You owe it to yourself to experience a total solar eclipse | David Baron

On April 8, 2024, the moon’s shadow raced from Mexico to Canada - and Texas to Maine across the United States - in what some consider to be the most awe-inspiring spectacle in all of nature: a total solar eclipse. Umbraphile David Baron chases these rare events across the globe, and in this ode to the bliss of seeing the solar corona, he explains why you owe it to yourself to witness one, too.
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[@Flixxel]

This video changed my life. I flew from Brazil to Texas to watch the eclipse of April 2024. Got there a few days before but the forecast was for cloudy skies. I then flew to Montreal to escape the clouds covering the southern part of the path. I regret nothing. It was single handedly the most impactful experience of my life

[@ravenrick58]

We flew from Pennsylvania to Texas and kept our fingers crossed for clear skies and got treated to an amazing show. This is eclipse #2 for me. I am definitely going to Australia in 2028 and will maybe take in another before that one.

[@SpaceNinja321]

We flew to Indianapolis. It was a good guess the first time because the skies ended up being clear. Most beautiful thing I have ever seen!

[@carloberruti178]

I had planned to be in Texas and swapped it for Maine the day before due to the weather forecast. I was on a hill in the middle of nowhere, just under the totality path. The most incredible experience ever. Clear sky, not a single cloud. My third successful (i.e., clear skies) total solar eclpise

[@ZebraLemur]

I drove 14 hours all through the night to Cape Girardeau with a very high chance of clouds. Perfect viewing. It was so incredibly astonishing. So much more than the 2017.

[@lovechildjones8169]

Out in arkansas it was amazing especially the corona...

[@jag9022]

I don't know if someone is gonna read this but wow, I was not expecting getting that emotional during the 2024 eclipse . I've seen the pictures and videos before and I always found those are very beautiful of course. But nothing can describe the feeling while it is happening in front of you but I'll try. You first look at the sun with light blocking glasses and you first see the moon blocking the sun. I said to myself... ok... this is really happening a bit in denial. And then you see it blocking slowly but surely. The temperature is starting to cool down even if the light is very bright. It made me realize how we are so dependent on the sun's energy for all life on earth. It made me appreciate how sun=life. The shadows have weird shapes. You look at the landscape and you know something is odd. And then... totality his happening, the crowd is screaming in awe, we just can't contain ourselves, it is literally impossible to contain. You feel the hype, it is stronger than what you expected. It is sunset colors 360 all around you and you see what seems like a black hole in the sky. Truly the weirdest and most beautiful thing I ever saw. You can see the sun atmosphere surrounding the moon, it feels violent, chaotic and you can't believe you can see sun storms with your naked eye. It is frightening and amazing at the same time. You can see planets and star which feels like a glitch in the matrix in day time. I felt like everybody wanted to share the joy with others. It removes the day to day problems. At that moment, hundreds of people are just cheering up what the universe can show us. It is a first timer for 99% of us so we are like a child discovering the world again looking confused and excited at the same time. So it is all there, right in front of you, the sun, the moon, the planets, the stars, the animals reacting to us and the light, the insects and bird chants changing, all people around you, many from around the world to see this, different languages, different families, different loves. But all our differences doesn't matter for those 4 minutes we all share one love to us and the universe. I felt connected to what our ancestors felt and I was grateful for them. I felt connected to the immensity of the universe and all its beauty. I just want to experience this again.

[@StarFox6.4]

Today was amazing 4.8.2024 ❤

[@UFO314159]

Yes it was.

[@divinitee7904]

Indeed. Absolutely life changing 🥰😍

[@JillLFurPawsSake]

It's been 5 days since the 4.8.2024 eclipse. Drove 30 min north of where I live in Dallas to pick up my 80 yr old mother, brought her back to my house, and sat outside watching the cloudy skies as we cursed them to move away. Only just a second or two before totality did they move out of the way so we could witness the awesomeness of the solar eclipse. I couldn't help but get emotional and cried. It was an especially moving moment that I just laid on the ground while recording everything on my phone. It's a day I will never forget and still get teary eyed whenever I think about it or look back at the many pics and videos I took. I'm just grateful I got to see this with my mother. It was a humbling experience.

[@TomKaren94]

I took my family to see the 2017 event. My then 10-year old granddaughter started crying during totality. I asked her if she was ok, and she replied, "It's just so... beautiful."

[@cheavideography781]

I cried in 2017 ans cried this year too, and I'm 35. It's and amazing experience

[@chancepark247]

I’m Korean, but I’m in Houlton, Maine and waiting total eclipse today because of this guy.

[@HarpanW]

damn thats actually crazy

[@stephenmariconda5666]

That's awesome! I experienced totality for the first time April 8th in Tupper Lake, NY. Totally life changing! I am going to try to make it to every eclipse I can from now on. Spain 2026, let's go!

[@AnnapurnaMoffatt]

I was across the way in Lower Bloomfield, New Brunswick. My dad and I drove two hours north to see the eclipse. His second eclipse, my first--and hopefully not my last. Words like "awe" and "wonder" don't come close to describing it.

[@3ye2]

chancethepark DID U SEE IT? HOW WAS IT??

