Eclipsed

On April 8, the Path of Totality for a solar eclipse passed directly over our house. John and I were excited. We’d had the honor of seeing another total eclipse in 2017. The Path of Totality for the 2017 eclipse didn’t go directly over our house, but it was pretty close. That time, we drove about two hours down to a friend’s cabin on Kentucky Lake, and we saw the eclipse from a boat in the middle of the lake.

Viewing a total eclipse was an incredible experience that was completely unlike anything I’d seen before, so it was amazing that we were able to see another one only seven years later. While we could have stayed home and watched from our back yard, we remembered that one thing that made our previous total eclipse viewing spectacular was being in a place where we could see the entire sky unobstructed. We tried to figure out where the best spot would be this time around, considering the many warnings about traffic jams and crowds and wanting to avoid spots with bright city lights.

I thought that perhaps the best spots would be somewhere among the farm fields northwest of town, but I couldn’t find a spot that really seemed perfect. Then I thought of a small cemetery I’d gone past once years ago. It stuck in my mind because it included an enormous family monument that featured a larger-than-life couple standing on a ten-foot plinth and looking off toward the western horizon. Their view was enviable. It was a view that would be perfect for eclipse watching!

The drive to the cemetery was easy with no traffic jams to be had. There was already one group who had positioned themselves at the center of the cemetery under the shade of some trees, so we found a spot on a high corner of the cemetery with a great view all around us. Very soon, we were joined by a carload of folks from Lexington. Somehow they had found this little cemetery, too. Others arrived in the cemetery as we neared totality. It was a good spot.

The eclipse began just a few minutes after we arrived. With our eclipse glasses, we could see that the sun had ever-so-slightly lost its roundness. We waited for a little more than an hour while the darkness slowly overtook the sun. While the sun still appeared to be shining brightly in the sky, the light around us was dimming. At first it was barely perceptible, but as totality neared our brains struggled to understand the dusk that wasn’t dusk.

Looking through eclipse glasses we could see the sun go down to just a sliver. It got colder. A breeze picked up. The lights of Venus and Saturn flickered on in the sky near the sun. We could feel something enormous moving our way. Then came the moment when the sun flicked out and became a strange black circle ringed with light. There was a stillness. Bats flew. We were surrounded by 365 degrees of sunset, but the sun was still high in the sky. It was breathtaking.

We had a little over three minutes of totality before the moon slipped away, and sunlight poured out in its wake. The spell broke. Everything slowly righted itself and went back to being a regular Monday in early April. The sun returned to full intensity, and we all left the cemetery empty.

On our way home, John and I stopped at a little local brewery we saw advertised on a sticker on one of the other vehicles that had been in the cemetery. It was a good way to extend the afternoon and make sure the crowds had dissipated before we headed back to town. It was an amazing day.

Video before the eclipse started:

And the same view at totality: