A few weeks ago, I noticed a story somewhere saying that Lancaster, New Hampshire would be within the zone of totality of the upcoming solar eclipse.
I was not up on my astronomical calendar and didn't know there was an upcoming eclipse. But Lancaster being a 2-3 hour drive from my house, I figured I shouldn't pass up the opportunity to see it.
Over the years, I've heard people exclaim about the amazing effect on their lives they felt when they saw a total eclipse. I've never understood what they might be referring to. As far as I knew, it gets dark and you see some things that you never see otherwise, and then it’s light again.
(I was once told by an acquaintance that psilocybin could change your life, and he recommended it to me, saying it might well stomp out some mental problems I was having, even with just one dose that could last a lifetime. I did so, and while it did something, it was temporary and didn't change me.)
But I realized it would be stupid to miss the chance, and who knows, maybe it would in fact be an experience that would stay with me forever.
So, I set out yesterday, spent the night in Randolph, and this morning drove the last fifteen miles to Lancaster. I had an app on my phone that would take a GPS reading and tell me if I was in the zone of totality or not. I checked about four miles short of downtown, and I wasn't. But in downtown, I was, so that was good.
The start of the eclipse was still five hours away, and I spent the time walking around town and talking to random people.
Then the cry went up: It's starting! Yes, indeed, one side of the sun
was beginning to get squashed a bit. Over the next hour and a half, the moon's bite of the sun grew and grew. When there was just a slight crescent of the sun left, it seemed like it stopped; everybody was waiting, waiting.
And then, suddenly, the sun was gone. Baily's Beads were there as promised, and then the Diamond Ring. While I'd seen pictures of the Ring, the Diamond was much bigger than I remembered, and a blazing white. I judged it flawless for color and clarity. Almost when totality was over, someone shouted "Look at the ground! The shadow bands are there!". And they were.
And then the movie was reversed and another ninety minutes saw the sun gradually reappearing.
I learned one thing today. Well, two. First, while there is no light during totality (apart from the corona, of course), just before and after, there's plenty of light. Even with less than one percent of the sun exposed, there was enough light that it basically just looked like dusk. The sun puts out a whole lotta light.
The second thing I learned is that I was right: the experience did not change my life. So I'm glad I went, and now I know.