On 21-Aug-17, North America got to experience a rare but amazing spectacle – the solar eclipse. For centuries people have been awed by this awesome sight that only astronomers understood. In ancient times, people had no warning and I can only imagine what effect it had on them.
Here is a picture that a friend took during the eclipse. I hope they were not looking through the lens of their camera as the picture was shot. SoCal was not in the path of the sun/moon.
I can’t remember ever witnessing one of these. The only total eclipse I’ve seen was the total lunar eclipse back in 2015. The sky got really dark and the moon looked opaque. We were able to see the entire thing. I remember it being a very enlightening experience.
This time I took precautions. I brought all my cats inside. Thankfully all my felines took to the bed and slept the entire time. I didn’t have to worry about them getting spooked. I was very careful not to look up at the sun when I was outside, since I didn’t have the special viewing glasses.
A friend of mine told me she had seen two total eclipses, the one of Normandy back in 1999 and the one of last year on Réunion Island, a French region located in the Indian Ocean near Madagascar, where she lives. What an amazing experience.
I kept checking all morning, but didn’t notice any dimming. Still I wanted to see this beautiful event. One of my friends told me the BBC airing it live on the internet. So, I went to their website and was able to watch the eclipse with my naked eye on my computer screen while two friendly gentlemen commentated. The location of the eclipse at that time was in Oregon.
I captured the next two pictures as screenshots from the BBC website. This one below was taken about eight minutes before the eclipse. I watched as the sun disappeared behind the moon. The entire screen was black for a moment.
Then they showed this shot of the total solar eclipse. I find the glow from the sun to be eerie. This is something I can stare at for a long time and still never stop wondering about it. This picture reminds me of a movie that came out many years ago, The Ring. They had used a similar photo for their movie promos.
Nonetheless, I’m not disappointed that I didn’t get to witness it live. It would have been nice to have been able to see the darkened sky. I was awed by this incredible experience and am really grateful that I got to see what I did. I thank BBC for airing these magnificent sights.
I spoke with some people regarding the eclipse and got some different answers. Two people said that they did see the shadows of the crescent sun cast on the ground as you can see in the next two pictures. Others described the experience as very special. In fact, one person said that they felt a connection to the it. Another admitted that they glanced up at the sun, but only for an instant. I’m not sure I would have done that since I value my eyesight. My mom is in Detroit and she said it was almost like dusk at the time of the eclipse. She took the picture below.
All in all, August 21, 2017 was a special day for me. I allowed myself to just be and enjoy the few minutes I had during this time. I would love to talk with you about your experience with this year’s total solar eclipse. Feel free to send me any pictures you may have. I have always been interested in this phenomenon and would like to see/ hear it from your view.
Until Next Time,
Lynn
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Lynn Lawler's Creative Artists' Blog 