Has it really been five years since the speeding shadow of the moon swept across the US to the delight of millions who got to see it? We went to the Evergreen Aviation Museum at McMinnville, Oregon, with family members to observe it and were treated to a true solar system spectacle.
The images on the upper left show the Moon encroaching across the disk of the Sun, and were taken with a camera with long lens with a safe solar filter. The upper right image shows the Sunspotter Solar Telescope that safely projects an image of the Sun onto paper so several people could see the progress of the eclipse without risk of damage to the eyes.
The lower left image shows me photographing the Sun at totality and was taken by my wife. It is my favorite image of the whole eclipse. A blind person could have known when totality occurred by the cheer of the crowd and the noticeable drop in temperature.
The lower right shows the departing shadow and the welcome return of our very special Sun. Curiously the Sun is more than 835,000 miles in diameter while the Moon is only a little over 2,000 miles in diameter, but due to its proximity to Earth, the small Moon can cover the disk of the gigantic Sun when conditions are right. (More about that later on another post.)
The next total eclipse in the United States is in April 8, 2024. If you plan on attending be sure to get proper eclipse glasses to protect the eyes, and never look at the Sun through binoculars or telescopes unless they have filters over the objective lenses that are specifically designed for safe solar viewing. Instant, permanent damage to eyes could occur otherwise.
#eclipse #moon #sun
Eskildoodle Photos and Feelings 