Umbraphile

 

I have a confession to make.  Ever since 2017, I have been an umbraphile. There, I said it and I am proud of it.  For those who don’t know, an umbraphile according to Latin is someone who chases shadows.  The word is associated with those of us who chase eclipses.  Some of you laugh when I say that and speculate how you can chase an eclipse when it is right above you.  There is more than meets the shaded eye.

Growing up and hearing about eclipses I was intrigued but soon disappointed in the results of an off-centered shadow on the sun. The results were less than spectacular and the sky never turned dark.  And there were the lunar eclipses  that would highlight the colors and lines on the moon, but they were a passing phase (Pun intended.) and I looked at one and thought I had seen them all. 

In elementary school, we were given the glasses and the instructions to make devices to watch and catch the light from solar eclipses, but the devices never panned out where I was.

Then one day I talked to a friend of mine and he mentioned the word, “totality”.  Totality is the main line of travel that the moon takes in front of the sun that causes the shadow on the Earth.  If you are not in the totality, you do not get the full effect of the eclipse. I would like to say my scientific curiosity peaked, but alas, I was just a bit nerdy and wanted to see this for myself.  And so, my friend and I planned our scientific expedition to the totality of the eclipse of August 2017.  We tracked the path and found several places to go watch the passing of the moon overhead.  We settled on the mountains of Georgia thinking it would give us a place of quiet viewing and not be too crowded.  We headed out on the allotted day to prepare and ended up at Tallulah Gorge State Park in Clayton, GA.  We were excited and toured the waterfalls and the gorge the day before.  (Another story for another time.)  Upon early arrival the day of the event we were in a long line of traffic and the first to be turned away from the state park because of overcrowding.  We were devastated as we had no plan “b”.  We drove down the road and decided to get snacks at a local Walmart.  Upon arriving at the Walmart we discovered people setting up tailgate parties to view from the parking lot.  We staked our claim and set it up to view as well. 

The neighboring sky explorers had so many different ways of viewing the sky.  One family had matching welding masks, and some college kids had pitched a tent extending from their Pinto and were taking turns watching and napping. One kid had taken an old Spiderman mask and used film slides for eye holes. But directly next to us were a group of Mexican scientist who had equipment set up that was far beyond anyone else.  One of their major telescopes was hooked to a computer and already tracing the path of the sun in the sky.  The scientist let us look through their scope and I was amazed to see a bar code going across my view of the sun.  It was a mere speck, but that is what it looked like.  The scientist got excited when I mentioned it and looked as well.  It seems I was watching the International Space Station going by.  The icing on the viewing day. 

To the left of the Walmart was a wooded area and someone with a camper had telescopes on top of their camper and were in deck chairs flying drones and sipping from their drinks.  People with animals and kids running around and visiting each other and inventorying where each came from.  I went to Walmart to get snacks and water for the next couple of hours while we waited for the event.  At the entrance, there was a setup of fundraisers to help with a local children’s hospital.  They were getting a lot of visitors because of the crowds in the parking lot.  And to make this story even a bit more bizarre, the greeter was selling photos of himself from childhood.  It seems he was the kid who played the banjo in the movie Deliverance.  The whole area was a strange gathering of eclectic people who were waiting for just a few minutes of spectacular cosmic theatre.

As the eclipse started taking a more visual effect on us, I discovered the true meaning of totality.  The sunny ski grew darker and the temperature dropped almost 20 degrees.  The shadows were crisp with no running over the lines.   The animals in the area were restless and nervous.  Suddenly there appeared squiggly lines on the ground like heat from a summer sidewalk.  Some people thought they were snakes and started screaming.  The eclipse was reproduced on flat surfaces as it was shown through different devices and windows.  People across the parking lot looked alien in their protective glasses and welder’s helmets.  It was happening. The moon was like watching a giant packman devour the sun. Slowly the light disappeared.  The dogs around began to howl and only the artificial lights from the parking lot and Walmart were visible.  It was spooky, to say the least.  Then suddenly there was a flash of light around the moon better than any special effect that Hollywood could produce.  The circle was exploding with silent color.  There was an eerie silence that was suddenly broken by the crowd applauding.  We took off the glasses to watch the full effect.  It was amazing.  I thought of primitive societies and how the eclipses affected them and their religious beliefs. How they might think a god is angry or causing mischief. 

In less time than I can tell the moon kept moving and we had to return our protective glasses back to our face.  I was hooked.  I wanted a rerun.  I wanted to see what I had seen on film at least.  No image or video that I saw could do it justice.  The excitement of the moment had me giddy.  I was filled with a spiritual warm fuzzy and wanted more.  After the return to supposed normal, we set off back home.  A miserable drive due to the amount of skywatchers.  My friend and I talked about the eclipse and the effects and feelings we had during the event.  It was decided that we would try to do the next eclipse when it came across America again.  The next trip would be better planned with a place to settle ahead of time and not worry about being turned away, or somebody playing Deliverance music, or being stuck in back-to-back traffic for hundreds of miles. 

Saturday, October 14, 2023, is the next one we will see.  It will be an “annular” eclipse.  The moon’s orbit will not block out the sun completely, but it will create a ring of fire.  Again, this description is only in totality.  I am east of the totality and will only see about 79% of the eclipse.  This will make a crescent shape and still need to be viewed with special glasses.  My excitement level is not as high for this one.

However, because of the trip in 2017, my best friend and I will be set up and ready for the Great American Eclipse of 2024.  The moon’s shadow will come up through Texas travel in a slight arc and disappear at the tip of Maine all in a matter of minutes.  The shadow is moving at over 300mph.  The closer you are to where the eclipse begins the longer the duration of viewing. In Texas, you see the eclipse for almost 4 minutes in Maine just 2.  Our quest is planned and we actually have a plan “b” and “c”.  We are going to a town in Texas with a lot of history, open skies, and some great Airbnbs.  My gadgets will consist of a camera, a small telescope, and a colander (to make weird shadows and art).

I think that the event will grow as it approaches the date of the occurrence, but as long as I see the eclipse I will be happy.  The next opportunities to experience a total solar eclipse over the United States will be in 2044 (in North Dakota and Montana) and 2045 (as it crosses from California to Florida). I will be an old man, but I intend to be in their totality as well.  Keep looking up to the sky and enjoy.