Watch now | It’s my birthday. My gift to myself is to indulge my inclination to share with you my reflections on having seen an absolutely gorgeous total eclipse in Northern New Hampshire on Monday. It is impossible to describe just exactly what totality looked like....
Hi, Jeremy—Dan Seaton’s dad here. Thanks for your marvelous comments. Dan’s mom and I drove to her hometown of Fremont, Ohio, and met up with her sister (who arrived from Minnesota) to view the eclipse at Dan’s urging. You are so right. The magical moment when the moon finally covers the face of the sun is amazing. I’m sorry Jay didn’t get to this event, but he certainly inspired a lot of people to encourage a lot more people to observe this extraordinary phenomenon. What astounds me is the fact that the moon is exactly the right size and distance from the earth and occasionally travels in the precise path to allow this event to happen at all! Cheers!
Oh, and best photos were of shadows, and of all the folks around the country with their faces turned up for a change...with wonder in these crazy times.
I watched the eclipse (partial where I was) by myself, but felt extremely connected to the rest of the world, knowing so many people were also watching. Like you, I thought about what it must have been like to experience an eclipse at other times in history. Thanks for sharing, and happy birthday!
I did get to see the total eclipse in Hudson OH near Cleveland. I thought I knew what to expect and I was wrong. Your point about photos not capturing the event is so true.
The intensity of seeing totality has so many layers. The intense black circle of the moon, the corona, the odd level of darkness, the stars, the 360° sunrise/sunset on the horizon, the temperature change and the feeling that time is standing still and yet going too fast are all happening in beautiful coordination. This plus sharing the experience with those near you creates a very special moment.
We had 35 people at our house and played a Pink Floyd song (shine on you crazy diamond) for a surreal-shared eclipse that was outstanding!
So glad that got you got to experience it!!! And hope you had your 4 year old with you. My parents drove us to Ocean City, MD from Baltimore in 1970 for a total solar eclipse when I was 12 along with my 3 sibs. (Please, no difference in that one at 99.90% from my environmental science husband.) I will never forget it. Everything turned dark in the middle of the day. Spooky,cool over the ocean. We stayed home (Western MA) for this one as being in a wheelchair in crowds on potentially soft ground and stuck in traffic brings too many issues. But on our 5 acres right next to the brook and pond it was lovely. Even with only partial darkness (94%), we got to hear the peepers (frogs) start up their symphony early, the birds stop singing, the temp drop. Then the peepers stopped peeping and the sudden sound of birds again as the sun started to come back. Clouds didn't come in till after the end fortunately. Our song of choice was REM's "It's the End of the World".
Wholeheartedly agree! We drove about an hour south to hit a region of totality near the St. Lawrence River (Cardinal, Ontario), and it was truly spectacular, despite the cloud cover. It's been several days, and I'm still dreaming about the eclipse every night - it's as if my brain can't process the event. I don't want to move on. I want to go again! I tried my best to capture the event with video and still photos, despite the sudden cold, and put together a short video (mostly time lapse) here so that I can hopefully relive the emotions of the event, along with the waterfront crowd - sharing, in case you're interested: https://youtu.be/YFFQGB_kUQ0
Happy Birthday!!! We had almost 95% totality here in Mid-Missouri. It did get dark here, but you are correct, not nearly as dark as it does in totality. I was blessed to be able to see totality in my backyard on August 21, 2017, right here in Mid-Missouri. It truly is a magnificent experience and I agree, pictures just do not capture the moment or look nearly as magnificent It truly is an experience of a lifetime.
We drove from Virginia to a park along a lake in Lionsville, PA, to experience the total eclipse. There were many families there. The sky was perfect to view the eclipse from there. It was just as you said - awesome! Happy Birthday!
The ecstatic awe of this transcendent experience so beautifully evoked by your post brings so much healing to our ragged human spirits. Thank you, Jeremy, and Happy Birthday!
We toyed with the idea of going, but I just envisioned being stuck in endless traffic jams and then having cloudy skies ruin it. Instead we were hiking in an area of about 93% coverage, which was special in itself. We saw the sickle-shaped reflections through holes in leaves, and the eerie dimming of the world. But I accept that totality is a whole different experience.
I've never heard anyone describe the corona the way you did, and I'm intrigued. You said "diamonds coming off" and "silver" and something was "dark blue," but I wasn't clear. Were the diamonds the much-photographed diamond ring effect, or something else? What was dark blue?
This whole thing has also made me appreciate the spectacular things we get to see all the time, but ignore because they are so frequent. Like sunsets. Imagine if they only happened once every 20 years; we'd be beside ourselves talking about how the sun turns orange and melts into the horizon, and afterward the sky turns all kinds of colors--pink, peach, golden, orange, lavender, purple! If we had eclipses every day, we'd probably minimize their wonder too.
And I wonder how many people in ancient times suffered eye damage from looking at the sun ... it must've added to their fear.
Another aspect of being present for a totality is the sound. Everything goes quiet! The birds stop singing (a friend's chickens put themselves into the coop for the night), the daytime background thrum of insects stops, the world turns sepia toned with a dawn breaking around you in all 360°.
And in this surreal, tawny, dawn-lit silence, everyone breaks into applause and cheers, creating a wave of shared awe, joy, and immense beauty. There's simply nothing else in human experience that compares.
Where we were in VT, when the diamond ring effect started, some little girls started jumping for up and down, yelling, "the diamond ring! the diamond ring!" And everyone laughed and smiled, clapping again in appreciation of their sheer joy. What an experience!
