The 2017 Solar Eclipse

Party Time When the August 21, 2017 solar eclipse happened, we were at an eclipse party. Celebrating this AWEsome event seemed apt because for eons humans have been terrified of it, and for good reason. It does seem apocalyptic for the sun to disappear behind the moon, blocking its light. Today, we understand eclipses. And we know that they and our purposeful observation of them are extremely rare in the universe. What better reason to celebrate? Party time!!!

Sequence (L-to-R) of the 2017 Solar Eclipse Observed in Central OR

Anticipation We were planning to visit our friend Jan this summer at her cabin near Camp Sherman OR, when she pointed out that her place was in the zone of totality and suggested we visit during the eclipse. We jumped at the chance. We'd seen about 40% of a solar eclipse when we lived in Perth, so we were interested to see the whole show. David Baron's book American Eclipse and especially Annie Dillard's Essay on seeing the 1979 eclipse in Yakima WA definitely cranked up the excitement. Then we saw where Jan's cabin is located on the Path Map. Wow!.

Jan's Cabin Is At The Middle Black Dot

Traffic The run-up to the eclipse became more and more frantic as the date approached. The public safety people started warning of massive crowds clogging the highways and overrunning food, fuel, phone and (toilet) facilities. So, we filled the tank, bought a dozen donuts, and as our concession to the authorities, left at 4:20 AM to be ahead of the crowd, which never materialized. Highway signs from Seattle to OR warned to "Expect Delays," but our drive to Salem was faster than ever before. By a lot. Lonely emergency personel sat reading at makeshift stations along the way. The eclipse wouldn't be apocalyptic, and neither would the crowds. We arrived at the cabin in midmorning.

Jan's Cabin Is Nestled Among Ponderosa Pines

Metolius The cabin fronts on the "Wild and Scenic" Metolius River flowing through central Oregon. The river is legendary among fly fishermen for the huge rainbow trout lurking in its pure spring-fed waters.

Looking Out Towards The River and The Waterwheel

At The Cabin Jan and her delightful son Francisco were on hand to greet us. Later, her granddaughter Elayna and boyfriend Levi joined us, having also caught eclipse fever.

Jan and Cisco

Very Dark Glasses The proceedings began at a little after 9:00 AM on the next morning, giving everyone a chance to try out their official NASA eclipse glasses. Public safety advisories warned not to drive while wearing the glasses, which was wise but unnecessary. Only the sun is visible through the glasses!

Julie and Jan Test Out Their NASA Glasses

Fancy Stamps While she was making blueberry pancakes for breakfast, Jan passed out more "party favors." These included a Camp Sherman commemorative postcard with official "magic" stamp, a sheet of the stamps, and a Camp Sherman commemorative sticker. The "magic" is that the stamps, which show a black moon blocking the sun to form the corona, have a heat-sensitive moon. Place your thumb on it, and the surface of the moon will become visible.

Hot Moon and Cold Moon Forms of the Official US Postage

Crescent Tracking Having stuffed ourselves with pancakes, it was time to find a comfortable place to settle in and wait.

Would You Like Coffee with Your Eclipse?

It's Dark Once the moon covered 95% of the sun or so, the sunlight dimmed as if we were shrouded in smoke. Also, the light became whiter, though some call it silvery. And then, darkness fell almost instantaneously. The moon's shadow travels 1800 mph across the earth, so it came upon us fast. The startling moment of totality was here. (The pocket camera distorted the image, making everything - sky, corona, moon - brighter than reality.)

Sun, Moon and Ponderosa Pines

Briefly Glasses off! Excitement! A bunch of us cheered for some reason. And then we simply beheld the wonder of it all for two minutes and three seconds.

Jan, Neighboring Cabin Light, L [Shot with an iPhone]

Bailey's Bead The big finale was Bailey's Bead, formed as sunlight, to this point blocked by the moon, cuts through imperfections on the not-perfectly-smooth lunar surface. It's spectacular and it's very brief.

The Sun Slips Past the Moon

Sunny Again And it was over. Totality, that is. Technically, the spectacle was only half over. The sun still had to regain its usual circular form. But the thunder had already clapped. Now, few people in neighboring cabins paid any further attention to the eclipse.

J Follows The Sun's Return

Going Postal When the eclipse was over for us but still dazzling people in the East, we headed for the Camp Sherman postoffice to get our postcards canceled and mailed.

It's Official

Wow!!!! This experience is rare in several ways. First, humans were the only species touched by today's eclipse who were not surprised by it, because we know what's happening and we can perfectly predict when and what will happen. (Though not surprising, it was startling in the speed with which the "light went out.") Further, just 10,000 years ago every creature on the planet would have been surprised.

Second, the planets of most stars will not experience an eclipse revealing the corona and solar flares of their sun. Ours depends on the fact that the sun's diameter is 400 times larger than than the moon, but the sun is 400 times farther away. This "exact match" must be exceedingly rare among solar systems.

Finally, the moon is slowly moving away from the earth, meaning that eons from now any creatures left on earth will not see the awe-inspiring spectacle we watched today.