TOTAL ECLIPSE: Science & Magic

I Experienced Totality! It was a looong day, but worth it for a two-minute naked eye view of the black-and-silver space flower! The moon’s size and distance from Earth are in perfect balance to permit a total eclipse of the sun. Astronomers know exactly where and when to see an eclipse. The reasons are scientific, but the experience is magical. (NASA)

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I was part of an immense, peaceful gathering. We joined a mass migration of people who left their homes and work to experience the total eclipse of the sun. We journeyed to the path that was correctly predicted years ago, down to the second. Some traveled hundreds of miles just to witness Totality. (NASA)

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And it is beautiful . . . the eclipse, the science, the harmony of people coming together to appreciate something rare and truly universal.
 
I watch through Eclipse glasses as the moon slides slowly across the sun, a perfect black circle. Wispy, curly shadows appear on the ground beneath trees. Crickets grow silent. (NASA)

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I feel the power of the sun. The moon can not contain its light. Even when 98% of the sun is covered, there is light. It merely seems like a cloudy day. Next comes the brief moment before Totality, with a thin white diamond ring of light around the onyx moon.
 
Then . . . Totality! We take off our glasses and watch with our naked eyes. The change from 99% to 100% eclipse is incredible! The sun becomes a space flower with a black center and long, thin, silvery petals against a dark sky.
 
I am so focused that the two minutes of Totality seem much longer. Time stretches. How do I feel? I am delighted, amazed, and at peace with the world. Earth is part of a beautiful universe. And if so many people choose to experience this together, peacefully, there is hope.