Unless you've been living under a rock, you're well aware of the solar eclipse happening on August 21, less than a month from now.
Here where I live in western Oregon, we're directly over the shadow's path of totality, and the media are warning us about traffic jams and other nightmares associated with an influx of observers. I'm calling it, Apoc-eclypse because I enjoy a good play on words.
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Some commenters on Facebook are all like, "what is the big deal?" They apparently haven't observed a total solar eclipse first hand. It is a big deal. Total darkness for almost two minutes at 10:18 AM is a huge deal and will be so freaking cool.
I remember with vivid detail the solar eclipse of February 26, 1979. In fact I narrated the morning it happened when writing my book REACHING, without knowledge that another eclipse was in my near future.
It was a cloudy morning. My sister Laura and I had the TV on, tuned in to the news. They had reporters stationed at Goldendale, Washington, apparently the only area in the Pacific Northwest with clear skies. They wanted to film the moon migrating in front of the sun for viewers at home.
I didn't really care all that much about observing the moon's journey, or the sun either for that matter. I was enjoying the scene right outside my door. Traffic lights came on and it was eerily quiet. It was midnight for a few minutes. And then it gradually got light again. And was over. And it's going to happen again soon!
Here is a cool video from 1979. ABC news is reporting on the eclipse. Interestingly, they mention the date of the next total solar eclipse, August 21, 2017, "thirty-eight years from now." Apparently I did know. I just forgot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAacZoIJUN0
Are you going to be in the path?
Since I'm in the Boise area, I'm within driving distance of the path of totality as well. My guy is from Weiser, so we're headed to his parents house Sunday night with a couple of friends and will catch the eclipse with the 60,000 other people who will be crowding the town that usually boasts a population of 5,000. Weiser is actually considered the second-best place in the nation for viewing, and when it's over, the school will be gifted a telescope scientists are using. Turns out a friend of mine whose dad owns a cattle ranch is dead center and will get a couple more seconds of darkness. I would have rather viewed it on isolated property, but plans had already been made by the time he told us about the spot on his ranch.
ReplyDeleteI think it's going to be cool, yet I wonder if the media panic about it. It's reminding a bit of the Y2K hoopla.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt back then "38 years from now" was an unthinkable forever. Hell you'd be so old you'd be bedridden by then, right? (that's how I would have seen it)
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