The major non-political news this week was the solar eclipse. (Well, with the exception of Hurricane Harvey of course, Mother Nature isn’t giving up for the week...Stay safe Texans!)
I was a little indifferent to it at first. My luck hasn’t been all that good, given where I live. The last time there was an eclipse here was in 1979. It was February and first thing in the morning, with the point of maximum coverage at 8:18 AM, barely light to start with. And of course it was overcast, so any dimming of the sun was barely discernible. Sheesh!
Astronomical events are not often visible here in Seattle due to the frequent gray skies and the general light pollution. I have often enjoyed laying in the backyard with a beer and observing a bit of a Perseid meteor shower, and in 1997, there was a night with a partial eclipse of the moon simultaneous with the Hale Bopp comet that were both visible, a rare treat. But I’m not a stargazer, can’t remember the last time I saw the Milky Way.
But for this week’s event, the weather was looking like it might cooperate. I didn’t it in gear soon enough to get one of the special viewing glasses, nor did I trust the old welder’s goggles that came with our house, left hanging on a nail in the basement by the previous owners. Saturday I got an email from someone I know sending out a general call for a pair of glasses, and there were a couple of posts on Nextdoor looking to score some of those “3D” style things. Excitement was growing.
So I thought I’d shake off that indifference and try to rig up some sort of indirect viewing devise Sunday evening, using the late day sun as the model. Binoculars worked pretty well using a piece of cardboard, but it was awkward. Just a hole in a piece of card stock worked as well…this was easy. But the small dot of the sun was hard to see, a shaded space was really needed. So I just followed the instructions plastered all over the internet and found a box and dumped its contents of Things To Be Shredded.
A minute hole in aluminum foil did quite well, but the image was very small, about a quarter inch in diameter. Then I remembered a small field glass I have. Quick box modifications and I have about a 2” sun inside. All set for the next day!
Monday morning it was still foggy down the street, starting about at my neighbor’s, who had come over first thing to ask for help jumping his car. The ferry foghorn was bellowing too. But it was clear here at our place.
And so to work...me and the rest of the country got set to catch the show.
In the end, while the eclipse was interesting, the twilight and the unusual shadows on familiar surroundings were the coolest part of the experience.
As the sun rose in the east, the light was mostly filtered through the jungle of trees in the back yard, creating abstract works of art just begging to be photographed…
…you only need to add titles.
….
What’s up with you today?
VIRGINIA KOSSACKS!