[@ViktorKrum93]

@@AnnapurnaMoffattwe were in the Deerville cabins about three miles from where you were. Beautiful place and the eclipse was life changing

[@Ac54-pvr7X-QWk2]

Well worth it. Do it. I drove 18 hours in an cramped, absolute beater of a car. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

[@ZebraLemur]

I drove 14 hours to Cape Girardeau Missouri all through the night and into the morning. Definitely worth it

[@colinho299]

I drove 25 hours from CA to San Antonio ,TX in a week of road trip. Then, at last minute, we drove 9 hours to Morrilton, AR to get a clear sky. Finally we drove 28 hours back to CA.

[@jimbeaux89]

I just experienced my very first total solar eclipse here in Ohio right from my front yard. It truly was such an incredible experience and I will remember it for the rest of my life April 8 2024 3:08 PM

[@LN_06]

On April 8, 2024, it had been almost 7 years since I had been patiently waiting to be able to experience totality (since seeing a partial eclipse on August 21, 2017). It was just as magical as I had hoped. Seeing the corona up there in the sky with your very own eyes truly is a moment of pure awe and no picture or video of it does it justice. Totally agree that everyone should try to experience totality at least once in their lives if they can. Unforgettable experience.

[@CrazySw3de]

Wish more people I know could have seen this before the eclipse. Was lucky enough to be living in the path of totality this time, and every word he says here is true, it's an absolutely unbelievable experience. I can't believe that the common conception of it is still just basically a ring of light around a black circle, most people I know just assumed you had to look at it through glasses. He's completely right though that no pictures or videos really do it justice, it seemed like something you would have to make out of CGI or something to really accurately capture, just completely surreal and awesome in the purest sense of the word.

[@Taanstafl12]

I drove 25 hours in a car by myself because of this guy. Absolutely worth it / 10

[@dylanriggleman1205]

Agt

[@uptown3636]

I drove 16 hours to see it, and you're right. Worth it no matter the cost. Glad you saw it, too.

[@thelixn]

I take my whole family for this, 6 hours driving , glad we all make it

[@MyPlaylistWillSaveAmerica]

I went on a 4 hour ride with people that insist we get high BEFORE we get there. We stopped at like 5 gas station for food and missed it....god felt sorry for me and made the next total eclipse in my state.😃

[@KitCatFeb]

I accidentally walked outside right on time last year.. FN DOPE

[@xaryuo]

april 9 2024 here. the total eclipse of yesterday was magnificient. I'm glad I drove to get more totality. 2h drive for 1:30 more of totality time. It was wonderfull.

[@JulianOsu-tb7jh]

I was at about 3 minutes of totality and still wish I traveled to the absolute midline, it just wasn't enough

[@salkhan7066]

I watched this video a week before the August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse, decided a day before the eclipse to fly from Upstate New York to Kentucky and experienced the total solar eclipse from Hopkinsville, KY , can't ever forget that experience, and always wanted to see it again, this time (April 8 2024) it was much closer to the place where I live, took my family for couple of hours drive to Plattsburgh, NY to see the Solar eclipse, for some reason I enjoyed this one a lot more than the last time, maybe because now I was more informed and noticed things which I might have missed last time, I have already started plan to go to Egypt in August of 2027 to watch the solar eclipse there.

[@justwatching1980]

Spain Aug 2026.

[@Pravduh]

Was it as profound as the first time?

[@salkhan7066]

@@Pravduh this time it was for a bit longer than 2017 eclipse, also I felt SUN looked bigger, maybe because it was at lower point in the sky, 2017 was at around 1:27pm, this one was at 3:24pm in NY, I went through the same emotions as when I saw it for the first time in 2017, you get so excited that you want it to last forever. Can't describe that feeling in words

[@salkhan7066]

@@justwatching1980 yes, but at just over 2 minutes of totality, and I have already visited Spain, Egypt I have never visited and this gives me a chance to visit Egypt and experience totality for a much longer duration

[@justwatching1980]

@@salkhan7066 why not both? 😁

[@wtlester]

What an amazing experience with my family this past Monday April 8 2024 in northern, VT. So grateful. Who cares about the traffic afterwards?!? I would do it again in a second. I *hope* to do it again soon. Life if short.

[@superfly2323]

Same here I was stuck in that same traffic going home to RI from Northern VT. I would do it again no questions asked to witness that again. It truly was breathtaking, that's the only time that word has been used to its actual definition at least by me.

[@OliChristenDrew]

I was lucky enough to see total eclipses so far. To all that are close enough, I say: Skip school or ditch work and go on that road trip! Nothing, NOTHING should hold you back from witnessing this.

[@Pravduh]

Drove with my partner 1,800 miles just to witness the 2024 total solar eclipse in Little Rock, AK. No regrets, it was absolutely mind-blowing. I’m still trying to make sense of the experience. You owe it to yourself to experience a total solar eclipse!

[@thenononsenseninja]

I was in a daze for nearly 2 weeks after seeing it. So profound and moving, that I still get tears in my eyes thinking of it. All of what he said is spot on, especially in terms of time stopping and feeling a universal connection. I've seen hundreds of beautiful sunrises and sunsets and nothing compares.

[@gglutoob]

Yes, spot on! What's interesting is that he expressed very accurately what I felt was an intimate personal experience unique to me. Though I'm an atheist, I will enthusiastically proclaim that it was a spiritual experience, not in a supernatural way, but in a profoundly moving one with the universe way. It's a great example that illustrates how much we are all alike in the most primal ways. And this next one comes right over Dallas where I live! But if it's cloudy on that day, I will drive hundreds of miles to clear skies! Anything short of totality is like watching the credits to a movie, but not seeing the actual movie!

[@jessicasaul9469]

​@@gglutoobafter seeing totality today from east Texas, I can say that your analogy is absolutely perfect. A partial will never be good enough for me again. 😂

[@SpaceNinja321]

I'm still searching out eclipse videos on the internet chasing that high from last week's eclipse. :D

[@jjcs9292]

This video convinced me years ago to chase today´s total solar eclipse to experience and see the totality with my own eyes. The experience is indescribable and beautiful. If you are reading this you need to see one before you die.

[@DonDuracell]

I'm German and on August 11th 1999 I was 19 years old when I went with my girlfriend in a park near the town of Speyer to experience this once in a lifetime event. What I remember the most is that at the moment total eclipse was the silence of nature because suddenly all the birds stop singing.

[@clairealien2224]

Yes, all of a sudden it became strangely quiet. It was a strange feeling I will never forget. I drove from the Münsterland to the Saarland for a couple of days to experience this once in a lifetime event.

[@clairealien2224]

+busi magen Wow, I love Cornwall! What a place to be, when experiencing a total solar eclipse!

[@daydreamer8336]

how can I see it !!

[@clairealien2224]

+day dreamer What do you mean - how you can see a total solar eclipse? It depends on where you live, and if there isn't an eclipse near where you live in the next years, what your possibilities are to travel to one.

[@clairealien2224]

+day dreamer Or did I misunderstand your question?

[@marlenecress929]

I was lucky enough to have one happen where I live 2 days ago at my short age of 32 years old. I cried. It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen and experienced.

[@jamesworzalla4489]

Driving 8 hours to take my family the April 8th, 2024 total eclipse. It is one of the most important trips in my life. Its important to share this rare moment with my daughter.

[@louern123]

really ! wow. hope you enjoy it

[@EddieBoes]

Thinking about doing the same thing with my family. My wife thinks I am nuts.

[@jamesworzalla4489]

@@EddieBoes I'm sure your wife will understand once she experiences it. I just pray it's a fairly clear day where I'm going

[@loganleroy8622]

@@jamesworzalla4489 Where are you going? I'm looking at heading towards Waco.

[@jamesworzalla4489]

@@loganleroy8622 I am in the Midwest so Indiana is where we will be watching it.

[@NascarFanatic3]

He's absolutely right. This event was freaking spectacular!! The weird feelings right before totality and after were so new and something that doesn't happen too often. Totality was beautiful, something that is engraved in my memory now. The weirdest thing was seeing the "shadow bands" right before and after. I was so happy that everything worked out telescope and camera wise, and I was able to see it with my own eyes too. It's an unbelievable experience that I encourage you to see in your lifetime!!

[@deth6ex670]

"duration of experience does not equal impact, one weekend, one conversation, one glance, can change everything" WOW

[@JacobTyo]

This man perfectly expressed what I experienced in Oregon on the 21st... I don't feel the same after witnessing such an event.

[@uptown3636]

Same here. It changes you, for sure.

[@psychedelicbreakfast8513]

My boyfriend and I drove 2000km by car to see the 2017 eclipse and boy let me tell you , it was 100% worth it. It truly was awe-inspiring. Can't wait for April 8th!

[@StarFox6.4]

Today was epic!

[@markcodysr]

“For the first time in my life, I just felt viscerally connected to the universe.” Nirvana. Yes!!! Perfect description of what I felt. Pure cosmic bliss!

[@RoadTo2024SolarEclipse]

Drove to Potsdam, New York for the total eclipse yesterday and it was absolutely worth the drive! Passing down the same advice 👍🏾

[@onedollasnake]

Waco cleared at the right time and was way clearer than expected thru out the entire thing got all 4 minutes and 16 seconds seen

[@RoadTo2024SolarEclipse]

@@onedollasnake Lucky you! I hope it was a great experience 👍🏾

[@TheYaddayadda]

One thing he didn't mention was how the world and all of nature holds its breath during totality. All of nature seems to sense it coming, and settles down for the show. The insects stop making noise. Few birds fly. There is an indescribable sense of earthly anticipation. The temperature drops 10 degrees in seconds. A light breeze blows. You are hypnotized utterly by the spectacle. You might try to say "It's like..." but you won't think of how to finish that sentence. A truly cosmic spiritual experience.

[@carloberruti178]

Perfect -- good add-on. All true. And he also forgot to mention the famous "diamond ring", that is that instant immediately before and immediately after the actual totality, where you have a glimpse of light with already (or still) the corona's light all around the Moon. Technical advice: that is also the signal to remove your eclipse glasses (if it is the first diamond ring sight) or to remember to put them back on (second diamond ring sight) when the breathtaking few minutes of totality are just about to finish.

[@frogery]

where i live we were getting 99% of it, but at the last moment i got the opportunity to travel to the path of totality with my wife. we drove for 2 hours through heavy traffic to see it and it was the most amazing thing i've ever experienced. i thank god, the universe, whoever i have to thank to have been able to witness it.

