Sometimes You Just Have to Look

To prepare myself for the event I decided to do some research about how previous civilizations explained the temporary occlusion of the Sun.  Living in the Palm Springs area of Southern California provides convenient insights to the customs and legends of the Native Americans that once were the lone human inhabitants of this valley as their influence is everywhere.  After finding stories about Bears, Mice and other creatures nibbling on the Sun for various reasons in attempts to explain the phenomena, I grabbed hold of one ancient explanation of a solar eclipse proffered by an Indian Tribe that was native to California.  The legend expresses the belief that an eclipse is caused by the spirits of the dead trying to eat the Sun.  During the eclipse, the shamans and ceremonial assistants sang and danced to appease the dead spirits while everyone else shouted to attempt to scare the spirits away. Perhaps this custom gave rise to the modern day “Eclipse Parties” where the predicted event is marked by the consumption of intoxicants and rock and roll music?  It kind of makes sense, in a nonsensical sort of way.   Nonetheless, I decided I would witness this historic event without the distraction of a party.

The newspapers were full of advice leading up to the event.  Tips on just the right way to view the eclipse so as to avoid damage to one’s eyes; how to capture the image (or a mirror thereof) on film or a digital camera; how best to use common household objects to project the image on to a less eye-damaging surface where the shadows could be observed.  When it came right down to it I decided my curiosity would only be sated by being able to see this majestic natural occurrence by looking it right in the eye.  I deferred a purchase of impossible to find, special solar eclipse glasses in favor of my darkest lenses and a back-up paper and plastic pair that my optometrist gave to me when I had my pupils dilated a few weeks ago.  I headed out to some open land near my home that provided an unobstructed view to the West where the two heavenly bodies were to cross paths.  I rigged my SONY Super Steady Cybershot DSC-W150 digital camera with its Carl Zeiss Lense to its tripod so as to make sure I could get the least amount of vibration possible and pointed it toward the still blazing orb.  I donned my tripbucket lid (YOU KNOW YOU WANT ONE!), forced my wife to accompany me and waited for the show.

Now maybe it had something to do with the fact it was 104F (40C) when the show began.   In direct defiance of every recommendation to NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN I did just that.  Two pairs of stacked sunglasses and the bill of my cap did virtually nothing to block the energy that seared temporary dark spots into my eyes. It took me about 10 minutes to recover but knowing I had some time before the ultimate event at precisely 6:39 p.m. I frantically started racking my brain for alternatives and after some experimentation with angles and dark glass configurations found that the combination of looking through the light-refractive branches of a mature Chilean Mesquite Tree with my paper/plastic complimentary shades, folded in 2, held about arm’s length in front of my Ray-Ban shrouded eye-balls gave me the best perspective; albeit for only a few seconds at a time.  My camera was less successful than I as it apparently isn’t smart enough to actually look THROUGH the tree branches but chose to focus right on them.  Nonetheless, I have a few images that will serve to remind me of my exposure to this epic event, even if they will never find their way into anyone else’s catalog.

As the Moon made its journey over the face of the Sun I couldn’t help but wonder about the ancient cultures and how they dealt with this rare occurrence.  There were no scientists or newspapers or a Wikipedia to help explain what they were witnessing hundreds and thousands of years ago.  No dark glasses or reports from other places to the East where the event had just taken place in astronomical harmony.  The people only had ancestral stories about spirits and bears and mice to soothe their concerns that the one thing that provided their heat, light and ability to survive on what would otherwise be a dark planet was only allowing a distant neighbor to pass by.

I returned to my home and checked this one off my Bucket List; I’m happy that I did.

It was on my Bucket List – to See a Solar Eclipse.  I was stoked when I first heard there would be one visible in the Western USA on May 20, 2012. This Annular Solar Eclipse (not “Annual”), not seen since in the USA since 1994, is commonly referred to as “The Ring of Fire” due to the totality of the moon’s shape obscuring  the Sun in such a way that a fiery-looking band is obvious around the perimeter of the blocking Moon . The "path of annularity" where the eclipse was to occur was only going to be about 320 kilometers (200 miles) wide.  However, it would stretch nearly halfway around the world beginning in Tokyo, Japan, crossing over the Pacific Ocean on a path though Oregon, California, Nevada, New Mexico and finally, Texas. In those locations the ring of fire phenomenon was be to visible for as much as 4 and a half minutes but the show was predicted to last nearly 2 hours, start to finish.