An Interesting Day

They say, “Beware of interesting times.” Can you imagine what the Ancients thought when they experienced a total eclipse of the sun? They would have been going about their daily business of hunting and gathering on a warm summer’s morning. They almost certainly would have noticed that it was getting cooler when it usually got warmer. Maybe they even sensed that the light was a little dimmer. At some point, they would realize there was noticeably less light (maybe 60%) and it was getting downright chilly. If they looked up at the sun, they would only see the usual bright flare in the sky; still too bright to stare at.

Then something truly monumental would have happened. In a matter of 5 – 10 seconds, the whole world plunged into a cold darkness and looking up, the sun had become a black disk surrounded by a halo of light. We know that phenomenon as “Totality”. I can only imagine what our ancestors thought. It must have been terrifying!

Of course, we understood what was going to happen and were expecting a great show. We got that, but it was still a powerful and emotional experience when the world went dark.

This image was captured along the path of totality in John Day, Oregon. I’m fairly certain the small dot in the lower left is the planet, Mercury.

2 Comments on “An Interesting Day”

lana
September 12, 2017

Hi John, It was an unforgettable morning! It was fun to have you in our ‘camping family’ for the occasion, too – and by the way we enjoyed your paper plate farewell. 🙂 If you have a collection of any more eclipse photos somewhere, please point me in the right direction; I’d definitely love to see more!

Reply
- John Grusd Photography
  October 29, 2018
  
  Hi Lana! Sorry about the very late reply! I just found your note from over a year ago buried in a part of my website dashboard that I’ve never been to! Hah! The whole eclipse and my camping neighbors made for a wonderful experience I will always remember. You can always visit my website at johngrusdphoto.com to see what I’ve been up to. A while back, I did publish a version of my favorite image from the eclipse. The moon has some detail instead of being just a black silhouette. Here is the link to it https://johngrusdphoto.com/2017/12/03/the-stuff-memories-are-made-of/ I hope you enjoy it!
  Again, I’m sorry about the late response. I hope all is going well for you! All the best – jg
  
  Reply