Just experienced the solar eclipse from my backyard.
It was amazing!
Both the Mrs. and I were working from home today. In
the early morning the skies were a bit overcast, and I was more than a bit
worried. But when the eclipse officially began at 12:18 the sky had cleared
except for some wispy white cotton balls. I donned my eclipse glasses and reclined
in the patio chair, going in and out of the house every ten or fifteen minutes
as I was working in my upstairs office.
A crowd had gathered in the park across the street, a very
loud and festive atmosphere. I went back outside just as my wife was wrapping up
a Zoom call. The ambient light dimmed to some level approximating fifteen
minutes before sunset and the temperature dropped at least ten degrees. The
winds picked up and the birds began their anxious chirpings. Charlie sat out
with us but remained blissfully unaware of the eclipse, focused on protecting
his turf from the roaming trash and recycling trucks that prowl around every Monday.
At 12:40 CST totality began, and we removed our
special glasses and experienced the awesomeness of a total eclipse that no
second-hand images can truly convey. Applause from the park echoed to my
backyard. I took it all in: the sky a rich deep blue, the moon a cool charcoal,
and the silvery corona of the sun brilliant and waving behind it. I had the
distinct impression of something watching me – is this what our primitive
ancestors felt during totality? An angry god casting judgment down upon them?
Or was it a doorway of sorts – into a different universe, a parallel dimension?
Intriguing no matter how you think of it.
This was the third eclipse I saw, but by far the most
successful. The first I experienced in 1992 in New Jersey, but had no glasses;
I only felt the drop in temperature and the kicked-up wind and the birds cries.
In 2017, down on the beach in Hilton Head, SC, clouds obscured the eclipse past
the point of viewing. This is the first time I saw the corona during totality
live, and it was incredibly amazing, if ever so brief.
Some pics – and yes, I know the iPhone is not designed
for such photography, but I did the best with what I had on hand.
1 comment:
Amazing, Hopper! How did puppy react? Thrilled you finally got to witness§!
Post a Comment