MONDAY, APRIL 8, 2024, ECLIPSE DAY

 Monday, April 8, 2024 - the day of the solar eclipse.

For those of you not in the solar eclipse path today, I hope you will bear with me. Central Texas is on the path of totality for the eclipse. And the world of Central Texas has done “Eclipse Crazy.”  

I have friends from Connecticut who came for the eclipse - they had to wait five hours to get a rental vehicle that they booked weeks in advance. And, even then, the only rental they had available was a truck. Hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, and relatives that live in the area are booked full. News reports warn of millions of people descending on the region. Texans not in the totality area will flock to see this exciting phenomenon.  

There are two main types of eclipses on planet Earth: lunar eclipses, where the moon is on the ‘backside’ of the Earth and the Earth blocks out the sun from hitting the full moon, and solar eclipses, where the moon is between the sun and the Earth. The area where the sun’s rays are blocked is darkened on the Earth. The moon blocks sunlight as the Earth rotates from sun up to sunset. 

The total darkness might be four minutes and 28 seconds. It will take about an hour and twenty minutes from the first slight blockage of the sun until totality, then about the same hour and twenty minutes for the ending. So, using my friends as an example, they flew from New York City, rented a car, rented a bed-and-breakfast for five nights - to see an eclipse. (Yes, it is also a vacation for them. They are touring San Antonio, Fredericksburg, Austin, and other places). 

According to the National Weather ServicMonday’sy's forecast in the Austin area is mostly cloudy, with a chance of rain after 2 p.m. This obviously has Austinites in a tizzy—will the eclipse still be cool? Will it be visible?

Bill Nye (also known as Bill Nye, the Science Guy), “It'll still be an eclipse," Nye says “It’s"It's still spectacular. In general, even if it's cloudy when you look straight at the sun, you will still see the” sun," Nye “aid.

"Be in the moment for these four minutes. Just settle in and enjoy. It's spectacular," he said.

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Nye also suggests that we put down our phones and enjoy the moment. (After all, it's about four minutes long in total.) Even with cloud cover, it will be memorable. 

And, of course, don’t look directly at the sun - use the special glasses. 

Besides, everybody has the glasses - my library had them (free), and friends offered them to me. One of my orchestra friends had 100 pairs her employer purchased for orchestra members. And, after the eclipse, you can tuck them back in a drawer for future events - and in five years, you’ll clean out that drawer and throw them away!!!

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Now - excuse me for the next. I can get my spiritual twist involved with almost anything.

First, was there an eclipse at the crucifixion of Jesus? The Bible says, “And darkness covered the earth for three hours.” 

Now, God can do anything he/she/it/the force/ah wants to do. He could if he wanted to make an eclipse last an entire day. In the natural world, there was no eclipse at the crucifixion. The moon has to be on the sun's side of the Earth) for a solar eclipse. Easter is the “First Sunday, after the full moon after the Spring” Equinox,” - so Good Friday is always just a day or two after a full moon.  

The darkness covering the Earth for this isn’t all that vital to my faith. If I had to give an answer, it would be Jesus's words: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” It seems God had turned His back on the evil at work that day and hid the sun (and His light) from the world.  

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Nonetheless, the intricate details of planning, planets, solar systems, galaxies, stars, comets, seasons, and the rest are beyond me. But it is going to be an exciting day today. (And, even if we have clouds, we’ll see and experience something.)

LOVE WINS

INFINITY IS BEYOND ME

LOVE TRANSFORMS

Karen A. White, April 8, 2024 - Eclipse Day