[@amoghskulkarni]

When you realize that every word he says is true. I mean I was dumbstruck when I saw that hole in the sky. I didn't feel Nirvana per se, but I was practically speechless - I couldn't speak normally, I could not discuss how it felt with my friends, I could not put the whole thing in words - for a long time after the event got over. It definitely turned me inwards for some reason.

[@uptown3636]

Same experience. That inky blackness where the sun should be is indescribable, and those glowing strands of the corona stretching out into the sky. WOW!

[@firebearva]

Understand you completely. It defies words. You just have to let it absorb you.

[@lorenzopoluzzi1429]

Same thing: for 2 days I was unable to speak also with my friends.

[@StudioScheppen]

I'm watching this video after having seen my first eclipse in Oregon... Baron's words almost brought me to tears from just remembering how I felt seeing the soft arms of the sun reaching out into the universe. I am so excited to travel and see more when I'm older.

[@Wouter1092]

11:29 brilliant quote: "duration of experience does not equal impact"

[@aallpprr8998]

Wouter1092 tell my gf

[@RyanWilliams222]

@@aallpprr8998Clicked to see what the reply was. You didn’t let me down. 😂

[@BeLikeGumby]

YES!!!! This is exactly how it was

[@charlotte22]

Made me cry! I'm so glad we made the drive to see the eclipse 6 months ago.

[@cpsenxes]

This man doesn't realized how impactful his speech was. His thought and terminalogy is so deep it could be apply in one sprituality and belief especially when one is so lost. This talk deserved a lot more views.

[@absorbingphotons]

Total solar eclipses are the most addicting drug I have ever encountered. I drove 12 hours in 2017 for the last one, and I'll be flying halfway across the country for the one on April 8, 2024. It's so hard to explain to someone who has never seen one why they're so life-changing, but this video does an excellent job at doing so. If you're watching this video and wondering if you should go to the 2024 eclipse...this is your sign telling you to do it! (Fingers crossed it won't be cloudy though lol)

[@onedollasnake]

37 days till the next one crosses right over here only a hour drive to centerline saw the ring back in ocotber as well

[@FlailingJunk]

@@onedollasnake Don't count on it being an hour drive on eclipse day. Leave as early as you can.

[@onedollasnake]

@@FlailingJunk saw it I think crappy forecasts chased off over half the people traffic was extreme in areas but luckily not on the side I was on although it was clear where I was in Texas

[@FlailingJunk]

@@onedollasnake Ya i hit no traffic in north east Texas and i know someone who went to Dallas and said the traffic was not that bad.

[@daimejustinteet9791]

I was just north of Nashville during the eclipse!! It was the most spectacular thing I have ever seen. There are no words in the English language to describe the beauty of a totality. I think I may now be an umbraphile! Heading to Hot Springs in 2024!

[@uptown3636]

I drove from Texas to Cerulean, Kentucky by myself just to see it. When I got back and told friends and family how amazing it was, they couldn't grasp it. Everybody just said "Oh that sounds nice. I bet it was pretty." No way you can tell them what it feels like.

[@mattmccallum2007]

This man spoke the truth, it was truly one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced.

[@MRresievil310]

I don't regret watching the 2024 totality in PA. Best decision I ever made. The weather almost made it impossible, then it cleared the last minute just as totality hit. It's as if it was a sign from the heavens...like we were MEANT to see it.

[@shigshug8581]

That's exactly what happened to me in Dallas Texas! The weather forecast all week was cloudy and a chance of rain.....my expectations were so low, then when totality happened, the skies cleared!

[@MRresievil310]

@@shigshug8581 I can't imagine how it felt like watching it from a major U.S. city. Most of the locations were rural...or small towns/cities. I heard that Dallas had one of the best eclipses in the path.

[@shigshug8581]

@@MRresievil310 I went to the Cotton Bowl Stadium where loads of people cheered, it was simply amazing....

[@MRresievil310]

@@shigshug8581 I was in a farm lol in northern Pennsylvania 😆

[@montej4829]

I've been contemplating skipping my first day of college classes to drive 3 hours to see the total eclipse on August 21st

[@SchwaWasHere]

DO IT!!

[@brianjones8899]

Bri J DO IT!! there are many more days of school

[@zer0b0t]

That's a day you won't forget.

[@samuelwoods164]

Bri J you can catch up at school.

[@jaypaulnewhouse9472]

its just the first day, you'l just be getting the syllabus anyways. it will be totally worth the skip

[@roadkillavenger1325]

You seriously do owe it to yourself to see a total solar eclipse before you die. I experienced the 2017 eclipse from near Hopkinsville, Kentucky. It was so utterly amazing that it looked like special effects from a trillion dollar movie. It was too wonderful to be real, but it was real! Things that are as fantastic as what I saw can't possibly exist, but they do exist. No partial solar eclipse is good enough. A 99.999% covered sun is not remotely good enough. The sun is simply too bright. It hides the ultimate treasure from view. A total solar eclipse can be felt to the core. They are magical, pure and simple. And yet, they are even more than any man-made word can ever begin to describe. This planet is roughly 24,900 miles in circumference, and every mile is more than worth the trip to experience the power that a total solar eclipse unleashes.

[@SUGAR_XYLER]

Exactly! You most certainly saw it too !!

[@roadkillavenger1325]

@TheMarrification I don't recognize killjoys with those kinds of replies as being equal to my species. This is where our conversation ends. Good day.

