I was flying towards. Two hours later, full from the fresh fish, everyone parted ways, excited about the day to come. |
The next day, I awoke without an alarm, eager to get out the door and to the airport. I still needed that starboard window seat. I checked in and shockingly, the seat right next to mine had opened up. It was one of two seats available but it was the only one that had the starboard window that I desperately needed. It was such a relief knowing the window was mine; I immediately felt the stress melt away, if the plane would hit its the target, I would see it. I made my way to the gate realizing I was the first one there. One-by-one the eclipse enthusiasts made their way in.
| The press was scheduled to arrive at the gate at noon. At first, one cameraman and a reporter were there (they would join us on the flight), but in just thirty minutes our gate was full of reporters and cameras. People waiting at other gates approached me asking what was going on and were disappointed when they found out that only our flight would see the eclipse. Our group of 13 chasers, plus a handful more, were the only passengers that knew what they were about to see. The other hundred passengers of flight 870 were just looking to take a break from the cold in Alaska, they were in for an extra treat. | |
 Me putting up the Go Pro. Thanks Mike Kentrianakis for the picture! | The eclipse group boarded the plane first, giving us a little time to set up. I was relieved to see that I had more room on this flight, and having access to my equipment wouldn’t be a problem. As the passengers starting filing in, I heard my name over the PA: I was needed up front. I made my way against the people coming in, upstream, just like the salmon I had enjoyed the night before. I was asked to set up a Go Pro in the cockpit, something that I will not so humbly admit, was pretty cool. The flight staff were great and they continued to go out of their way to accommodate us. I settled in; the party wouldn’t start until halfway through the flight. |
Around 4:30 pm, 2 and a half hours into the flight, the eclipse began. Without the special glasses, the sun looked like it would on any other day. My comrades in the front of the plane played Bonnie Taylor’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” (GMA would do the same when covering the story). Even with just a tiny sliver of the sun visible, it was still too bright to look at without the glasses. Then, at about 5:35 pm, totality began. We were flying 500 mph at 35,000 ft in the air and we were right on target. We removed our glasses, now totally safe to do so. People from the left side of the plane tried to squeeze in for a glimpse. My row mate and a lady from the front left of the plane sat in the floor to get a decent view.
People can describe what an eclipse looks like, you can get a general idea, but you won’t know just what it feels like until you are there. The term "amazing" is thrown around too much, but this is when it truly applies. A couple of chasers told me before that it brings out a primal fear, when day oddly turns to night. The cabin wasn’t just filled with “ah’s" and “oh’s," it was full of yips, clapping, “oh my gods,” and maybe a few explicits. It’s hard to say what brought on the excitement I felt, the camaraderie brought on from the fact that we were some of the few people to get to see this, the pressure to get the shot, or the amazement at the sight of something I had never witnessed with my own two eyes. In just two short minutes, it was over.
| I would later ask Evan Zucker, one of the chasers, if eclipse chasing had its superstitions. “Not superstitions but it is full of traditions,” he said. Just as the show in the sky ended, the traditions began. “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles was played, the eclipse flag was paraded down the aisle by Craig and Dan, and when we landed we would celebrate with Egg Creams, a beverage consisting of milk, carbonated water, and chocolate syrup. |  Craig and Dan parade the flag after the eclipse. |
 Evan Zucker speaks with the pilot about the view from the cockpit. | As we pulled up to the gate in Honolulu, I spotted a camera crew as they were filming us. I was one of the last ones off the plane, making sure to collect all my gear. As we stepped off the plane, we were greeted by the camera crew, who we later found out was getting footage for Good Morning America (watch the video here). Mike, Bob, Anisa, and I left the group to head to the |
basement of the Alaska Airlines office. After an hour of collecting our footage, we were finally able to leave the airport for our separate destinations around Honolulu. That hour of transferring was worth it though. The next day, Mike’s video went viral. As I’m typing this, it currently has over a million views on youtube (watch it here).
 Such a lovely spot for an interview. |  Evan Zucker relives the moment. |
I took another day to enjoy Honolulu and to relax knowing I got what I came for. Not only did I have great footage in the bag, but I left prepared for what is to come to Southern Illinois. The Great American Eclipse will be here on August 21, 2017 and I’ll be there with my camera. It will be truly amazing to watch it and a whole new generation start their eclipse adventures.
See you in Southern Illinois for the Great American Eclipse!
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