Why you are obligated to witness the total solar eclipse on April 8th

If you have never experienced a total solar eclipse, you have not lived.

On Monday, April 8th, an incredibly rare and spectacular experience will be offered to hundreds of millions of people across North America.

Most people will miss it, but instead will get a peek at a partial solar eclipse hundreds of miles from where the phenomenon actually occurs: the path of totality.

For many, work, school, family commitments, or the inability to travel will hinder their ambitions and make the journey to wholeness impossible.

But the media’s obsession with traffic, safety, and weather will deter millions of other people from embracing the total solar eclipse on April 8, and probably already has.

It’s true that traffic congestion can be severe before, during, and after the total solar eclipse on April 8th. Eclipse glasses (including free pairs) may be in short supply by then, raising concerns about their safety. Cloudy weather may obscure visibility. It’s April after all. All of that could happen. Is the sight of the moon crossing the sun worth such fear and confusion?

that’s right.that So teeth. America needs a complete rethink.

there’s nothing to fear

Endless articles about risks, inconveniences, and annoyances are published, designed to stoke existing fears about the upcoming eclipse.

You are forgetting why all these risks, inconveniences and hassles exist and why they are completely insignificant in the long run. He is an astronomer based in Ithaca, New York, and his book sun moon earth and Eclipse artist space art travel bureauin an interview.

He’s referring to the several minutes of darkness during a total solar eclipse. During that time, you can take off your eclipse glasses and stare with your naked eyes at the sun’s thin outer air, which is normally obscured by light from its surface. There is nothing more beautiful in nature. “That moment of totality is so short, so fleeting, so precious. Don’t take your eyes off the coronavirus for even a second,” Nordgren said. “A stunning visual spectacle that in itself evokes a sense of awe.”

Why waste this gift?

trivial problem

Inevitably, you’ll hear more about the worst-case scenario than why you should experience a total solar eclipse. That’s because most reporters don’t know enough about total solar eclipses to convey their rarity and wonder. Many people seem unable to give even basic advice about the importance of staying within the narrow path of wholeness.

So three minor issues are talked about endlessly: traffic, lack of safe eclipse glasses, and the possibility of bad weather.

People sit in traffic jams every day. Solar eclipse glasses are always in short supply right before a solar eclipse. Sometimes clouds disappear due to a solar eclipse.

The totality is so spectacular that the weather is completely meaningless, but is usually framed in terms of “should I care?”yes you definitely should Why bother? “Clouds are all caused by the heating of the ground, so when the ground cools, the clouds can disappear,” says meteorologist and eclipse tracker Jay Anderson. eclipsophile. “What surprises people is how quickly it disappears. In five to 10 minutes, it can go from 70% cloud cover to 1%.”

listen only to experts

Experienced eclipse trackers roll their eyes at the lack of understanding about what really matters about total solar eclipses. An ophthalmologist said that one should not look at the eclipsed sun with the naked eye. Must!) To TV hosts who claim their city will be “90% perfect” (that doesn’t exist!). Their usual logic is that there’s no point in fighting traffic to hit the road when you can get 90% of the experience by staying in your backyard. They don’t know that a 90% partial solar eclipse is a 0% total solar eclipse. You are either on the path to wholeness or you are not. It’s not a sliding scale, it’s an in or out scenario.

It is this misrepresentation of the path of totality that will probably blind many people to their lives on April 8th. The road would be about 115 miles wide and stretch from Mexico through parts of 15 U.S. states to Canada. If you are outside the path, only a partial phase will be visible.You can see exactly where you need to use it This interactive map, This solar eclipse simulator And even more Lookup for this eclipse.

When you hear advice that you don’t need to go out of your way to visit all the roads, immediately jump to the conclusion: That person knows nothing about total solar eclipses.

connection and joy

All the media buzz surrounding a total solar eclipse comes to nothing as the last of the sun’s rays disappear from the moon’s valley, dramatically darkening the world around them in just a few seconds. It’s a very special experience to stand in a crowd of people and be as stunned as you are.

“Part of the appeal of a total solar eclipse is the sense of connected joy,” Nordgren said. “The communal nature makes the feeling of awe even more powerful and memorable.” Perhaps more than anything else, wholeness puts one’s place in the universe into perspective. Perhaps because of the daunting prospect of its depth, people are looking for excuses to miss it, such as traffic, safety, weather, etc.

I won’t regret it

Have you ever met anyone who turned into a total road to see “The Great American Eclipse” on August 21, 2017, and regretted it because of the terrible traffic that followed? I doubt it. Traffic congestion is expected to be a major problem, especially on interstate highways. In fact, the traffic impact could be even greater than during the eclipse in 2017, as an increasing number of major metropolitan areas are close to the path. Ideally, a person traveling the total route should plan to arrive a day or two early and then stay an extra day. Day trippers should be prepared for traffic jams and allow extra time when traveling.

If you’re depressed by this, you’re probably misunderstanding how pointless everything will feel on April 8th, when you’ll join the small number of humans who have experienced the wonders of a total solar eclipse.

“What do you say to the skeptics? It’s so hard because it’s hard to explain. It’s a feeling. I was amazed,” said Perry County Heritage and Tourism Director in Perryville, Missouri, and 2024 Great North American Day Director. said Trish Artzfeld, who also chairs the Missouri Task Force on Food. “People ask me why I’m working so hard on 2 minutes and 40 seconds, but what I’m actually working on isn’t the minutes. It’s the time in our lives that inspires us.”

worth every sacrifice

So you wait in traffic, camp in your car, sleep, eat a quick meal for a few hours, get yourself in the right place at the right time, and then head back home. The money and time you spend, the effort you put in, the temporary discomfort you have to endure, it’s all worth the sacrifice.

Because the ephemeral nature of wholeness and the awe it evokes is priceless. “You don’t need to be scientific to experience a total solar eclipse,” Nordgren says. “We just need you to be there.”

Totality comes to North America on April 8th. You are obliged to go into it.

For the latest information on all aspects of the April 8 total solar eclipse in North America, Check out the main feed New articles appear every day.

I wish you clear skies and big eyes.