[@mariwomp]

Honestly I'm probably going to cry when the solar eclipse happens I've never seen one before because I'm 13 and I'm very excited to experience it

[@AndiLMT]

Marisol G I cried watching this video. I am 41 and have waited my entire life for this eclipse. It is sure to be a wonderful and emotional moment for those of us who appreciate nature!

[@SUGAR_XYLER]

Same

[@onedollasnake]

@@AndiLMT damn you wait all your life? I been waiting by the time the 2024 one rolls around 9 and half years

[@Truth_Seeker96]

I experienced my first total eclipse on April 8th, along with 30+ million other people. He’s absolutely right when he says photos and videos simply don’t do it justice. When I seen it I described it as ethereal silk dancing in the sky, I appreciate that he observed that as well! My reaction is posted on my channel but it will simply NEVER do it justice!

[@The5puppies]

I was there in 1999 in Munich. On a roof top and could see the 'shadow' approach and overtake us all. It was the most ama-zing moment ever. Everything just stopped. All was quiet. Strange darkness and euphoric people. Up until today nothing has been more awesome than those moments.

[@3ye2]

how do u go back to living ur day to day life knowing nothing tops that experience?

[@SpaceNinja321]

@@3ye2 Bingeing more eclipse videos on KZbin? 🤷‍♂

[@StitchAloha626]

All the Americans talking about this Total Solar Eclipse and I'm just that one Canadian waiting for the one in Montreal in 2024...

[@cranknem7300]

Hey so are you ready

[@stevezelaznik5872]

How was it?

[@carocatho]

I’ll be lucky enough to watch the total eclipse of April 8, 2024, from Saint-Georges, Québec. I’m so stoked about it and I hope and pray no cloud will cover the eclipse when it will be total. 🙏

[@kelkabot]

My mother’s house, extraordinarily, was in the path of totality in 2017. We all converged there. Dense cloud cover-so we didn’t see much. Hoping for more on my totality trip in 2024.

[@user-rt9bj7zt2d]

@user-rt9bj7zt2d 1 hour ago 21:30 Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, and We separated them and made from water every living thing? Then will they not believe? FORTHER MORE 21:33 It is He Who created the Night and the Day, and the sun and the moon: all (the celestial bodies) swim along, each in its rounded course. 51:47 And the heaven We constructed with strength, and indeed, We are [its] expander. 36:38 And the sun runs [on course] toward its stopping point. That is the determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing. 39:5 He created the heavens and the earth in true (proportions): He makes the Night overlap the Day, and the Day overlap the Night: He has subjected the sun and the moon (to His law): Each one follows a course for a time appointed. Is not He the Exalted in Power - He Who forgives again and again? 78:7 And the mountains as stakes? 16:15 And He has cast into the earth firmly set mountains, lest it shift with you, and [made] rivers and roads, that you may be guided, THERE IS 1100 VERSES DESCRIBE THE CREATION AND THE PEURPOS OF IT AND JUST U NEED TO READ AND DESCOVER. THERE IS NOTHING CAN COME BY CHANCE AS ALLAH GIVE YOU CHALENG TO DISAPROVE THE QURAN AND HE SAID 4:82 Then do they not reflect upon the Qur'an? If it had been from [any] other than Allah, they would have found within it much contradiction. ALSO ONTHERE CHALENG FOR YOU ALLAH SAID 2:23 And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our Servant [Muhammad], then produce a surah the like thereof and call upon your witnesses other than Allah, if you should be truthful. AND THIS IS SURAH IF YOU CAN GIVE SOMTHING SIMILLAR TO THIS ( 112:1 Say, "He is Allah, [who is] One,112:2 Allah, the Eternal Refuge.112:3 He neither begets nor is born,112:4 Nor is there to Him any equivalent.")

[@golfpug]

How was it??? We just got back from Indianapolis - UNREAL

[@lorenzopoluzzi1429]

I experienced a total eclipse in 1999 in Germany. The moment the sun disappeared, the whole city became silent. Absolute silence: no one spoke, no bird chirped, no cicada ended. A cold wind wrapped us from the legs to the face. If someone had said to me: "that is God", or "that is the Devil", I would have believed him without delay. I only had a stronger experience when my children were born. Amazing. You should see one before you die ...

[@fdeguilla]

I heard this guy on the local radio station on our way up to Plattsburgh NY, 4/8/24, to catch our first solar eclipse in totality, the radio station covering the eclipse, I think played a clip of this talk or maybe an actual interview of this guy, it was at the point he was talking about "before you die you need to see one". We arrived in Plattsburgh NY just in time as the moon just started to take a bite off the sun. I really didn't know what to expect, I've seen 2 partial eclipses before, the last one was in 2017 at about 90% covered, I thought that was amazing, but it's nowhere close to seeing totality. Can't describe it any better than what he said in this talk. He was spot on! Already planning to see another one!

[@SarahB1863]

I was lucky, the 4/8/2024 eclipse happened right in my backyard - all I had to do was go outside and look up! It was amazing and I'd love to see another one but there won't be another one in America until I'm too old to travel to see it, if I'm even still here. :-( All the other ones are outside the U.S. and I don't think I'll be able to afford to travel to where they are. At least I got to see one!

