[Guest Post] Rumination on a Total Solar Eclipse

My beloved husband John in his own words …

Hello, friends,

Happy Total Eclipse Day from Dayton, Ohio,
Just thinking out loud about the total eclipse here today. Amazing! What a unique experience! Surprised at the switch-flip to darkness that didn’t happen until the very last rays disappeared! Even saw one star come out during totality!

I have been living for this day since the partial eclipse here in 2017. For that event I made a viewing box in addition to having eclipse glasses. After the eclipse I wrote on the box the date of the coming total eclipse and how old I would be at that time. I then put it up on a shelf in our garage ready for that day seven years out. I was wondering if I would be around to see it.

This day was unique not only for the astronomical display. The rare experience was commonly shared by probably millions of people of every age, race, creed, persuasion, opinion, and party. But absolutely none of those identifications had any connection to the celestial event. Somehow there is an unexpected unity in this. We all can rejoice together in the shared awe of the free show.

The fact that this display is even possible is thought provoking. An arrangement of three celestial spheres of the just right size moving relative to each other at just the right distance from each other so as to perfectly block the sunlight from our eyes may be a fortuitous result of the forces of nature. I cannot scientifically prove it otherwise. But the fact that this intriguing celestial arrangement even exists does provoke the question, “Why?” The best answer may be, “I don’t know.” But the question still remains.

John

THANK YOU JIA WEI FOR THIS GREAT PHOTO

John’s eclipse dessert