• A man and woman were given multi-year jail sentences for robbing both a Bank of America and an East West Bank in SF on the same day in 2022, though the combined heists netted a mere $2,600. And in the annals of very hilarious criminal defenses, the Bay Area News Group reports that “the defense argued that the robberies were committed during a multi-day drug bender, when the two were impaired from narcotics and lack of sleep.” [Bay Area News Group]
• SFO airport caterer Gate Gourmet is laying off 835 workers after the “recent loss of a customer account,” and the Chronicle's sources say that client was United Airlines. But the workers’ union Unite Here Local 2 says the workers are just going to get rehired by the other catering company that just won the account, LSG Sky Chefs. [Chronicle]
• Ex-49er Dana Stubblefield is out on bail as the California Supreme Court has taken up the appeal of his 2020 rape conviction. Though the appeal decision could prove a mixed bag for the 2017 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, as it also paves the way for him to possibly be tried again on the same charge. [East Bay Times]
• The Truckee Town Council is panicking over federal Forest Service cuts, not just because of loss of employment, but because of the serious increase in wildfire risk. [KOLO]

National:

• The “Blood Moon” total lunar eclipse will be tonight, starting in the Bay Area at about 10 pm, reaching totality at 11:26 pm, and still eclipsing up until about 12:30 am. But will skies be clear enough to see it? Today’s rain clouds have cleared nicely, but there’s about a 20% chance of rain during those described late-night hours. [KQED]
• In what seems another example of Democratic Party capitulation, Senator Chuck Schumer says he’s going to vote for the GOP spending bill to avoid a government shutdown. Though in a just-published New York Times op-ed, Schumer explains that he feels “the Republican bill is a terrible option,” but that “a shutdown would give Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk permission to destroy vital government services at a significantly faster rate than they can right now.” [NY Times]
• Clown-car Trump nominee Mehmet “Doctor” Oz, who’s up to be the head of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, apparently while working as a surgeon “significantly underpaid” his taxes on… Medicare. [Politico]

Video of the Day:

• Do you enjoy videos of terrible things happening to Tesla Cybertrucks because their drivers were assholes, morons, or both? Have a gander at this video from the Ventura Harbor on Monday, where a Cybertruck driver managed to drive into the harbor. The captain of the tow company told SFGate that the driver “thought he was in forward, and he was actually in reverse.” The driver escaped the submerged vehicle safely before this video was shot.

Image: SAUSALITO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 15: A partially-eclipsed Blood Moon rises over San Francisco's Coit Tower on May 15, 2022 in Sausalito, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

It's a big day for one swath of the country, where for two or three minutes people with eclipse-watching glasses will be able to watch a total eclipse for the last time in 20 years — at least in the US.

Here in the Bay Area, those two or three minutes, around 11:13 am, won't be too dramatic — and may even be less of a dramatic eclipse than the one that occurred in 2017, during which we were also not in the path of totality.

For us, this eclipse will be just a 35-percenter, so the moon will only cover about one-third of the sun, though the event will still be detectable if you're outside and have the proper viewing gear — otherwise it will just look weird out for a bit, lighting wise.

The entire event, in which some part of the sun is blocked, has already begun as of this writing, and will continue until just afternoon noon Pacific Time.

Again: Do not look directly at the sun without protective glasses or a sun filter, and sunglasses do not provide sufficient protection. You will suffer eye damage.

Still, there is a viewing party already underway at the Academy of Sciences, and another across the Bay at the Chabot Space and Science Center, as KTVU reports.

What's somewhat unusual about this eclipse is that the path of totality includes a number of major cities, including Indianapolis, Dallas, and Austin. The 2017 eclipse similarly missed San Francisco with its viewable path, but the path of totality with that one went across the entire continent — something that had not occurred since 1918.

The next total solar eclipse visible in the US will be in 2044, and it will only be fully visible in parts of three states: Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota, around sunset, as KPIX reports. You may want to head up to Canada for that one.

Photo: Jongsun Lee

A light rain system will be passing through the Bay Area late Thursday and into early Friday morning — and cloud cover all but guarantees that tonight's lunar eclipse will not be visible in most of our region.

You may have to drive quite a ways inland if you want to see Thursday night's historic lunar eclipse — which is the longest partial lunar eclipse in 580 years, set to last over 3 hours and 28 minutes. The National Weather Service predicts the cloud will remain thick over all of the Bay Area, except maybe part of Livermore and points east of there.

It isn't a total lunar eclipse, and therefore won't be "quite as spectacular," as NASA says, but still 99.1% of the moon will be passing into the Earth's shadow.

