Getting Religion

by Jon Burch Photography

Title

Getting Religion

Artist

Jon Burch Photography

Medium

Photograph - Film To Digital Conversion

Description

OK, so here you are, walking down the road. Slowly, you notice that the sky is getting darker, and darker and DARKER! Eventually, you look up and see something in the sky looking like this where the Sun WAS - it's time to start going to church again...

People who witnessed total solar eclipses before they were understood would do almost anything to get their Sun God back, even sacrifice virgins if they could find one. Try to imagine the panic and confusion. Even try to imagine the poor Royal Astronomer who, after millennia, understood some of the things that were occurring, but not enough to predict when the King could expect the next one to come around. Heads would and did roll...

In 1991 I was able to travel to Mazatlan, Mexico to view a total solar eclipse. It was a most awesome event and if you ever get the chance to view one, do not miss it! If you live in the United States, you will. There is one coming to a street corner near you in 2017, more about that later.

Unlike lunar eclipses, total solar eclipses are localized and short. If you are lucky enough to be in the umbra like I was, you will see totality. If you are in the penumbra, you will only see a partial and if you are not in the darker umbra or lighter penumbra, you will miss the whole thing entirely. Eclipses are part of a cycle called the Saros which repeats itself every eighteen years causing varying lengths of complete totality depending on where in the cycle the eclipse is located. If near the middle as this one was, eclipses of long duration can occur. By long, I mean up to seven and one half minutes for a big one.

The event I saw in 1991 long one by these standards, six minutes and 58 seconds. I had another bit of luck in that at the time of the eclipse, it would be about 12:30 pm. My wife always told me it would be a dark day at noon if I ever took her anywhere, and I guess she was right.

Total eclipses only occur during new moon phase, when the moon is between the Earth and the Sun. If the eclipse happens at perigee, the closest approach of the moon to the Earth, its disk will completely blot out the entire Sun. The third requirement is nodal crossing. The moon's orbit is inclined to the Earth - Sun ecliptic plane by a little more than 5 degrees. This means the moon is above the ecliptic part of each month and below it for the other part. The lunar nodes are the crossing points. At the time of the 1991 total solar eclipse, all three of these events coincided, nodal crossing, perigee and syzygy or new moon position. The result was a relatively long eclipse allowing me to stand in the 267 mile wide umbra and experience the fastest 6 minutes and 58 seconds that I ever lived!

Do a look up for the total solar eclipse in 2024. You will find that it happens on April 8th and also many websites detailing where to be and when to be in the umbra of the lunar shadow. Don't miss it and remember to practice safe Sun by using special mylar eclipse glasses that will be available in many places. Do not look at the Sun without protection! ALWAYS PRACTICE SAFE SUN!!

My original 35mm Kodachrome II transparency was digitized for uploading-no electrons were harmed during the process... This image copyright 2014 by Jon Burch Photography.

Uploaded

May 18th, 2014

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Viewed 813 Times  -  Last Visitor from New York, NY on 04/21/2024 at 6:27 PM

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