Posted on 08/22/2017 7:11:29 AM PDT by NOBO2012
In terms of the universe we are quite insignificant.
Solar System rendered to scale by Roberto Ziche.
As upcountrywater pointed out, a 91% eclipse is not the same as 100%. 100% is total darkness. 91% is more like a cloud cover moving in. With 91% you dont see the Corona, the diamond ring, or the dancing plasma flares. Day does not turn into night and the stars do not come out. In fact if you werent paying attention you most likely wouldnt have noticed at all, (isnt that the truth about many things?) so stealthily did the eclipse approach. And so steadfastly did the sun continue to light our world. On the other hand animals, who survive by their instincts, missed nothing. Birds and squirrels, usually very active mid-morning, were all disappeared and silent. Unlike their more sensate human co-inhabitants they bow to nature. Yet despite the lack of dramatic darkness watching the advancing moon eclipse the sun with infrared blocking glasses was still awesome and a testament to our relative place in this great universe.
The sun is a most powerful entity.
As we werent in the path of totality I knew it wouldnt grow completely dark. Watching the moon march across the sun, leaving just a wee sliver moon sized slice of it unblocked, the shadows deepened appreciably, providing shade where none is ever seen on a normal sunny day. And the temperature dropped - also appreciably - at least 10 degrees. I expected that. The surprise was how totally un-dark it grew. With only 9% of it's energy available the sun was still powerful enough to keep us lit with barely noticeable dimming. You would think that would be adequate evidence to convince members of the church of global warming that it is the sun that dictates temperatures and climate trends not evil carbon dioxide. But no.
Eclipse Musicality is biased:
There are far more moon songs than sun songs. And I agree totally with Son of Rusty Shackleford: Hearts and Bones is a seriously underrated album. I know Paul Simon is a useless lib politically but his lyrical skill is above reproach. Im hard pressed to pick a favorite from this particular album but I am partial to Train in the Distance
But from time to time he makes her laugh
She cooks a meal of two
Everybody loves the sound of a train in the distance
Everybody thinks it's true
What is the point of this story
What information pertains
The thought that life could be better
Is woven indelibly
Into our hearts and our brains
Birds of a feather flock together:
Solar eclipses have virtually no effect of politics. Reaction to the Presidents speech on Afghanistan pretty much fall along the usual partisan lines. And so it goes, life back to normal.
I highly recommend partaking of the next eclipse to venture our way if, God willing, were all still here.
Posted from: MOTUS A.D.
The centreline of totality will pass just south of Dallas at 18:42 UT, with the total eclipse still over 4 minutes 20 seconds on the centreline.
So, I'll be spring camping south of Dallas in April 2024!
Why not New Madrid, Missouri?
Four of us drove 750 miles into western Oregon to see totality.
We had radio nerds with us who were part of a nationwide effort to study the ionospheres interaction with radio waves during eclipses. The boys had some serious geek toys and an array of telescopes. I had never seen sunspots in real time.
By the time the eclipse started that little piece of wilderness had become like a crowded circus.
Everyone was friendly & civilized, even the county sheriff.
The 2024 eclipse will have nearly twice as long totality.
The other upcoming total eclipses, for those with the time and money to travel, will be July 2, 2019, crossing Chile and Argentina (just south of Buenos Aires)--in the southern hemisphere winter. Then December 14, 2020, also crossing Chile and Argentina but further south. Then August 12, 2026, hitting the tip of Iceland and crossing Spain. Then August 2, 2027, hitting the southern tip of Spain. Then July 22, 2028, crossing Australia (including Sydney) and the South Island of New Zealand (including Dunedin).
This was not a once in a lifetime experience, as the media nitwits proclaimed this eclipse. Texas, April 8, 2024, totality .but do not come. Stay off our lawns.
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This is the first eclipse near me in my life time of 7 decades. Perhaps there will be another before I croak but it was something to behold in totality. There really was’t much to see except for totality and that is spectacular. It goes from light to dark very quickly and two and half minutes later exactly the opposite occurs. The shadows moves incredibly fast. I had a drone fly up to 1500 feet and look straight down. You can see the movement but just barely, it is almost like flicking a switch. That experience and seeing the Suns corona for for the first time were worth all the extra effort I put into driving 4 hours to see it. If I ever do it again I will stay an extra night. The drive on the way home was horrendous. It took nearly 7 hours.
Uh-huh!!!
The last time something big happened there, the Mississippi ran backwards.
I’d LOVE to see that, but not at the risk of my own demise!
95% of scientwists agree that temperature drop was due to the man made farts of all those watching the eclipse. Ooops, increase.
“...the bright red spot on the top right”
We saw that too!
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