With the clouds, the weather service says that light rain is expected tonight and into Friday morning, starting in the North Bay — with some parts of Sonoma County likely to see almost one-tenth of an inch. Meteorologist Roger Gass tells the Chronicle that the weather service is "not expecting significant amount of rainfall" anywhere, with San Francisco maybe seeing 0.02 inches.

According to The Weather Channel, that rain is likely coming to the city around 5 a.m. and will be over by 7 a.m. So, this could impact morning commutes, if people are still doing those.

But then by Saturday things warm up a bit, maybe for the last time this year? The weekend will be sunny, with temperatures potentially in the lower 70s by Sunday. The Weather Channel puts the average high for SF at 65 on Sunday, so the Mission and Potrero will probably see 70s.

Photo courtesy of PG&E/AlertWildfire

Traffic was predicted in connection with yesterday's eclipse in spots all over the country, but a ton of East Bay residents traveling on Highway 24 through Lafayette decided just to pull over and watch from the freeway, creating an awkward backup that CHP officers didn't know how to deal with Monday morning. The cause was apparently the dense fog over Oakland and the Oakland-Berkeley hills, which had residents and their kids fleeing east to places like Walnut Creek or Concord, where the sky was clear.

As CBS 5 reports via CHP Contra Costa County, the backup hit its peak as the eclipse did at 10:30 a.m., right before the 680 interchange on 24, and there was little they could do about it.

The backup built upon itself, because as people were rushing to get out from under the cloud cover, things slowed down, the eclipse was happening, and people just pulled over to watch, creating more of a backup for everyone behind them, as shown in the photo above.

There were no collisions as a result of the situation, but CHP spokesperson Officer Brandon Correia said this was nonetheless an extremely unsafe thing for people to do. "There were so many vehicles stopped, the officer was unable to take any real enforcement action," Correia said to CBS 5. "He gave umpteenth warnings against knucklehead maneuvers. I mean, c’mon man. That’s just ridiculous.”

And as you can see in the photos, most of those people were still a few miles from where the cloud cover had burned off, to the east.

Plan better for 2045, everyone!

Previously: Photos: Here's What SF Saw Of The Partial Eclipse

Thanks to a mostly foggy and cloudy morning, the partial eclipse was partially obscured at its peak around 10:30 this morning, but that didn't stop many from going out to try to see it — hopefully using all the necessary precautions to protect their retinas!

The fog helped in part to give some glimpses and photo ops for some — I used my selfie camera to get the fuzzy photo below, but others fared better.

For Northern California, the next total solar eclipse will happen in 2045, as Vox explains, but in seven years' time, on April 8, 2024, parts of Maine, Vermont, upstate New York, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas will get to experience totality.

Photo: Brian "Bfly" Flynn

🌙 solar eclipse viewing party #LifeAtVisa #yolo #SFsummer #solareclipse2017 #solareclipse #nofilter

A post shared by Marisa Badua (@aloha_marisa) on Aug 21, 2017 at 10:12am PDT

View of the #eclipse today from #sanmateo. Not sure why the #solarflare on my lens turned into a ring at this point but I guess it looks cool since we didn't get totality here. #california #bayarea #solareclipse #totaleclipse #totalsolareclipse2017 #wildbayarea #sfgate #streetsofsf #sf #sfbay #sfbayarea #igerssf #wildcalifornia #alwayssf #visitcalifornia #westcoast_exposures #ig_shotz #ig_photooftheday #ig_bliss #abc7news #kron4 #nbcbayarea

A post shared by Mike Cohen (@mjcohenphoto) on Aug 21, 2017 at 10:56am PDT

My love for astronomy is eclipsed only by my love for photography. Was not partial to the clouds this morning but I think they totally helped! #eclipse2017

A post shared by Kevin Verbael (@kevinv) on Aug 21, 2017 at 10:20am PDT

Related: Video: People Watching The Eclipse At SF Civic Center Despite The Fog And Clouds

Despite overcast, eclipse hounds at SF Civic Center still seem pleased. pic.twitter.com/vFvb9dIK6K

— Karl Mondon (@karlmondon) August 21, 2017

The clouds aren't wanting to burn off this morning to let San Franciscans get a clear view of the partial solar eclipse. But people are trying anyway!

There are some bits of blue sky poking through, and above you can see a number of people gathered with their eclipse glasses on at Civic Center.

It looks like we're under less fog than the Chabot Space and Science Center in the Oakland Hills, however. Note the tweet below from former Oakland mayor Jean Quan.

They/you can always watch the NASA livestream!

Previously: Where To Watch The Eclipse In The Bay Area

A single-engine plane that reportedly left from the Bay Area, the occupants of which may have been bound for eclipse-watching in Oregon, crashed Saturday afternoon near the Madras Municipal Airport in Jefferson County. The pilot and one passenger were killed, as the Chronicle reports.

