Happy winter/summer solstice, everybody!

[freebeard]

IIRC it's more like a polarizing filter than a sunset, everything is strangely desaturated.

And we even got cows running along a fenceline because they thought it was time to be home for milking.

[Gasoline Fumes]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Did anybody else get to see it?


This was my first total eclipse, and it was pretty amazing.



It clouded over in my little city about an hour before totality, so we raced down the freeway (note: very un-hypermiling behavior!) towards blue skies.


We weren't the only ones with that idea: the rest stop where we pulled off was packed. Lots of people had hit the road for a better view.


I was particularly surprised by how bright it stayed out even when only the tiniest sliver of the sun's surface was visible. Darkness fell bizarrely quickly when it came.

I hit the road in search of clear skies too. I was only able to find less clouds before it started getting dark. I ended up stopping on the side of the road between Pulaski and Sandy Creek, NY. I got one decent photo of totality between the clouds.

[MetroMPG]

WOW! That's a fantastic photo!! Nice work.



I unfortunately forgot my binoculars, so I didn't get to see any details in the corona. I was hoping to see a prominence.


Question: (I know I can find the answer to this by searching, but I want to ask a fellow human being...) can you actually see the prominences moving? I realize they are huge structures (Earth scale & bigger), so maybe not?

Originally Posted by freebeard

IIRC it's more like a polarizing filter than a sunset, everything is strangely desaturated.

Also, I was intrigued by shadow edges becoming peculiarly sharp as the moon covered almost the whole disc of the sun. Makes sense, as we go from "floodlight" to "spotlight" light source.

And we even got cows running along a fenceline because they thought it was time to be home for milking.

I definitely heard the birds break into their evening chorus where we were.



Sad that the next total eclipse in North America is ~20 years away... and on the other side of the continent.

[Gasoline Fumes]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Question: (I know I can find the answer to this by searching, but I want to ask a fellow human being...) can you actually see the prominences moving? I realize they are huge structures (Earth scale & bigger), so maybe not?

I didn't notice any visible movement, but I only caught that one shot through the clouds.

[MetroMPG]

Carhenge in western Nebraska.

It's a thing! https://carhenge.com/

I was hoping to get a summer solstice photo to go with this winter solstice shot of my favourite riverside park...



... but the morning clouds haven't been cooperating.

[redpoint5]

It might hit 90 degrees today. I've got the windows open trying to cool the house as much as possible before the heat hits.

Even though yesterday was the longest day and we had clear skies, it wasn't my highest producing PV day. Temperature has a big impact on efficiency, and 85 degrees reduced output.

[freebeard]

Funny you should mention that.

I'm watching DIY Supermaterial Could Save You From Heatstroke: Salt based PCMs --- NightHawkInLight and at ?t=1344 he shows how to make a blanket to back your solar panels.

From grocery store materials ....to save your panels from heatstroke.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Funny you should mention that.

I'm watching DIY Supermaterial Could Save You From Heatstroke: Salt based PCMs --- NightHawkInLight and at ?t=1344 he shows how to make a blanket to back your solar panels.

From grocery store materials ....to save your panels from heatstroke.

Would be neat to see someone experiment with that. There was no mention of the heat capacity of such a scheme... and my guess is the panels would quickly melt any ziplock thickness amounts.

I've seen videos of people using DI water to cool panels in a filtered recirculation system. It's cheaper to simply install more solar panels than monkey around with such systems.

That said, I wonder if a a closed water cooling solution on the backside of the panel could be worth the effort. Probably not, but I'd like to see what people come up with.

I'm currently experimenting with a 12,000 BTU (1 ton) window AC unit for whole home cooling. 15 SEER compared with my 10 SEER 5-ton AC system. My strategy is to run it at full cooling the moment I close the windows up, and hopefully it keeps temps below 80 degrees.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._title?ie=UTF8

[freebeard]

These units cost ~$3K and I calculate would break even in my situation in 12 years.

www.youtube.com/results?search_query=window+heat+pump

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by freebeard

These units cost ~$3K and I calculate would break even in my situation in 12 years.

I hadn't seen the inverted U-shaped units before! That said, my windows sit about 8" off the floor, so I don't have enough room for them.

Seems way safer to have the AC straddle the windowsill and hang below, rather than balance on top with all the weight above. I wonder how many folks are killed every year from drunk dopes dropping AC units onto passersby?

Not quite as efficient as my SEER 15, but then again mine doesn't do heat.

86 degrees out at the moment, and 74 at the hottest / furthest part of the house. I'm thinking this solution is both more effective, and more efficient than my junk 5-ton unit.