What's the difference between longest duration of the eclipse and greatest eclipse? And to which of the two sites are you headed Muon2? I'm thinking this might be a fun field trip for Dan and myself. En route, we could visit the coal country region (McDowell County here we come), which these days might be a candidate for the most distinct region in the US, in an increasingly homogenized country.
During an eclipse the sun, moon and earth are nearly aligned, but not quite. If you draw a line from the center of the sun to the center of the moon, then beyond the moon there is a shadow in the shape of a cone. The axis of the cone is that same line from the sun to the moon. One can calculate from the orbits of the earth and moon the point when that axis is closest to the center of the earth. That's the point of greatest eclipse. Because the earth is curved and turning while the moon is moving in its orbit the greatest eclipse may not have the greatest duration. The difference is only about a second this year.
The answer to my location is that I won't be either at Carbondale IL or Hopkinton KY, though I have invites there. The reason is that I want to maximize my chance of seeing the eclipse, and clouds are the enemy. Here's a calculation of the probability of cloud cover on Aug 21 along the path of the eclipse.
I'm most likely to be in Weiser ID on the Snake river west of Boise. I've had rooms booked near there since last year. I'll also be prepared to get up early and drive if there are signs of clouds.
I'll also be in coal country this summer, but that will happen in June. In particular I want to check out the location from this post. The irony fascinates me.
A company called Bluegrass Solar is in the midst of installing a roughly 60 kW system on the museum’s roof that, when completed, will provide power to both the museum and, through an agreement with museum owner Southeast Community and Technical College, the rest of the town’s municipal utility. According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, the museum’s power bill has been around $2,100 a month, “but this initiative is expected to save between $8,000 and $10,000 a year.” "It is,” the college’s communications director conceded to a local TV station, "a little ironic."
In 2016 alone, the US solar industry created more new jobs (51,000) than there are coal miners still working in the US (50,200). There are now 260,000 solar workers in the US — five times the number of coal miners.
Trump may see political advantage in pandering to the dwindling coal industry (and lying to its workers for populist theater). But even in the heart of coal country, even in Benham, Kentucky, people are beginning to understand that coal belongs in a museum and solar belongs on the roof.
Full Article - http://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/4/10/15234330/trump-coal-museum