The plane, a homebuilt Wheeler Express, left from San Carlos Airport and crashed under unknown circumstances at 1:50 p.m. Saturday in Willow Creek Canyon, as it was trying to land at the central Oregon airport.

As the Register Guard explains:

A large plume of smoke from a small fire that was started from the crash could be seen from fields just outside the airport, where thousands of people were expected to gather for Monday’s solar eclipse.

Closer to the crash on Northwest Burch Lane, pieces of a white plane were seen on one side of Willow Creek Canyon, a steep and seemingly rocky terrain with vegetation sprinkled throughout the area.

The wings of the plane looked as if they had melted into the side of the canyon. About 4 p.m., white smoke was seen rising from the crash site as fire crews worked to mop up remaining hot spots.

The two victims in the crash have not yet been identified, but an employee at the San Carlos Airport confirmed that the plane was based there.

The video below shows the plane crash site, via drone.

If you’re not heading to Oregon with your hippie friends or attempting to conceive a child with a Craigslist rando during Monday morning’s first full eclipse of the sun visible in the U.S. since 1979, there are still plenty of spots to watch the sun get blotted out by the moon. While the LA Times informs us that we’ll only get a 75 percent eclipse here in the Bay Area at the peak 10:30 a.m. moment, it’s still a pretty unique phenomenon and — since it’s taking in the middle of the sky — will be visible from everywhere (and for the nth time, you should not stare at the sun without those stupid glasses). But we’ve aggregated a long list of places hosting Monday morning eclipse viewing parties, so you can turn around, bright eyes, every now and then fall apart, because there’s you something you can say for the total eclipse of the sun.

As far as those stupid glasses go, the Chronicle reports that they’re pretty scarce to come by right now. But the Exploratorium still has them for $2.75 a pop, and Lick Observatory (which is all the way down in San Jose!) has them for $2.50 apiece. Additionally, the American Astronomical Society has some instructions on how to make those elementary school style pinhole projectors plus a list of “reputable” eclipse goggle vendors.

But nothing could be more San Francisco than watching the eclipse on your phone, and the Exploratorium will let you do just that. ABC 7 calls our attention to the Exploratorium eclipse livestream, which will also be broadcast via their Total Solar Eclipse app for iOS and Android that will have feeds from prime spots in Oregon and Wyoming, with background jams provided by Kronos Quartet.

...And Twitter will be livestreaming it too, in collaboration with The Weather Channel.

CBS 5 has a nice list of Bay Area eclipse watching parties happening Monday morning, and we’ve gone through the list and noted which ones require admission fees or advance RSVP.

Total Solar Eclipse: Live from the U.S.A.
The Exploratorium, Pier 15 (The Embarcadero at Green Street)
9 a.m., Adult tickets $29.95

The Great American Solar Eclipse
California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive
9:30 a.m., General admission $35.95

Eclipse Viewing and Toddler Storytime
Ortega Branch Library, 3223 Ortega Street (between 39th Avenue and 40th Avenue)
9 a,m., free, glasses available on a first come first serve basis

Partial Solar Eclipse
Chabot Space & Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland
8 a.m., free, but glasses are sold out

Partial Eclipse - Viewing Party!
Oakland Main Library, 125 14th Street, Oakland
9:30 a.m., free, but glasses are sold out

Alameda Free Library to View the Eclipse
Alameda Free Library, 1550 Oak Street, Alameda, CA
9 a.m., free, glasses not provided

Alameda County Library
Various branches
9 a.m., free, but glasses are sold out

Solar Eclipse 2017
Houge Park, Twilight Drive & White Oaks Avenue, San Jose
9 a.m., free with RSVP, glasses not provided

Related: ABC News Anchor In 1979 Hoped For A 'World At Peace' During 2017 Eclipse

We won't get to see the total solar eclipse here in the Bay Area, but it will be visible through a swath of northern Oregon, and at least one local man wants to use this event to its fullest cosmic advantage: He wants to have sex with a woman and conceive a child at the moment of the eclipse. In Oregon.

In a post to Craigslist (obviously), the 40-year-old Martinez man insists, with no awareness of how racist it sounds, that he's a "caucasian male from Europe" and his "heritage is strong and pure." Also, "My looks, instincts, knowledge and strength is 100% pure and 100% lethal."

Lethal, huh? Anyway, he's looking for a "worthy female with strong genes, beauty and smarts" to join him in experiencing "the totality" with "simultaneous orgasms." Also, he has a grand idea, perhaps one that came to him while not exactly sober that "we will conceive a child that will be on the next level of human evolution."

And it gets grosser! "We will make love together, with me and my penis directed towards the sun. Everything will be aligned in the local universe. Both of our cosmic orgasmic energy will be aligned with the planets. In a brief moment of ecstasy, we will understand everything, and together, create a new universe. Full of love..."