Hi, Jeremy—Dan Seaton’s dad here. Thanks for your marvelous comments. Dan’s mom and I drove to her hometown of Fremont, Ohio, and met up with her sister (who arrived from Minnesota) to view the eclipse at Dan’s urging. You are so right. The magical moment when the moon finally covers the face of the sun is amazing. I’m sorry Jay didn’t get to this event, but he certainly inspired a lot of people to encourage a lot more people to observe this extraordinary phenomenon. What astounds me is the fact that the moon is exactly the right size and distance from the earth and occasionally travels in the precise path to allow this event to happen at all! Cheers!
Paul S.
Oh, and best photos were of shadows, and of all the folks around the country with their faces turned up for a change...with wonder in these crazy times.
I watched the eclipse (partial where I was) by myself, but felt extremely connected to the rest of the world, knowing so many people were also watching. Like you, I thought about what it must have been like to experience an eclipse at other times in history. Thanks for sharing, and happy birthday!
I did get to see the total eclipse in Hudson OH near Cleveland. I thought I knew what to expect and I was wrong. Your point about photos not capturing the event is so true.
The intensity of seeing totality has so many layers. The intense black circle of the moon, the corona, the odd level of darkness, the stars, the 360° sunrise/sunset on the horizon, the temperature change and the feeling that time is standing still and yet going too fast are all happening in beautiful coordination. This plus sharing the experience with those near you creates a very special moment.
We had 35 people at our house and played a Pink Floyd song (shine on you crazy diamond) for a surreal-shared eclipse that was outstanding!
So glad that got you got to experience it!!! And hope you had your 4 year old with you. My parents drove us to Ocean City, MD from Baltimore in 1970 for a total solar eclipse when I was 12 along with my 3 sibs. (Please, no difference in that one at 99.90% from my environmental science husband.) I will never forget it. Everything turned dark in the middle of the day. Spooky,cool over the ocean. We stayed home (Western MA) for this one as being in a wheelchair in crowds on potentially soft ground and stuck in traffic brings too many issues. But on our 5 acres right next to the brook and pond it was lovely. Even with only partial darkness (94%), we got to hear the peepers (frogs) start up their symphony early, the birds stop singing, the temp drop. Then the peepers stopped peeping and the sudden sound of birds again as the sun started to come back. Clouds didn't come in till after the end fortunately. Our song of choice was REM's "It's the End of the World".
I was hoping the peepers would begin singing for somebody!
Ooops, and a very Happy Birthday to you Doc Faust!
Wholeheartedly agree! We drove about an hour south to hit a region of totality near the St. Lawrence River (Cardinal, Ontario), and it was truly spectacular, despite the cloud cover. It's been several days, and I'm still dreaming about the eclipse every night - it's as if my brain can't process the event. I don't want to move on. I want to go again! I tried my best to capture the event with video and still photos, despite the sudden cold, and put together a short video (mostly time lapse) here so that I can hopefully relive the emotions of the event, along with the waterfront crowd - sharing, in case you're interested: https://youtu.be/YFFQGB_kUQ0
Happy Birthday!!! We had almost 95% totality here in Mid-Missouri. It did get dark here, but you are correct, not nearly as dark as it does in totality. I was blessed to be able to see totality in my backyard on August 21, 2017, right here in Mid-Missouri. It truly is a magnificent experience and I agree, pictures just do not capture the moment or look nearly as magnificent It truly is an experience of a lifetime.
Thank you for sharing your experience. It sounds magnificent. Happy Birthday!🎈🎂 🌻
We drove from Virginia to a park along a lake in Lionsville, PA, to experience the total eclipse. There were many families there. The sky was perfect to view the eclipse from there. It was just as you said - awesome! Happy Birthday!
The ecstatic awe of this transcendent experience so beautifully evoked by your post brings so much healing to our ragged human spirits. Thank you, Jeremy, and Happy Birthday!
Happiest Birthday! What an amazing experience on your birthday and your whole family!
We toyed with the idea of going, but I just envisioned being stuck in endless traffic jams and then having cloudy skies ruin it. Instead we were hiking in an area of about 93% coverage, which was special in itself. We saw the sickle-shaped reflections through holes in leaves, and the eerie dimming of the world. But I accept that totality is a whole different experience.
I've never heard anyone describe the corona the way you did, and I'm intrigued. You said "diamonds coming off" and "silver" and something was "dark blue," but I wasn't clear. Were the diamonds the much-photographed diamond ring effect, or something else? What was dark blue?
This whole thing has also made me appreciate the spectacular things we get to see all the time, but ignore because they are so frequent. Like sunsets. Imagine if they only happened once every 20 years; we'd be beside ourselves talking about how the sun turns orange and melts into the horizon, and afterward the sky turns all kinds of colors--pink, peach, golden, orange, lavender, purple! If we had eclipses every day, we'd probably minimize their wonder too.
And I wonder how many people in ancient times suffered eye damage from looking at the sun ... it must've added to their fear.
Another aspect of being present for a totality is the sound. Everything goes quiet! The birds stop singing (a friend's chickens put themselves into the coop for the night), the daytime background thrum of insects stops, the world turns sepia toned with a dawn breaking around you in all 360°.
And in this surreal, tawny, dawn-lit silence, everyone breaks into applause and cheers, creating a wave of shared awe, joy, and immense beauty. There's simply nothing else in human experience that compares.
Where we were in VT, when the diamond ring effect started, some little girls started jumping for up and down, yelling, "the diamond ring! the diamond ring!" And everyone laughed and smiled, clapping again in appreciation of their sheer joy. What an experience!