Introduction
Did you chase it this summer?
This summer was the first time in nearly 40 years that a total solar eclipse will be visible from mainland United States. In other words, the moon briefly block the sun in the middle of the day and Americans were actually able to see it (with special glasses). In New York City, the partial eclipse will began at 1:23 p.m. local time, when the moon first appears to touch the sun in the sky. "It starts to look like the Death Star is moving in front of the sun,"By 2:44 p.m., the moon will block about 72 percent of the sun's surface as the partial eclipse reaches its maximum. Then, the cusps of the crescent-shaped sun will appear to be pointing downward,
After the maximum eclipse, the moon will slowly begin to slide off the sun's face, and the eclipse will end at 4 p.m.
Although the skies won't darken beneath a partial eclipse in the same way that total solar eclipses briefly turn day into night, those who are paying attention may still notice some environmental changes during the partial eclipse, Rao said. He quoted American astronomer Leslie Peltier, who described his experience while watching a 75 percent partial eclipse in Delphos, Ohio, in 1918:
"At mid-eclipse, I turned away and looked about. Everything I saw — the nearby fields, the distant vistas — all seemed wrapped in some strange, unearthly early twilight. The sky seemed darker, shadows sharp and distinct. A cool wind — almost chilly — had sprung up from the West."
The partial eclipse over New York on Aug. 21 will have about the same magnitude as Peltier's partial eclipse and should bring a similar experience, Rao said. "If we're lucky enough to have clear weather here in New York at 2:44 next Monday afternoon, I have a feeling that's pretty much what we're going to see in the New York metropolitan area."
Rao equated a partial solar eclipse to a flashlight with low batteries. While the light still shines, it's not as bright as a flashlight with full batteries, and the light looks "almost yellowish" in color. "That's kind of like what it will be like next week at the midpoint of the eclipse," he said. "There's going to be a certain amount of yellowness in the air along with that dimming or diminishing twilight for a few minutes around the peak.
So, if you're in the city around the peak of the partial eclipse, don't forget to step outside and check it out. Solar eclipse glasses are the best way to see the partial eclipse, and you can still find them in stores around the city. AMNH will provide safe viewing glasses to visitors at the Hayden Planetarium's special event. But if you can't get the glasses in time and can't make it to the museum, Tyson has a great alternative that most New Yorkers can find in their own homes.
"Go into your kitchen and get a spaghetti strainer or a colander," Tyson said. "Not with mesh, the kind with holes in it. Go outside and hold that up over the ground. Each one of those holes will act as a pinhole camera and you'll see hundreds of images of the crescent sun on the ground and you can watch the eclipse unfold safely…that's the urban version of watching the pinhole camera images through the modeled light of sunlight passing through the leaves of a tree. It'll just be fun." So if you happen to be near any tree during the partial eclipse, check out their shadows and look for the tiny eclipse projections on the ground.
There's really no excuse for missing out on this celestial event, whether you're lucky enough to be in the path of totality, or if only a partial solar eclipse is heading your way. "It won't happen that often in your lifetime that you can walk outside of your own house and watch even a partial happen," Faherty said. The next time any type of solar eclipse will be visible over New York will be during a partial annular eclipse in 2021.
My general sense is that it’s mostly science-lovers getting excited about this, but it’s an important moment for writers and other artists as well.
Task
Ask anyone who has written a memoir, for example, how seemingly objective things happening in the world lined up with key moments in their lives. Ask any historical novelist how her literary perspective made her view natural or scientific events in an entirely new context.
For a few brief moments, our day will temporarily become night.
Process
Writing prompt: Write a one page story inspired by this summer's total solar eclipse. Please make it a memoir about your total day. Please include the mood as well as the actions of you and your family. Do you think the eclipse had anything to do what happened to you and your family that day.