The solar eclipse was this past Monday! And yes, I Tweeted, Instagrammed, and talked extensively about it. When I was a kid, I literally thought I was going to become an astronaut one day. That idea got thrown out the window once I became old enough to realize that I am less than mediocre at math, physics, science, and being emotionally stable when left by myself for more than two days at a time.
My love for astronomy (not, not astrology) hasn’t faded yet though. I still like to talk read about outer space and talk about stars and constellations with friends. I enjoy learning about what it’s like on the International Space Station.
Ever since I learned that there was such a phenomenon called the Solar Eclipse, it became my dream to witness one. So when I heard on August 21st 2017 America would be able to see it, I got very excited indeed.
I was not in the path of totality, but we had 97% coverage from the moon, so there was a noticeable difference. The sky became a dark shade of periwinkle, the air seemed golden and as my mom said “from a movie from the 50’s”, and the grass grew cold as did the air around us.
The earth rotates on an axis, or tilt, and the moon circles us in an elliptical. If the moon circled us in a perfect circle, we would have a solar eclipse every month. But it takes a certain amount of time and certain circumstances in order for the earth and moon to line up in a straight line to the sun in order for a total Solar Eclipse to occur. It made me think about timing in our lives. Sometimes we are so eager for something to happen in our life, but we must have patience until everything works together in the right way and at the right time.
It was a neat experience and one that I hope to see again!
