Thoughts on the recent eclipse

[Subdeo]

I wrote this after the eclipse and thought I would share it. It's not much (I'm not a professional) but some people might enjoy it.

 

  "I firmly believe that the solar eclipse of Aug 21^st 2017 was the most stunning phenomenon and most beautiful thing I have ever seen. A solar eclipse must be the most incredible and overwhelming event that God ever ordained in the heavens. However, adjectives like these really do the reader no good to actually know what the eclipse was like. I will try to explain my experience of the eclipse in detail.

   We had driven from our house up through Wyoming then into South Dakota on Saturday. We spent Sunday visiting Mount Rushmore and seeing Crazy Horse from the road. We spent some time at a lake near Mt. Rushmore, and then spent the rest of the evening at our camp. However, the main event was the eclipse on Monday.

   The morning of the eclipse, we got up at about 4:15am. The night before, we had packed up just about everything, so there was little to do in the morning. All around us, various lights could be seen from other camps that were also packing up. It was a small campground, and the approximately four lights probably accounted for half the campground’s current population in our area. I was excited as we pulled out and got on the highway. I wanted to go faster, and arrive as quickly as possible and beat the traffic that was sure to try to bar our way. Very few cars were going north, almost all went south. In Lusk, WY the traffic was worst. We saw a gas station with very long lines for gas. We finally got out of Lusk and onto the final stretch of 85 that would take us to our location.

  As we drove along, looking for our location, we realized that “Location Plan A” as we called it likely had no vacancy. So many vehicles were already on the side of the road and we weren’t even at the centerline yet! More importantly, we also realized that a good view of the horizon was worth more than a few extra tenths of a second of totality. There were some low hills on the western horizon, but as we drove, we came to a small area where there was a small break where the horizon was visible. On the side of the road, there was a grove of wild sunflowers that we pulled over next to. We arrived about 1hr and 20min before 1^st contact.

   I couldn’t believe it! Here we were, standing in the path of history! So many people had come from all over the globe to see this, and we were among them! As soon as we got out, we began setting up. I got the table out of the car top carrier, along with the telescopes. I had a box containing other supplies and I brought that out to the table as well. At first, I had wished to have solitude during the eclipse, but now I wanted some neighbors to enjoy this experience with. It was fairly quiet as everyone picked their spots, pulled over, and set up. Soon, an older couple with a dog and a small RV picked a spot next to us. I introduced myself to them. This was their first solar eclipse.

   As time went on, I eagerly awaited 1^st contact. I couldn’t see the moon at all, but I had the telescope trained on the sun, ready for impending 1^st contact. A little while before 1^st contact, everyone came out of the tent. At last, after a year of waiting and months of planning, there was just one minute left! At last, just after the time predicted, when I looked through the telescope, the moon had taken a tiny chunk out of the sun. The eclipse had finally begun! I snapped a few pictures and let everyone else see too, including the neighbors. As the eclipse progressed, I took more pictures every 10 minutes or so. I even took one for the neighbors on their phone.

  As totality got nearer, I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination, but it seemed that it had gotten a little dimmer and strangely lighted around us. As the moon covered even more of the sun, we were sure that the light was different. It is hard to describe. It was almost like the whole atmosphere became slightly rosy. It was if we were looking through sunglasses at the world around us. It seemed like a thin cloud and some smog had gotten in front of the sun, dimming its brightness. But the sky was clear and no clouds were near us. As this eerie effect deepened, we could see crescent suns in the place of the usual circles of light in the shadow of a colander brought by our neighbors. All was quiet as 2^nd contact got closer.

   With about 15 minutes left till the eclipse, I began setting up a phone camera on the small telescope. I had a difficult time doing this however, and even though I did end up getting it set up, I abandoned that plan at the moment of totality. While I did this, others started the other camera recording (we had mounted it on the van with duct tape earlier). The shadow continued to advance closer and closer to us, bringing us nearer to its unstoppable darkness. In the last minute till totality, I was incredulous that it was actually and finally here! I left the preparation and looked through my telescope at the narrowing crescent of the almost completely blotted out sun. I decided to continue looking through the telescope. At the moment of totality, I was amazed by what I saw. I saw the last of the radiant orange sun disappearing behind the lunar mountains, while the valleys still let through orange specks of light. The motion of the moon and sun was evident now, and I saw the orange spots vanish. Totality had begun!

   I looked away from the telescope and took in the sights. The diminishing light of the sun had given way to the bluish black sky of totality, punctuated by stars and planets. But the highlight of it all was the eclipse itself. Silvery white streaks radiated in all directions from the black hole of the moon. I cannot do it the least bit of justice in words alone. As I looked at the wonderful sight for the first time in my life, I removed the solar filter from the telescope and looked through there. It was even more incredible! The prominences, which I had not noticed before, were revealed in stunning clarity. One arc in particular I noticed. Like all the rest, it was pinkish-red, yet it had a small spot of flame (which I knew was larger than the whole earth) suspended in the midst of the arc. After absorbing the sights through the telescope for a few moments, I snatched the camera off its mount and went back to the telescope. I looked again for myself, and then I called the others to look through the telescope. While they did that, I took a few shots of the surroundings and the eclipse. Even one of the neighbors came to look. When they finished, I held the camera up to the eyepiece and snapped some pictures from that vantage point. The pictures ended up blurry, but you could see pinkish smudges where the prominences were. During totality, someone continued along the road and didn’t even pull over or stop. They just kept going! After this, I enjoyed the last of the eclipse, alternating between looking through the telescope and with the naked eye. As I looked at the sun, I saw the picturesque diamond ring grow bigger and brighter, till I had to look away or be blinded. And with that, the eclipse was over.

   It was over way too soon. I wish it could have lasted for an hour! If I have one regret, it is that I violated the advice of many and spent too much time recording and photographing the event. Mostly, I wish I would have just enjoyed myself, particularly in the moments leading up to totality. However, my obsession with recording the event was not extreme, and I did not spend very much time recording. I just wish I had spent it all just enjoying myself, and had prepared and set up earlier so I didn’t have to do anything. But don’t think my recollection of the eclipse is filled with regrets; Just the opposite is true! I am glad the eclipse went the way it did.

  When the eclipse was over, we planned to stay at our location for a couple hours and eat lunch. Then, after traffic had subsided, we would head home. We packed up the equipment and ate lunch. As we ate, the traffic continually piled up. We decided to leave as soon as possible after lunch to beat what traffic we could. We kept watching the sun and moon through the glasses during lunch. At the end of lunch, the moon completely moved off the face of the sun and the eclipse was over!  Soon after, we joined the long line of vehicles headed home.

  On the drive, I was still amazed about the eclipse and kept thinking about it. And believe me, I had plenty of time to think; traffic was awful! It took us over 10 hours to do what was normally a 3.5 hour drive. It would have taken even longer had we taken the major roads. We stopped at a rest stop on US-85 and it probably had more people at it than ever before! It stunk and there were long lines to get in. Because US-85 was closed farther south, we ended up going the roundabout way home into Nebraska. Considering how much traffic there was and how many people had to sleep on the side of the road, we got home in remarkable time. Even so, it was after midnight.

  When I saw the solar eclipse in August, it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen and I am already counting down to the next eclipse in 2024! I can’t wait till I get to see the silvery corona and the luminous pink solar prominences again. I hope to see you then! --Subdeo--

 

[Stu]

Great report subdeo, an amazing experience! Thanks for taking the time to write it up