Total Eclipse WorldCon?

[dr_phil_physics]

This Would Be Awesome

Ken Schneyer posted the following on Facebook and I totally have to shout this out to the world. Can't we make this happen? (grin)

Ken Schneyer
Total Eclipse WorldCon? In 2017 there'll be a total eclipse of the sun in late August, when Worldcon is usually held. It'll cut a swath along the entire contintental U.S. from Oregon to South Carolina. It would be soooo nifty to hold Worldcon in one of the cities along the path of totality in order to coincide with the event. Just sayin'...
NASA - Total Solar Eclipse of 2017 Aug 21
eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov
This is part of NASA's official eclipse home page. It plots solar eclipse paths on Google maps.

Monday 21 August 2017 Midday

Google Maps image from NASA's official eclipse home page - reduced view.

Larger, more detailed Google Maps view here. And detailed particulars here.

Note the list of cities (expanded) which fall in the zone of totality:
Salem OR, Corvalis OR, Idaho Falls ID, Scottsbluff NE, Aliance NE, North Platte NE, Grand Island NE, Lincoln NE, St. Joseph MO, Kansas City MO (barely), Columbia MO, St. Louis MO, Cape Girardeau MO, Clarksville TN, Nashville TN, Greenville SC, Charleston SC -- with Portland OR, Eugene OR, Boise ID, Knoxville TN, Chattanooga TN, Athens GA, Augusta GA, and even Atlanta GA within a hundred miles of totality.

Surely someone can come up with a bid in a place with access to good visibility, potentially good weather (grin), worthy of a WorldCon. It's not the greatest total solar eclipse ever at only 2 minutes 40 seconds maximum totality, but it's the last one on the continental U.S. for a while, I do believe, and how often do these things show up in the typical WorldCon summer window of opportunity?

Fact is, I've never seen a total solar eclipse. Hell, here in West Michigan we almost always get cloudy nights and rain for total lunar eclipses. Best we got was a 91% total annular eclipse in May of 1994. So I was planning to be on the road and hoping I'd find good weather in 2017 anyway... having a WorldCon to go to -- and having a large group of friends to commiserate with if the weather turns awful (evil grin) -- would be a huge plus.

Yeah, yeah, I haven't been to a WorldCon either, though I expect that to change with WorldCon 2012 being in Chicago next year.

So what say you, good people? Can we make this happen?

Dr. Phil

** UPDATE ** This has been crossposted to worldcons here. You might want to check the comments there, as well.

Comments

[rymrytr.livejournal.com]

Further research needed for each city: Weather Reports for the dates and times, going back ten years. :)

[dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com]

Absolutely.

Dr. Phil

[jeffreyab.livejournal.com]

You need to repost this in the http://worldcons.livejournal.com/profile

[dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com]

I've joined the community. Assuming I get in, I'll repost. Thanks for the tip!

Dr. Phil

[jakobdrud.livejournal.com]

What an extraordinary excuse to visit the U.S. Count me in! *Grin*

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

Of the cities on the list, St. Louis, Kansas City, or Portland would be the most likely, although the reason this year's Worldcon is in Reno is because Portland fans didn't believe Portland had the facilities for a Worldcon.

KC is currently bidding for 2016, Japan is bidding for 2017 (as is, possibly, New York).

[dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com]

Maybe KC will reconsider? It'd be a good central location with adequate facilities.

Dr. Phil

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

I'll be talking to someone from KC and can point out the possibilities.

[drplokta]

I don't see any chance at all of getting large room blocks at affordable prices from any hotel in the eclipse path for the dates of the eclipse. They know perfectly well that they're going to sell out for those dates at premium prices.

[dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com]

I don't quite see it that way. Some of the potential site cities are on the edge or off the edge of totality. Fact is, astronomy fans will start planning with some time ahead, but tourists? They barely know there's a sun in the sky each morning, let alone something six years from now. This isn't like booking a solar eclipse cruise ship.

If someone jumps on this early enough -- and perhaps a successful bid might have to arranged outside the usual WorldCon assignment schedule -- a convention and tourism bureau might be very happy to have one in the bag ahead of time.

Dr. Phil

[wendyb-09.livejournal.com]

Well, the date will rule out Athens, GA, or any other similar college towns with start dates in mid-to-late August. UGA would be in full swing by then and any room availability would be gone with the campus being repopulated.

Just sayin.

[dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com]

Good point.

What, you say? In the middle of fraternity rush week? Maybe WorldCon could rush some new members?

Dr. Phil