There's no way you can experience an almost total solar eclipse and then not write about it.
What a phenomenon!
😮
I mean, just for a moment, put yourself in the skin of someone from an ancient civilisation and imagine witnessing this:
I mean, it would freak you right out, wouldn't it?! 😱
You'd certainly fall in line and get worshipping the Sun God, as if your life literally depended upon it.
Of course, being human and having a mind, I went into it with expectations. My observations were:
- Even at the maximum 92.8% coverage—just the teeniest sliver of sun still visible—it remained remarkably bright. The sun is very bright!!
- Shadows were the oddest thing. The quality of light had that end-of-sunset feel to it, but the shadows weren't long enough, because the sun was still higher in the sky
- We were all ooh-ing and ahh-ing too much to notice whether nature went quiet around us
- I had a real feeling of the moon being an actual celestial body, as it slid—perfectly round and black—across the face of our local star. It was totally awesome to witness
- We looked like a bunch of cultists, all staring in wonder with our eclipse specs on.
🤓
Interestingly, although it was an experience I'll not forget any time soon, it felt like more of a curiosity than an existential reset.
It didn't have the power of presence that looking up at the stars does for me, like this:
Giles P Croft
Maybe it's a scale thing: solar system vs. galaxy and beyond?
What a wondrous thing, this life is!
✨
Giles
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