Corner of the Sky
It was said that
the eclipse would be visible, in one form or another, to all 50 states, and in
thirty-six countries around the world. The effect of the eclipse was felt in
the environment and in the local economy. It was reported that millions of
Americans were traveling to get a view of the eclipse. The percentage of
vacation bookings mirrored the Path of Totality across the United States.
I was lucky enough to receive a pair of glasses shortly after they arrived. I was able to procure another pair, about a month later. It was perfect-I had a pair to wear on my face, and a pair to use on my cellphone camera. Of course, just as it’s dangerous to look at a solar eclipse without eyewear protection, it’s also dangerous to look through a camera lens at an eclipse as well.
When I got outside, I put my sunglasses on, and began walking towards a good vantage point. The sun was at a different position in the sky than I had anticipated, so I adjusted my location. I found a spot near a small lake in my community.
Looking upward, I stood there, swaying back and forth, to maintain my balance. I held my phone to the sky with the second pair of eclipse glasses in front of the camera. I saw the eclipse had a crescent moon shape, in the upper left corner of the sun. I took a few pictures, and managed to get one decent one…
I then got my
camera out, and tried to take a photo with the digital camera, with the eclipse
glasses in front of the lens. None of the photos I took could compare to the
natural celestial majesty and beauty I saw before me.
When the eclipse was inching closer to totality, I put the phone and camera away, and took in the enormity of the moment. As the last liver of the sun was disappearing, I thanked God and the universe for being alive in that moment to witness it.
When the moon reached totality, it was completely dark. No one would have been able to see their hand in front of their face, had they tried. I took off my sunglasses and put my eyeglasses on.
I then heard a neighbor, stood behind me, make a comment on the phenomenon. I looked back for a moment, surprised there was someone behind me. I then saw, off in the distance, a horizon of sunlight. That was where the moon’s shadow wasn’t covering the Earth. I don’t know how far in the distance it was, a mile perhaps, or maybe more.
Just as quickly as my corner of the sky was plunged into darkness, the sun began to glow behind the moon, displaying its beautiful corona in a perfect circle of light around the moon. It was spectacular to see. I then got my phone and camera out again, to take some photos of the moment.
As I stood there,
craning my neck heavenward, I thought back to the first eclipse I witnessed in
2017. I had missed most of that event. However, I was able to see the final
stages of the eclipse, a crescent moon on the bottom right part of the moon, on
the opposite side of the sun. In that eclipse, my city wasn’t in the Path of
Totality. Still, it was a sight to behold.
*
I did my best to take in the moments of totality. I’d heard that animals would become confused, birds would stop chirping, the temperature would drop, and other various forms of phenomena would occur. While I wasn’t outside for the entire event, I believe that to be true. At one point I had a chill within my body, one that normally produces goosebumps on the skin.
I found myself fascinated at the event, seeing Bailey’s Beads, when light from the sun, behind the moon, looks to be in orb formation around its perimeter. I was also fascinated to see a bright red dot at the bottom of the moon. I later learned that those dots are called a prominence, which is a solar flare on the surface of the sun.
*
The moments of
totality ended with a jarring sliver of sunlight on the right side of the sun.
I took off my eyeglasses, put on my sunglasses, and put my eclipse glasses on
over those. I then tried to take more photographs of what I was seeing. Again,
nothing could compare to what I was seeing with my own eyes.
Many later spoke
about the profound meaning they felt during the eclipse. Some felt a sense of
unity and oneness with all of humanity on the planet. Others felt it undeniable
proof of God’s power and majesty. Some spoke of a feeling of isolation, a sense of being fundamentally and profoundly alone.
I must confess that I did not have a moment of profundity on a global or biblical level. That being said, the moment was not lost on me. It was a profound moment, one that I felt privileged to witness.
In addition to
finding wonder in the astronomical phenomena before me, I wondered about past
civilizations of peoples around the world. I wondered what myths and mythology
they created in the face of such an astronomical event.
*
After the event, I
walked home, eager to see video footage of the event. Before the eclipse, the
national news was showing the eclipse in different cities along the Path of
Totality. I was looking forward to watching the national coverage, which was
being broadcast live from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which NASA predicted
to be the best site in the United States to view the eclipse.
Once I arrived home, I pushed “rewind” on my TV remote, eager to see the national coverage of the vent. To my dismay, the national coverage being broadcast live to the rest of the country was replaced by local news coverage. I resigned myself to look up the national footage on YouTube later that night. I then plugged in my phone and my camera, to transfer the photos to a larger screen, to see if I was able to capture anything from the experience.
It's said that the
next eclipse to be visible over the United States will be in 2044. The next one
visible in my state will be in 2053. If I’m able to view the next eclipse, I’d
do a few things differently.
First, I’d take a
blanket to my viewing site, lie down on the ground, and view the entire show
looking skyward from the ground. Craning my neck for over 20 minutes was anything
but comfortable.
Second, I’d set a camera to record the phenomenon on video, and take photo stills from the video after the event. Third, I’d buy a better camera before the event.
That being said, I'm especially proud of this one photo from the eclipse. It was taken during totality, and shows the moon, the sun, its corona, and the planet Venus.
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