The (total) eclipse was cool
I'm not sure what I expected, but the difference between partial and total is wild
My home in Texas was within the path of totality of the eclipse yesterday — as the name suggests this is path of the eclipse where the moon perfectly blocks the sun. While many made the pilgrimage across the country to see it, I wondered who might travel for such a thing. But after experiencing it (I really had to be in a place that was convenient or I’d likely never have voluntarily gone) I do understand.
It was simultaneously terrifying, mind-bending and beautiful (also rare). As I Tweeted, you would definitely think we'd have ‘angered the gods’ if you didn't know what was happening and a total eclipse came. Most unexpected for me was the last 45 seconds or so before totality, where it basically made the universe look like it was on a dimmer switch (it happened so fast, I’d never considered how things could get that dark that quickly). I imagine a large enough asteroid would accomplish the same thing, and so there is an apocalyptic element to the event. Cosmic scale events show us how insignificant we are, but simultaneously illustrate how rare and special life is.
Essentially if you’ve never seen one, you experience this:
I get similar vibes staring at the stars most nights, but the eclipse is more immediate/visceral and drives the point home none of us are in the control (of cosmic scale events). You both matter and you don’t at the same time.
I’d seen partial eclipses before but that is not even close to the same as a total eclipse. The difference between 99 and 100% is wild, it’s like the difference between water and ice, that last 1% matters and is what turns the sky from day to night (even a sliver of sun has sufficient light to keep things bright). The partial eclipse doesn’t feel so existential. And it’s much more than just visual, the animals and insects cycle as if it’s nighttime, the pressure changes, you feel it deep in your physical being.
Now that I’ve experienced one, I would recommend traveling to be in the path of totality for a future eclipse if not terribly inconvenient. But probably only for contemplative humans. If you’re still into vacuous things like pop music and infinite Disney sequels, it’s perhaps not for you (I saw some reactions after from people online who were unimpressed or cynical, the nihilism of their social + media consumption has likely done to that to them, we’ll say a prayer for their souls). Anyway, the (total) eclipse was cool.
[The next one that crosses a significant portion of the continental U.S. will be in 2045, if you’re interested and can make it.]
You get it! In 2017 we drove the family 8 hours to the path of totality, and had to race against the clouds to see it (eclipse started in a cloud and eventually the cloud moved out of the way). Crazy awesome experience. We decided to do it again in 2024. The cloud forecast looked terrible 2 days previous, so we stayed home. Driving 15 hours in storm and rain to have a 50/50 shot at seeing totality again didn't seem like a good idea. April 8 came and suddenly the forecast was clear skies from Russellville AK to Mount Vernon IL! So we missed our chance to experience it again with the kids. But it was fun reliving 2017 watching the NASA stream for 2024. I'm glad everyone else got to see it.
I saw the totality from our apartment in downtown Dallas. We were lucky to have a balcony that put is right underneath it. It was awe inspiring for me, but other people enjoyed it more by playing loud music and hollering. I don't know, I felt a deep contemplative feeling immediately, and would have loved to just to see it in silence. Nonetheless I was lucky to experience it, and it definitely had that "I don't control anything" feeling.