To ask Mumsnetters across the pond what they make of the SM hype around the solar eclipse,

[MistressoftheDarkSide]

Genuinely interested to hear opinions and thoughts having seen everything from aliens to the rapture being referenced on YouTube etc.

I can sort of understand the commercial opportunity angle and the need to manage infrastructure around towns on the oath etc, but some of the batshittery seems extreme and I wonder how those living around the path are feeling ?

I don't recall this level of preparation or interest in other eclipses - but I suppose it's just a sign of the times? Not the end times, obviously 😆 just the world we live in.

Colour me intrigued.

what sort of social media are you on? I haven't seen anything like that. One or two brief factual mentions - I suspect you are getting served more batshitary because you are clicking on it

Err, Facebook and YouTube. I'm not seeking it out it's just cropping up more as Monday approaches. Are you Stateside?

The moon passes between the sun and earth and casts a shadow over parts of earth. That’s all that happens. Do I need a tinfoil hat for aliens?

I'm in Canada and honestly sick of hearing about it.

My husband is taking the day off to take the kids to his brothers to watch it, as it's supposed to be better when they live

Everywhere is having special viewing events, and providing solar glasses

im in the UK and apart from FIL who has an interest in that sort of thing. I’ve not heard anyone mention it.

but on Reddit: sounds like they are expecting the four horsemen of the apocalypse

There's an article on BBC giving details of the time and the importance of viewing ot safely.

I've seen a few eclipses in my time. None have had been accompanied by 👽 or rapture stuff. Most people come out to look and go back indoors afterwards. I usually celebrate with a cup of tea and a bun.

I remember there being an absolutely massive hoohah in the UK over the 1999 eclipse, despite it only being total in Cornwall. Special glasses, features on building pinhole cameras, special outside broadcasts with Russell fucking Grant FFS… I've not been served much 2024 eclipse content, but what you describe sounds pretty similar, just updated to 2024 media. It's an exciting once in a lifetime event for many people, and eclipses have very often had mystical, paranormal or supernatural connotations or interpretations.

Basically, seems par for the course IMO.

I’m at about 90% totality where I live. Haven’t seen anything about aliens or conspiracy theories of any kind of social media. No idea why your algorithm is feeding you that sort of thing.

I had the opportunity to see a complete several years ago. It was clouded over, but it didn’t matter, it was still an amazing experience. Birds and bugs erupted in sound. The light was eerie. It was wonderful. If I could get away with taking dd out of school, we would take the short trip to totality, but she just can’t miss on Monday and I feel too guilty to go without her.

Thanks @coxesorangepippin This is what I was wondering - whether it's at saturation point for you guys. I mean it is an interesting and relatively infrequent spectacle of course - I caught an official news conference thing where some state's local law enforcement were talking about pre-emptive state of emergency planning, the National Guard being called in to handle traffic, and the possibility of cell phone outages at which point I was a bit eh? 🤔
If everyone's looking at it, will they all be on their phones or something? Probably a stupid question on my part, obviously 🙄 but I'm old lol.

I was working in Covent Garden at the time and I think I remember someone with a bucket of water, so the eclipse could be seen in the reflection of the water (to protect eyes)

I’m a Brit living in the US and haven’t seen anything like that at all. You’re getting weird conspiracy stuff shown to you because you’ve interacted with or watched it before and the algorithm wants to give you more of what it thinks you want.

There is a fair amount of excitement for the eclipse itself though.

I’m almost in the eclipse path and I haven’t seen any of the alien or rapture stories.

There are articles wondering how the area near me that typically has almost no one in it will cope with 20,000 visitors at once. I’m wondering the same thing.

There is only one freeway in and out, and almost no roads, so I’d expect traffic will be a problem on the day.

Everyone at work today was talking about their plans to watch it, and quite a few people are traveling somewhere to see it, including me.

All very similar to my experience of the 1999 eclipse in the UK.

I mean, just to be clear I don't think anything will happen beyond a spectacular natural phenomenon personally, and I am slightly on the woo spectrum myself, in that I'm curious about the unexplained, but obviously though eclipses are associated with such phenomena, we understand them better now.

I'm wondering why I'm getting so much of it then. Must be related to past searches, though I've not looked for anything about eclipses until it started showing up. Algorithms eh? Lol.

Anyway, thanks for the input.

Hope those going to see it on the path or at totality have a cracking time 😊

Other than OH mentioning it today, I've not seen/heard much about it (in UK).

I saw the last one in South Devon but don't remember the hoo-ha as DS was only a couple of months old so I had other things keeping me occupied!

I hadn't even heard about it. Didn't know it was happening.

I love a total solar eclipse. I was lucky enough to see one in 2010. It was a fairly cloudy day, but the clouds parted just before totality, which was great.

The light effect is strange. Someone once described it as like the Earth being lit up by another star. Seeing the corona is also amazing.

I wouldn’t go out of my way to watch another partial solar eclipse, though. They aren’t half as impressive.

I’m in Northern Alberta. I believe we only get to see about 25% here and if it’s snowing we won’t see much at all.

I know our local school boards are keeping Grade K-6 inside for lunch. 7-12 will be allowed outside but lunch is early at my son’s school so they won’t see it anyway, unless their class teacher lets them out.

I have ordered some glasses just in case. I’m keeping a pair home, so I can hopefully see it.

No foil hat stuff here that I’m aware of.

Im going to see 99.8% apparently, havent seen any social media posting apart from one thing that was posting a web site where you could put in your zip code and see what percentage you would see (which is why I know). My dc’s school are doing a special event and I will probably go outside for a bit, but I havent seen any fuss beyond some advice that the traffic will be dreadful right after it. I do actually need to go and find some protective glasses tomorrow.

In 1999, we were walking past a hospital on our way to watch it, when two nurses came out and peered at the eclipse through a patient’s x-rays!

Sadly the clouds completely obscured totality. It was interesting to see the wildlife react though - I remember the seagulls flew out to sea, screaming.

This cropped up on my feed earlier this week.

I'm American and live in California. It's only about supposed to cover about 30% here, which is a shame since we typically have very clear skies. It's a fun natural phenomenon. It's nice to have something to think about that isn't war, privation, crime and all those worries.

I live in Pennsylvania and I think different places are bring in police and national guard due to crazy people in the effected area just stopping on the highway to watch. A few schools are closed or early dismissal but due to the crazy people who will cause traffic delays. No aliens here in the US. Think about it, what intelligence would want to come here?

It was pretty cool, no?