Ah, eclipses. There was a time in our history when eclipses were explained as the work or sorcerers, mythical creatures eating the sun, or religious miracles. Today we know exactly what eclipses are and how they work, but they are still interesting to watch and slightly disorienting to experience. And less terrifying than thinking a giant dragon has eaten the sun.
Last weekend’s eclipse was not a total solar eclipse for those of us in Oklahoma. Here, we experienced a 70-80% blockage of the sun for a short period of time. The peak viewing time was just after 11 a.m. Because a portion of the sun was still visible, darkly tinted “eclipse glasses” were required to view the event.
There are a lot of interesting things to see in nature, most of which I find relatively boring after a few minutes. I appreciated visiting the Grand Canyon, but after five or ten minutes… I got it. Prior to the arrival of the eclipse I wasn’t all that excited, and had to find my own way of keeping things interesting.
Then the eclipse started, and things felt… weird. Save for those who live near the Arctic Circle or are confined to solitary confinement, most of us see the sun every single day. Inherently, we know what things look like. How shadows work. Sitting outside and watching the sun go dim and watching shadows on the ground stretch and change shape is odd.
It is true that animals can sense something it different, too. It is not uncommon for complete solar eclipses to trick crickets, locusts, and frogs into singing their nightly songs. Even in a partial eclipse, birds freak out. In our backyard birds gathered on the roof, staring at the eclipse (without protective glasses!) with inquisitive looks one their beady little bird faces.
The peak of the eclipse lasted about ten minutes, pushing the limits of my attention span. Before long, all parties involved — the sun, the moon, the earth, and me — moved on. Shadows and colors returned to normal. Birds went back to, uh, birding.
In 2024, a full solar eclipse will make its way across the southern United States and we plan to travel a couple of hours to experience it. I’m looking forward to that, and hope it doesn’t burn my face off!
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