I can remember sitting in my third grade science class, reading from my textbook, and having trouble pronouncing the word “eclipse”. What did it mean? It sounded pretty scary to me. Later on in the year I would find out that an eclipse is, in my teacher’s words, “when the moon swallows the sun whole and then spits it back out”. I was intrigued, and made sure to find out when the moon was planning on doing this. She told me sometime when I was in high school, around 2017. It was a long time away, but I always remembered to keep an eye out for this natural phenomenon on the news as I grew up.
it’s finally here, and I’m so excited. My family bought glasses to watch the sun disappear in the sky as the moon attempted to “swallow” it. I’ve been on NASA’s webpage all week waiting for the livestream of the eclipse. This is a rare event that only occurs about once every thirty years, and were lucky enough to experience it with the help of modern technology. The eclipse supposedly will pass over Oregon around 10:00, traveling over entire states in less than thirty minutes. The passing of the eclipse over America should last around ninety minutes, expected to be in the Carolinas around 2:45. Mississippi doesn’t have the ideal spot to see the full eclipse, but Brookhaven should be able barely make out the black dot over the sun as it passes us.
Millions of families and travelers worldwide are expected to travel to the heart of North America to see the eclipse. One of the most optimal places to see the eclipse is around Nashville, Tennessee.
Travelers must know the rules of viewing the eclipse to safely watch the amazing event. The sun’s harmful rays are actually heightened around the corners of the eclipse, making retina damage a serious threat to all who gaze at the sight. You should avoid looking directly at the sun during an eclipse, rather, opt to watch via NASA’s satellite camera recording the entire process.
I’ve been waiting for this since I realized what the word eclipse even meant, and now that it’s here, I don’t know how I will feel about it once it’s over. This is a historical event, and it could only happen once or twice in someone’s lifetime, so make sure everyone you know is ready to witness the moon swallowing the sun and spitting it back into the sky.
I love how you provided a background story from your childhood. I really like the childlike wonder you have for the phenomenon and how the “swallowing” factor was constant through it. The ending was really nice as well.
I really really love the sun swallowing the moon metaphor, and how you recalled dreaming about this astronomical feat ever since you were a kid. It sort of ignites this childhood reminiscence that I’m sure a lot of us felt as well, that little kid giddiness when we see the things we used to dream about as kids finally becoming more than just childhood fantasies. It was a great piece to fall into