I watched the Eclipse in Argentina - Smarter Every Day 221

Destin visits the Globe Museum in Vienna, Austria to showcase a Lunarium device.

A Lunarium uses a candle representing the sun and a moon that orbits around the earth when powered by a crank to calculate where a solar eclipse's shadow will fall on a globe.

Destin and his wife became excited about solar eclipses after witnessing one in America a couple of years ago and planned their first trip around a total solar eclipse.

The episode will follow them to Argentina to observe the eclipse in the desert landscape.

After days of travel, they arrived at the western edge of Argentina near the town of Bella Vista in San Juan province.

• It's a setting eclipse, meaning the sun would be low on the horizon • The photos could capture both the eclipse and the beautiful mountain landscape in one shot • The location was known to be ideal with stages and live feeds already set up

The first designated viewing site was overcrowded with drones and thousands of people, making it unsuitable for their filming purposes.

They drove two hours back to their hotel and the next day headed into the desert with their gear and a solar eclipse timer app to find a better spot away from the crowds.

They drove through the desert with thousands of other eclipse observers from around the world, using an augmented reality app to determine the optimal camera orientation and positioning.

• Used augmented reality to visualize the ecliptic line • Identified two mountains that would frame the eclipse perfectly • Aligned the camera orientation between 318 and 296 degrees • A helpful observer from Switzerland assisted with the equipment setup

The ground crew was wearing full winter gear, indicating cold temperatures at the observation site.

Destin's wife Tara humorously reminded him to remove the solar filters from his camera, referencing his mistake at his first total solar eclipse when he forgot to remove them.

As totality approached, an automated voice countdown guided them through the final seconds, reminding them to remove glasses just before the eclipse became total.

• Set up a camera behind them to capture the eclipse progression through the sky in front of the Andes mountains • Used a photography filter on the front camera and ran it between both cameras during the partial phase • Created a composite image showing the eclipse's journey across the sky

The eclipse occurred near sunset, creating an unexpected phenomenon where the moon and sun raced toward the horizon with the mountains, creating a unique composition as the sun set behind the peaks.

The photo was particularly meaningful because Destin and Tara built the shot together, picked the spot, and it captured their entire experience as a couple during the eclipse.

They realized the moon was moving faster than expected across the sky, creating a race between the eclipse and the sunset.

• Struggled to capture photos as the sun descended rapidly behind the mountains • Noticed a small triangle of light from the eclipse appearing briefly in the sky • The mountains ultimately won the race, blocking the view before totality could be fully captured

As the eclipse ended, the temperature dropped quickly and smoke was visible rising from the mountain surface due to the sudden temperature change.

Despite not getting complete totality, they were thrilled with the unexpected and beautiful way the eclipse ended with the mountain silhouettes.

Destin thanked viewers for supporting the crazy endeavors documented on Smarter Every Day and encouraged them to subscribe.

Tara expressed gratitude to the audience for supporting Destin and their family through their wild experiences over the past decade.

Tara noted that she rarely speaks on the channel, making her comments feel special and personal to viewers.

The episode concluded with lighthearted banter between Destin and Tara, with her joking about her back and threatening to end the recording.