[@mariodark4012]

*He so naturally says,"I said to My husband !" Its nice.*

[@adamantite9391]

Don't Read My Profile Picture I agree, but what's with the bold text?

[@muhshekels5383]

It confused me, I thought he was talking about another person. Now, he doesn't look very straight, but a lot of "straight" men nowadays look wimpy like him, so my gaydar failed me... Or is my gaydar overwhelmed to the point of exhaustion?

[@apple88cc18]

It is nice I agree.

[@talkingpotato9007]

Don't Read My Profile Picture im not gonna lie that part caught me off guard i thought i was hearing stuff for a min

[@nanayang3736]

I immediately started scroll down the comments to like any of them which mentioned this.

[@SUGAR_XYLER]

I filmed it in Columbia and he is so right ! You just have to be there to see it's power and beauty.

[@morningstarx5340]

My father, fiance, and I were fortunate enough to catch a total eclipse 3 or 4 years ago while camping in the mountains of western Maryland. It was already night time in a place with hundreds of thousands of visible stars in the sky as the default. It went completely black. It seemed as if time slowed down while we were watching the finale take shape. It was one of the most temporal experiences of my life. As someone whom considers himself christian, (no, I don't look at the bible as if it's a historical reality - nor do I humor the idea of taking the stories literally) it's the closest thing to my god I believe I've ever been apart of.

[@clairealien2224]

I totally agree! If you get the chance of seeing a total eclipse at least once in your life, do it! I got that chance in 1999, when there was one only a few hundred kilometres away from where I was living. The minutes before the eclipse was total were impressive. But the moments, when the sun completely disappeared and you could only see the corona, were absolutely awesome. Many friends, who had stayed at home, said "I saw it - it was almost total, where I was. It was quite impressive. I know, what you mean!" No, they don't! They only saw a partial eclipse, not the real thing. And I realized it isn't possible to get this feeling of awe over to anybody, who haven't experienced it themselves. And I am very happy about having given my old parents the chance of coming with me in 1999, and seeing a total eclipse once in their lifetime.

[@bartolo5]

I've spent a whole week being an 'eclipse evangelist' after my experience on Aug 21st. I came across with this video AFTER I saw it, and what David Baron describes is exactly what I experienced. Even my drive to tell people about it and my yierning to see another now.

[@omgcutiestephy]

Same! I am so glad I went to see it. Unbelievable experience. I am now a converted umbraphile and will be chasing them as long as I can.

[@roadkillavenger1325]

Next year!

[@SpaceNinja321]

Yup! I found this video searching other people's videos after last week's eclipse. Working on another video myself too because I can't stop thinking about it.

[@Irishmule169]

i experienced the totality in southern Illinois in 2017.. hes not bullshitting it was the most awesome thing I've ever seen in my 50 yrs of life..!!!!!!! The next one i'm taking a 5 gram dose of Cubensis and watching it..

[@StalePhish]

This guy absolutely captures the essence of it. Having just seen my second totality, everything is true. I'm also non-religious and non-spiritual, but seeing what looks like a bullet hole through the sky definitely felt like a religious experience

[@radwizard]

Saw the one in 2017... GOING TO THE ONE IN TEXAS IN 10 DAYS!!!!! IT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND!

[@sciencoking]

How was your trip? I will never ever forget my week in Mazatlan

[@EVEspinosa79]

I am so lucky. I didn't need to go anywhere but just to the rooftop of the building where I lived when I was a kid in Mexico in 1991. And the eclipse was overwhelming and the seconds after it, when stripes of light and shadow moved through the floor... I hope I'll get the opportunity to watch at least one more, because it is truly surreal.

[@HeyJen-O]

This is so true. I was in the #PathOfTotality on Aug 21 (Independence, OR) and I am forever a changed person. I, too, have become an eclipse evangelist, a umbraphile. Austin 2024! It was the most amazing, awe inspiring, mind blowing thing I have ever seen!!! I drank the cool aide and am on board.

[@annahevrdejs2102]

I love his interpretation of awe. I have long felt that awesome is overused and/or misused. Awesome and awful are both words that mean something so much deeper than we credit them nowadays.

[@Pravduh]

i know exactly what he felt, and the most beautiful expedience in such a emotional way you can ever have whether your spiritual or not.

[@kasunrphoto]

waiting for April 8th, 2024 🤩🤩🤩

[@PorshiaVonne]

Nashville 2017 here 💗 hearing your story brought tears to my eyes and I relived my own personal experience. Thank you!

[@roseq88]

I had to drive 4 hours on 4-8-24 to the path of totality.. I was at a loss for words, but this guy here describes it perfectly.. I will NEVER forget that experience, and can’t wait to see my next!!!

[@Haneywood]

That seals it. I am headed for the path of totality. So much thanks for you sermon.

[@utahone]

David and TED, thank you, thank you, thank you! I watched your video last week and at the last moment decided to drive three hours North to the line of totality to view the 2017 eclipse and I cant even describe how incredibly amazing that experience was. After seeing my first I will now do and pay whatever it takes to experience that two and a half minutes of awe again no matter where it happens on the globe. Hopefully I get to see several more in my lifetime and will be a huge advocate to anyone else who is considering going to view one.

[@melissasmith6762]

What is so awe-inspiring about some darkness?

