The solar eclipse across the US was today. Did you see it? The GOES-16 satellite caught the moon’s shadow travel across the US. Check it out!
I had a telescope setup projecting the sun on a table. 63% obscuration was about it for SoCal, but still pretty cool:
For those of you that have read this blog for a while, you might remember me mentioning the Great American Solar Eclipse for 2017 in a post back in October 2015! Well, it looks like the media woke up about it, because it is all over the news now. It is finally here, just one week away on August 21st! More info here.
Are you going to travel up north or to the east to see it? Below is a handy map showing how may hours it will take you to drive to the closest area to view the total solar eclipse:
For you map collectors, here is a list of new maps and books that might interest you:
Kaufmann, Obi. The California field atlas. 1 atlas (608 pages), scales differ. Berkeley, Calif.: Heyday, pub. 2017. ISBN: 9781597144025
Mad Maps. Scenic road trips of Northern California: Avenue of the Giants, the Lost Coast, Napa & Sonoma, Mount Hamilton, Santa Cruz Mountains, Monterey & Carmel. 1 map, scale ca. 1:600,000. San Francisco, Calif.: Mad Maps, pub. 2016. ISBN: 9781933911397
National Geographic Maps. Mojave National Preserve, California. 1 map, scale 1:125,000. Evergreen, Colo.: National Geographic Maps, Trails Illustrated topographic map 256, pub. 2016. ISBN: 9781566953832
Thought that traditional paper maps are dead? Well, at least not yet! Here is a Minneapolis mapmaker that has stayed in business making custom maps in niche markets from dog parks to UFO sightings.
Once a footpath for the native Tongva people, now Sepulveda Canyon supports the busy Sepulveda Blvd. and 405 Freeway between the valley and the west side. Check out this article about the history and construction of the highway and freeway that goes through what we now call the Sepulveda Pass.
If you like to make stuff, maybe making a laser cut Dymaxion Globe is something you would like to do? Click below to read the article and download the needed files for your laser cutter … you have one right?
July 4th will be here soon and that means Fireworks! The fireworks app I have used for the past few years has been updated. It includes the cities in LA, Orange, Ventura, and Riverside County. If you love fireworks and want to find out where you can legally buy and shoot them off in SoCal, check out the app!
Looking for a unique map gift? How about a textile map from this Wisconsin textile artist? Check it out!
Have some extra cash? Maybe you would be interested in placing a bid for this original map of Disneyland, co-created by Walt Disney himself when the park was still in the inception phase. The map helped Walt and his brother Roy sell the park idea and make it a reality in Anaheim. For more info of the story and where the auction will be held, click below … and good luck!
And if you don’t have that kind of cash, maybe you would settle for this book instead? It’s a good one.
The book opens up from the middle, which is cool. For a look inside, check out this video.
SoCalGIS.org 