Eclipse Experiences

     My sister, her husband and daughter watched eagerly from the first "slice," through totality, and until the sun was fully restored. A "once in a lifetime" experience.

     I hope you were able to view the eclipse, either partial or in totality, as the moon’s shadow passed over North America on April 8, 2024. I traveled to Westfield, NY, which was in the Path of Totality. I went to a local park with my sister and her family. Although the day was partly cloudy, there were enough breaks in the clouds to see all the phases, including totality. As the moon's shadow passed over us, the streetlights came on! It was noticeably cooler and we were glad we had dressed warmly. Due to the clouds, we could not see much of the coronal streamers, but the experience was amazing! 

     My first encounter with a total solar eclipse was August 21, 2017. I made the Great American Road Trip from Philadelphia to Wyoming with my younger son. He was 19 at the time, and had just passed his driver’s test the week before we started out. Three weeks on interstate highways with a newly minted driver is an experience in itself. Anyway, people who knew I was going to see the eclipse said, “Take a picture for me.” There is no way a picture, or even a video with special filters, can capture the awesome majesty of a total solar eclipse. You have to experience it. As the shadow passed over us, the blazing light of summer midday in the Wyoming high country suddenly turned to twilight. My friend Kate made a video as the shadow overcame us. The link is below.

     At the very end of the video, you can hear another person in our group whisper, “We can take our glasses off now.” It was safe to remove the eclipse glasses once the moon fully covered the orb of the sun. We saw the corona, the streams of light only visible during a total eclipse, blazing out. This lasted only less than five minutes. Then, the positions of the sun and moon changed, the corona disappeared, and we immediately replaced our glasses to protect our eyes from the damaging rays.

Click here to connect to 2017 eclipse

     As I posted on February 14, the eclipse in itself is a testimony of God's amazing creative power. I also see a spiritual parallel, which I will share next week. 

As the shadow passed on, and the light returned, I needed my eclipse glasses once again.

Want to know more about solar eclipses? Use this link to see the PBS show NOVA: The Great American Eclipse. Totality cool science (and AWESOME God)

https://youtu.be/WTfQpdTD_3M?si=xq99AOjzCLLbQE3L