[@SUGAR_XYLER]

well Melissa, you certainly missed the boat. XD

[@utahwaxwing]

100% agree. No photo I've ever scene of the eclipse even begins to come close to the impact and feeling I've had from the totality eclipse. The absolute awe in the difference between 99% and 100% is so gorgeous and powerful.

[@dawn1503]

I experienced it when I was almost 13 years old in my home town (Maracaibo, Venezuela, February 26th 1998, that also was seen in Aruba). I was young, but still could feel the magic involved in that moment, the entire city stopped to stare at the skies and felt like one. I felt really tiny and started to cry, felt goosebumps and looked at my mom, she was also crying, and all the people around me were thanking God for that amazing gift. I know, a lot of people don't believe in God, but somehow it's in our human nature to go to something or someone when we feel scared, happy, sad or lonely, and that's what/who you're gonna thank to, and that's what we did in that moment. I hope to experience that again before I die, but if I won't be able to make it, I'll never ever forget that day...

[@djmontoro]

I was just a kid when I saw that eclipse of 1998. I was in the Paraguana peninsula (Venezuela) near Aruba. I don't have any photos of that day but I remember clearly the purple color of the moon, the birds flying around and the temperature going down suddenly. now in my thirties I still think frequently about that amazing experience.

[@monsegeek]

I remember that one too. I live in the western part of the country and I think it 's actually the only time I have ever experienced a total eclipse in my life. Too bad I was way too young to fully appreciate its grandiosity.

[@againstcliche]

I live in Georgia 🇺🇸 and I'll experience it with my elementary students at school in a week (august 21st 2017)!!!!!!!! It'll be my first ever experience at age 29.

[@MikeAltogether]

Back in 2017, this video convinced me to drive three hours to Bowling Green, KY with my kids to see the eclipse. Since then I too have become an eclipse evangelist. Tonight, I'm driving out to western KY again to view tomorrow's eclipse. I'm not sure I've convinced a single person it's worth it, but this time my wife agrees to tag along and I hope she'll be converted too.

[@Corsavette02]

Silvery strands woven around the sun is a damn good explanation of what I saw....always struggled to find words to describe it....its not just a black hole, its a tapestry woven by angels.

[@SpaceNinja321]

Also how it's like in 3D and pops out at you from the sky. And with the planets & starts it makes you feel like you are looking directly into outer space in a way.

[@HigherPlanes]

I like this dude, he inspired me to go out and see a total solar eclipse. See you all in South Carolina!

[@BlueSkyBS]

Yes, we all owe it to ourselves to experience a total solar eclipse. Pity most of us don't have the excess wealth to flaunt by chasing them around the world. Unlike TED audiences.

[@Mindfookfilms]

I have seen a total solar eclipse in India, 1995, and I can vouch for everything that he mentioned. The sudden drop in temperature, the high contrasting light and shadow, birds returning to their nests, dogs hiding, strangeness of the sky and the black sun, it's spectacular, awe-inspiring. Definitely one of the best moments of my life.

[@MrSidney9]

Simply wow! The man knows how to relay an awesome experience. I was so moved by his talk!

[@geoffg917]

👇 what up from April 2 2024 Ohio, total eclipse in less than a week!

[@zaepher3176]

As Solaire once said "PRAISE THE SUN"

[@codedbyjordan]

Lord Ethereal why?

[@CarrotConsumer]

j0rdancodes BEWARE THE DARK SIGN BRO

[@thegodofsoapkekcario1970]

Good saint ahead (Jump for Joy)

[@theinfinitecenter5573]

Thank GOD for the fractal/octave nature of the planetary sizes and orbits.

[@msmoonlightx]

This Ted talk was beautiful in so many ways and I completely agree with what he said about how we are rarely ever impressed anymore nowadays. I want to feel that awe he felt during the eclipse, I want that glimpse of cosmic bliss 🖤

[@VictorFoote01]

Thank you for posting this! Decided right now I am going to make the 13 hour drive to see it. I can't wait!

[@mikey7257]

Well.....he was right. Fucking amazing. Aug 21st Colombia, SC. Most beautiful thing i've ever seen.

[@LryicalLloyd]

Watched it in Maryville, TN today. You're right. The most beautiful thing I've ever seen. The experience was surreal.

[@SUGAR_XYLER]

I was there in Columbia filming it and yes he was right

[@anthonymcgue5045]

Super excited!! We are not in the path of totality in 2017, but the path of totality goes directly over my house in 2024. My kids will be 10 at the time and I cannot wait for them to experience it. Should be an amazing experience, this will be my 1 in 400 years opportunity!!

[@SUGAR_XYLER]

if you didn't have kids you could have went this time !

