---
slug: solar-eclipse
title: "Solar Eclipse: Old Man Shakes Fist at Moon"
date: "2024-04-08T22:35:08-04:00"
pics:
  dashboard:
    css: "image"
    tip: "Solar dashboard with eclipse time highlighted."
    sources:
      - "/files/posts/solar-eclipse/eclipse-ate-our-solar-20240408.webp"
      - src: "/files/posts/solar-eclipse/eclipse-ate-our-solar-20240408.png"
        width: 845
        height: 624
---

Today's solar eclipse took a healthy bite out of our solar energy
production for the day.  According to [the details on
timeanddate.com][timeanddate-eclipse], the partial eclipse in our area
lasted from 2:04 pm until 4:32 pm (Eastern).

Those times line up perfectly with the dip shown on our dashboard:

[{{< pe-figure "dashboard" >}}][dashboard]
&nbsp;

Unfortunately we couldn't find our solar eclipse glasses, so we had to
fall back to [ye olde pinhole method][pinhole].

**Update (2024-04-09):** Several comments on [this Ars Technica
article][ars-eclipse] also show dips in solar energy production.

[timeanddate-eclipse]: https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/washington-dc?iso=20240408
  "Solar eclipse details on timeanddate.com"
[dashboard]: /files/posts/solar-eclipse/eclipse-ate-our-solar-20240408.png
  "Solar dashboard with eclipse time highlighted."
[pinhole]: https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/make-pinhole-projector.html
  "Solar eclipse pinhole projector."
[ars-eclipse]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/04/moments-of-totality-how-ars-experienced-the-eclipse/
  "Moments of Totality: How Ars experienced the eclipse (arstechica.com)"