The solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 demonstrated once again an immutable fact of the universe: Nature rules.
As much as humans screw things up – with pollution, with climate change, with overconsumption, with politics – Nature’s cosmic forces are still more powerful than we are.
Those forces were on full display April 8, when millions of people across the United States gathered to collectively observe the phenomenon that occurs when the moon casts a shadow over the Earth as it blocks the rays of the sun beaming down on us from 93 million miles away.
What Makes a Total Solar Eclipse So Special?
I’d seen partial eclipses before. But, I’d never seen the moon completely eclipse the sun. Friends and colleagues who had said it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I live in the Washington, DC area. There’d be a good partial solar eclipse here, but not total. At my age, with the next total eclipse not predicted for the U.S. for another 21 years, I realized that April 8 might be my last chance to see it actually happen.
I examined all the historical weather data NASA provided for the path of the eclipse, which would stretch from northern Mexico through Dallas and Little Rock, across Indianapolis and Cleveland to Buffalo and Burlington, and on into New Brunswick in Canada. According to the data, the Midwest and Northeast are often cloudy and rainy in April. Dallas, however, had one of the best chances for dry, clear skies and perfect viewing. That’s where I’d go.
Despite what weather data indicate, weather itself is very unpredictable. As I (along with my daughter) prepared to travel, we kept an anxious eye on the forecast. Wouldn’t you know it: many places in the Midwest and Northeast were being forecast as clear, while Dallas’s outlook was stormy and cloudy. Nevertheless, we headed to the Lone Star State, keeping our fingers and toes crossed that the sky would not disappoint.
Monday morning, the skies were indeed overcast. Our chances of seeing a total solar eclipse did not look good. But our spirits were high, buoyed by the hundreds of people we saw streaming to a nearby park to enjoy this amazing event.
We headed to a place called Gilley’s, an offshoot of the honky tonk bar near Houston made famous in the movie Urban Cowboy. Just as we joined others on the venue’s outdoor terrace, the sky cleared and the eclipse began. We were thrilled!
Over the next hour, we watched as the moon slowly overtook the sun. We met people like us, who were there for their first “totality” experience, as well as “eclipse chasers,” enthusiasts who go all over the world to witness eclipses, which actually occur somewhere on the planet every 18 months. An announcer implored us to always wear our glasses when looking at the sun to protect our eyes. We also slathered our faces in sun block to avoid UV damage from looking up at the sun for the two hours the eclipse would take place.
As the moment of totality approached, everyone got noticeably more excited and animated. Then suddenly, we were all counting down: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 TAKE OFF YOUR GLASSES, the announcer shouted – and we did!!
What I saw was simply one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen in my life. I can’t ever do justice to what it’s like to be able to look at a total eclipse. The massive sun was completely blocked out, but there was light emanating from all around the moon. I looked back on the Dallas skyline; it had been plunged into darkness. Street lights came on. Birds roosted. Stars suddenly appeared in the cool, darkened sky.
It was so stunning, so shocking, really, I could only do what everyone else was doing: laugh out loud, ooh and ah, point at the sun, and just marvel at it all.
Four short minutes later, the announcer came back on and told us all to put our glasses back on RIGHT NOW!! The moon was moving on and the sun was starting to shine with all its power again. Amazingly, even when just a tiny bit of the sun is exposed, it’s too powerful to look at with one’s naked eye.
It took about another hour for the moon to completely pass the sun. By then, the crowds were thinning, Dallas was in full daylight again, and we were trying to see if any of the pictures we took actually turned out. We ended the afternoon feeling thrilled, amazed, wowed – and yes, wondering whether WE should travel to see another eclipse sooner rather than later.
Said NASA,
“While the eclipse is a powerful reminder of our place in the universe, it also reminds us of our place in our communities.
“During the alignment of the Sun, Moon, and Earth, people across North America also aligned with families, friends, classes, colleagues, and even strangers as they took in this celestial event in the sky and all around them.”
I hope the eclipse has had some lasting impact on people as we consider Nature, our planet, and how we can do our best to protect them both.
I, for one, WANT Nature to rule.
Did you watch the eclipse? Please let us know what your experience was like. Share your story with the Big Green Purse Facebook community. Thanks!