[@onedollasnake]

im also in 2024 line but I’m traveling to a city nearby becuase it will have 4:25 vs 3:10 where I am

[@Former_Pastor]

​@SUGAR_XYLER 😂 So true

[@XxIKooLaiDIxX]

Hope this reply finds you well in 2024...2 days before our April 8th eclipse! May your sky be cloud free. 😊

[@isthiswherewecamein6130]

My first eclipse, 8th of April 2024. One thing he touched on that I keep saying is, that every picture I've EVER seen does absolutely nothing compared to what it looks like seeing it live. It almost knocked me over. I'm not the kind of guy who's real touchy Feely, but, let me tell you something, it is just the most beautiful thing you will ever possibly see. And awesome is not the right word, it comes no where close to experiencing an eclipse. Cause they just haven't made the word yet that can describe it. They just haven't. I've always liked the stars, looking through a telescope at planets and stars that I know I'll never learn the names of. But, I just enjoy the beauty of this creation we have the privilege of enjoying for a small snip it of time. I'll never say this about anywhere on earth, there's no vacation destiny that will bring you more memories than 3 minutes of a total eclipse. As much as I've wanted to visit the pyramids my whole life, and different places in Egypt, and Russia, Germany etc... I would trade all expense paid trips to ALL OF THEM, to see one more eclipse from my backyard. 3 minutes. And I gotta say, my company was great as well. My beautiful daughter, and my 14 year old son, who both are already trying to figure out ways where we can go see another!!!

[@adhdmemoirs6494]

Yes it should be a holiday. My husband has to work Monday and won't take a sick day, so he won't be with us as a family. I'm taking my daughter out of school and making the drive to the totality area. I'm blessed to only be about an hour away! There's a 30% chance of rain. I do believe in God, and nature is my way of feeling closer to the creator. Even if he's not real, nature is real and I feel comforted in it. I hope this eclipse will be a wake up call for a lot of people, and how we are chasing to live our lives. That life is so short and precious and meant to be lived now, in humble recognition of our own humanity and the humanity of those around us. I hope we all have clear skies on Monday! My Brother is in OR and I'm in GA and we both will get to share this! How amazing!

[@erwinschrodinger8075]

I would go see the eclipse, but that's the day my school starts... ☹️

[@vinniesmyyth334]

Schools usually let you out to see it

[@Luniii737]

Maybe school should start at tuesday. What's one more day of holiday.

[@Z6D4C4]

Skip school. I bet you there won't be any consequences. Seriously, what are they going to do that day, introduce themselves?

[@ikranahmed5073]

Free Palestine why?

[@sup8437]

Im ditching my first day and driving 4 hours to see it. Go for it.

[@Morticia147]

I was lucky to expierience one on my doorstep about 15 years ago. It was mindblowing I'll never forgett this.

[@NR23derek]

I saw the eclipse of 1999 and I totally agree, it's something you really should see before you die. Utterly amazing, breathtaking and humbling.

[@tyclendenning]

My wife and I saw totality near Indianapolis on 4.8.2024. The words Baron uses describes exactly my emotions surrounding the event. It was awe-inspiring and impactful. It felt like everything changed following totality.

[@MS-df2fk]

I live in the path of totality, and until a few months ago I had no idea what a big deal a total eclipse is. So looking forward to this.

[@c02c02]

gave this a rewatch for the first time in a while with a clear mind and i am now convinced, as a European resident, to travel to Iceland for the total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026

[@superfly2323]

Do it. Its 1000% worth it. I drove in 12 hours of traffic after the one on April 8th and I would do it again a million times.

[@SpaceNinja321]

Just beware that Iceland is expected to have a lot of cloud cover at that period. Northern Spain might be a better bet.

[@uptown3636]

Anybody who watched this and is on the fence about traveling to see a total solar eclipse, DO IT. It is even more spectacular than he said. Also, close doesn't count. A 99% solar eclipse is boring. A total solar eclipse will change your life. No hyperbole, just my experience.

[@carloberruti178]

Just THE perfect speech. Every single word he said is also mine. I got three total solar eclipses so far, with clear skies -- and it is the most incredible experience one can have on Earth, given by nature. They were in Longyearbyen (Svalbard Islands, Norway) March 2015; Casper, Wyoming, USA, August 2017; Moro Plantation, Maine, USA, April 2024. Plus August 1999 near Paris (but overcast) and Gabon on November 2014 (clear sky but it was an annular total eclipse: look online about the difference with a "real" total eclipse: the annular one is much less spectacular). And it is exactly as Mr. Baron said. If you read this before August 2026, head to Spain or Greenland on August 12 (2026, that is). Look carefully for the totality path and go as close to the centerline as possible. You will just crave for more. Words cannot describe the experience.

[@woabeatz9717]

i saw the eclipse in new york in the mid 80's. ...it got cold.....for 2 minutes...

[@Chrisaaad]

People who dislike this video missed out on totality and are bitter about it

[@BrianHaney-rr8rm]

I couldn’t agree more. Thank you for sharing your experience. And yes, anyone reading this who hasn’t experienced a total solar eclipse you owe it to yourself to experience what awesome truly means

[@tksambrano]

This is a beautiful description of my same experience. You may think David is exaggerating, but believe me he is not. The total solar eclipse left me awestruck. It is truly an event that shouldn't be missed.

[@cartersense]

Thank you, a breath of air after all the fear mongering going on lately. I'll be there, my first one. Can't wait.

[@itrains1841]

I missed it, my teacher didn't let us go outside while everyone else was going outside. We heard laughing and stuff and we continued doing whatever was more important than a solar eclipse

[@connorfleser5716]

Was it a total solar eclipse

[@ahappyfrenchtoast2669]

I experienced a total solar eclipse and it was incredible. I didn't get the best view from my city but still, it was eerie yet beautiful at the same time. One of the best experiences in my life.

[@Dalie3011]

i've seen that ted intro so many times and was never fazed about its exploding effect but i accidentally didn't realize my headphones were on full volume and it nearly shattered me