The rare event of a total solar eclipse exclusive to the US traversing a path across our country
united many Americans as we all looked
up in amazement at this cosmic spectacle. We all had a little "eclipse fever",
or at least I did, and why not, a continuous eclipse in the US has not
happened since 1976 and one exclusive to the US since 1776. Americans everywhere saw various versions of the moon blocking the light of the sun and
those in the direct path saw day turn into night. It was a moment where we
realized how small we are, a speck on this
planet that is just a speck in the universe!
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| Eclipse in Pittsburgh- 81% coverage of sun, from Carnegie Science Center |
Reflection
Many of my friends and even my cousin traveled to places along the path of the
eclipse which began about 9:10 am in Oregon
and traversed to the East Coast, ending
at about 2:44 pm in Columbia, South
Carolina. In Pittsburgh, I thought that I would take advantage of the experts, viewing areas, telescopes, and of course the
special observation dark glasses at the Carnegie Science Center . I experienced our 81% eclipse with some of my friends, and about 4000 other strangers who made the pilgrimage!
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| Home made devices to view on deck at Science Center |
The Science Center was full of people and excitement as everyone looked up periodically
between
1 pm and the maximum view of the our eclipse at 2:35 pm. At
the Buhl Observatory Deck there were kids to my left and a 91 year old lady to
my right but everyone seemed to be smiling and amazed.
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| Buhl Observatory Deck |
As the experts predicted, during our peak moment (2:35pm) when the moon blocked the
light of the sun we felt the temperature drop and the light dim. Looking
through my glasses I saw a sliver of sun
shining to the side and then moving to the top of a black ball (the moon). During those few minutes I reflected on how very small we all are in a huge universe-something that I rarely even think about. Like many others, I paused, looked up, and took it in with amazement!
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| Wow factor with reporter Alyssa Raymond WTAE-4 |
This will not happen again in the US again until 2024, when the solar eclipse will travel from Texas to the New England states.
Since that is 7 years away and the next one is
a bit far in Argentina or Chile on July 2019, I thought that we should
celebrate today’s opportunity with some
tequila sunrises as suggested by a friend. Another of my “cheesy ideas” or genius in some circles, was to add a little wedding soup and call it moon soup :)
Today was a day to unite with others as we viewed something awesome. It was a once in a lifetime new experience for many!
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| Celebrate event with tequila sunrises and moon soup |
(If you enjoy star gazing take advantage of Carnegie Science Center
Sky Watch nights where you can get a virtual
tour of the sky in the Buhl Planetarium then head to the observatory to view the sky through the powerful telescope)
Spiritual Reflection
When I look at the
night sky and see the work of your fingers-the moon and the stars you have set into
place (Psalm 8:3)
Other Sources
Science Center Events http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/calendar/event-details/?eventID=2643&year=2017&month=8&date=21
Science center http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/
Solar Eclipse http://time.com/4750899/total-solar-eclipse/ ; http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/21/us/solar-eclipse-live/index.html