But here's the funniest part: "You must like cats. Drugs are OK. Nitrous Oxide while we climax and experience totality and conception, is OK with me."

So I guess the cat will be along for the ride in whatever disgusting RV this guy has for making this trip?

As The Oregonian points out, after chuckling about this ad, conception doesn't happen right at the moment of orgasm, and can actually take anywhere from a few hours to five days after sex to occur. So it's a nice dream, but not exactly one that's scientifically possible, this eclipse baby.

Now you can go back to calming down your astrologically inclined friends who think the eclipse is going to cause a nuclear war or whatever.

Last night's supermoon / blood moon / harvest moon / lunar eclipse event, was the first of its kind to happen since 1982, and the last of its kind until 2033, so in case you forgot and spent the whole evening indoors, we have some photos for you.

Also, CBS 5 has some explanation about the super moon, and some video below.

Photo: David Yu

Photo: Robert Thompson

Photo: Rene Rivers

Photo: Joel S.

Calm down, everyone. If things start looking a little funky outside this afternoon, it's not end times: that's just the moon getting in between us and the sun

According to CNN, the sun will "look like a fingernail as it sets in the west" this afternoon, beginning in the Bay Area at 1:52 p.m. and ending at 4:32 p.m. The best time to check today's solar eclipse out, however, should be between 3-3:30, when about 40% of the sun will be obscured.

Locally, the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland and the Foothill College Observatory in the Los Altos Hills will be holding viewing eclipseparties today, beginning at 1:45 and 2, respectively.

Just remember, whatever you do, don't look at the sun (even in sunglasses). I know, I know, who needs to be told that? But still, according to NASA, every time there's an eclipse, people end up in emergency rooms with retinal burns because they did precisely that. So, it happens.

Instead of looking straight at the sun like a dummy, make a pinhole viewer like in the video below, or just check it out as it's projected through the leaves of a tree. That's just as fun, you can actually see it, and you won't end up blind.

Have you heard about this lunar eclipse that's happening tonight? It's freaking some people out. But everyone just needs to calm down and pretend they have totally rational minds and we'll all get through this.

The somewhat unusual astronomical event, a tetrad, in which we will see four complete lunar eclipses over the next two years, occurring approximately every six months, has united both batshit Christians and respected astrologers in a collective panic. Also, it's going to be pretty, and we're lucky on the West Coast that tonight's will begin while most of us are still awake, with the moon starting to redden (from the sun's light refracting around the earth's atmosphere) around 10:30 p.m. PT, and the total eclipse happening right around 12:47 a.m. (But high clouds tonight are likely to ruin this for everyone in the Bay Area.)

Evangelical Texas preacher John Hagee, best known for telling New Orleans that Hurricane Katrina was revenge for the gay fest known as Southern Decadence, has leapt on the blood moon craze faster than Harold Camping could recant a prophecy, notes that previous tetrad years, 1948 and 1967, have meant huge events for the Holy Land -- statehood for Israel, and the Six-Day War, respectively. And he notes a passage from the Bible that talks about the moon turning red and the End of Days, and blah blah.

Astrologer to the stars Susan Miller, who runs the popular and free Astrology Zone site, has been talking up this April 15 eclipse for months, comparing it to moments like the American Revolution and saying that we all have to pay close attention to our money, and to financial relationships, because that's what this eclipse will all be about. She previously warned that if you have not filed your taxes, this is absolutely the wrong year to have waited til the last minute, and you'd better just file an extension.

Financial developments seem to reach culmination on the full moon lunar eclipse, April 15. I know - April 15 is tax day in the United States. The universe doesn't know about our special days, so it sends a total eclipse of the moon when it wants to do so. This eclipse brings Mars, Pluto, Uranus, and Jupiter in a perfect cross pattern, and that is tense. It's unusual to see all these planets line up within a degree or two in each of the highly energetic cardinal signs, each precisely 90 degrees from the other, with four squares and two oppositions. This is as tense as it gets. Mars will oppose Mercury too, and that is very jarring as well.

The ever classy USA Today went with the headline "Is Tuesday's 'blood moon' eclipse the end of the world?", and unfortunately, Hagee has gotten a lot of traction for his apocalyptical ranting.

More science-minded people note that these events are pretty regular in the astronomical sense, and there are going to be 8 more tetrads this century. Maybe the only unusual part about this upcoming tetrad is that all four eclipses are going to be visible from the United States, so that's cool. The next four blood moons will be on October 8, 2014; April 4, 2015; and September 28, 2015. The next tetrad won't occur until 2032.

[SF Gate]
[USA Today]
[Refinery 29]
[CNN]