August 21st, 2017

This is what the day looks like right now here.  It's hard to believe that in just a few hours, it's going to look more like.....

:Even though it's still daytime.  In case you haven't been paying attention, today is the day of the eclipse! I am so excited I can barely stand myself!

We have our way-cool official eclipse watching spectacles and we know what time it's happening and when the "peak" of activity will be, well peaked I suppose. And of course, as per usual, I've done my research.  

We already know that eons ago something as mysterious as an eclipse was considered a sign from the gods and usually a bad sign which required responses terrifying and icky, like human sacrifices (shudder)  Thank goodness we have moved beyond those days of superstition and ignorance and into days of science and knowledge.  But also, thank goodness we are still moved by the powerful image. 

Are there any consequences other than the Wow factor?  I've heard rumours. Well it does seem to confuse some animals,  such as hippos, bugs, birds and fish.  The temperature of course will drop with the darkness that descends but I've read that it's also  possible for people to suddenly feel very lethargic or tired.  Of course anyone not observing the eclipse properly may suffer eye injury. Some folks believe it can affect digestion poorly and even spike emotional outbursts.  It sounds a little silly but even the Great brainiacs at NASA have said,, "For millennia, solar eclipses have been interpreted as portents of doom by virtually every known civilization. These have stimulated responses that run the gamut from human sacrifices to feelings of awe and bewilderment.  The consequences of the induced human psychological states have indeed led to physical effects." 

Well there you go, if the NASA nerds say it's so, you can pretty much bank that it's true. 

And Sam predicts that it's also going to be a "coming together" moment for a majority of the people in the US today.  All of us Astronomy geeks and even non geeks are going to be outside marveling at this bit of celestial "magic', even if it's just for a few minutes.  Enjoy this, go ahead and be a kid for a few minutes.  Feel that thrill go through you when the genetic memory in your body, for just a nano-second, fears that vanishing sun and then experience the awe as darkness blankets the earth during what should be daylight hours.

And years from now we can ask each other where we were and what we were doing during the solar eclipse of 2017.  I can tell you now that for me it looked a little like this: