To view the total solar eclipse, we had the opportunity of staying with our friend Christa, whom we had not seen since the pandemic, which is way too long. Her home was right in the path of the 2024 totality, so we could comfortably watch the eclipse from her deck, and have the luxury of a hot shower as well! Other things in our favor were minimal cloud cover, and no crowds to jostle with - en route to our destination, we had seen vendors setting up stalls to sell eclipse t-shirts and other paraphernalia along the highway - way to help cause traffic jams!
But for us, the stars were (literally) aligned for a perfect end to our recent "suffering."
It was strange to observe the light dimming slowly as the eclipse began - the light being emitted seemed strangely flat; just a weird light. It wasn't very noticeable or dark initially, just a strange light emanating as if a storm was approaching ominously, or that a mildly orangey-yellow filter was being used. As totality approached, semi-darkness seem to RUSH in. It felt eerie and unnerving to have darkness upon us so early in the day, and to have it materialize rapidly, only to have it reversed 3 minutes later. It got suddenly cold, too (dropping in the region of 10°F). The return to light after totality seemed less unusual in color, and it was quickly bright again.
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| A series of stills, taken a minute apart, approaching and including the total eclipse's effect on the landscape. |
It was so incredibly weird to experience a "sunset" effect in a 360 swathe all around us, not just the west, to which we are used. It definitely messes with your mind - as it did with other creatures: just before totality, crows stopped cawing and everything went silent. And then an owl called, as if it were dusk hunting time. Bats came out and flew around during the few minutes of darkness, and then clambered, confused, back up into their dark roosts when it got light again. I'm not the only one who was mind-blown 😀
Here are the same pictures taken over 5 minutes, presented individually. The differences in light intensity, even within each minute changed rapidly - so incredibly amazing a spectacle to have watched. Definitely mind-blowing!
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| 3:25 PM |
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| 3:26 PM |
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| 3:27 PM |
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| 3:28 PM |
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| 3:29 PM |
Yet more tomorrow!
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