Aug 12, 2017 05:23 AM
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...se/535554/
EXCERPT: [...] Many people who chase eclipses, known by the nickname “umbraphiles,” are professional scientists whose excursions are financed by their institutions. Others are single and childless, or empty nesters with grown children; these umbraphiles have sufficient disposable income for annual eclipse voyages. While eclipse vacations abroad might be feasible for professionals from the fashionable suburbs, they are unobtainable for those of modest means—working-class Americans and families from urban areas, like ours, who struggle to make ends meet. As much as my wife and I would like to provide our children with enriching experiences, the expense of global travel is out of the question. Like many single-income families, we can’t afford to fly, and our travel options are limited to road trips.
But at long last, totality is returning to the United States. The August 21, 2017 eclipse is the “blue-collar eclipse.” It’s the eclipse for the rest of us, those unable to globe-trot in search of the moon’s shadow. Instead of a fancy eclipse getaway in a faraway land, the path of totality is within a day’s drive for the majority of Americans. Plenty of financially struggling families may be able to scratch together enough money to give their kids an unforgettable experience....
MORE: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...se/535554/
EXCERPT: [...] Many people who chase eclipses, known by the nickname “umbraphiles,” are professional scientists whose excursions are financed by their institutions. Others are single and childless, or empty nesters with grown children; these umbraphiles have sufficient disposable income for annual eclipse voyages. While eclipse vacations abroad might be feasible for professionals from the fashionable suburbs, they are unobtainable for those of modest means—working-class Americans and families from urban areas, like ours, who struggle to make ends meet. As much as my wife and I would like to provide our children with enriching experiences, the expense of global travel is out of the question. Like many single-income families, we can’t afford to fly, and our travel options are limited to road trips.
But at long last, totality is returning to the United States. The August 21, 2017 eclipse is the “blue-collar eclipse.” It’s the eclipse for the rest of us, those unable to globe-trot in search of the moon’s shadow. Instead of a fancy eclipse getaway in a faraway land, the path of totality is within a day’s drive for the majority of Americans. Plenty of financially struggling families may be able to scratch together enough money to give their kids an unforgettable experience....
MORE: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...se/535554/