A confession: I wasn’t getting all that excited about the total solar eclipse a few weeks ago.
Then, I learned of people traveling for many miles to experience the total solar eclipse. And, a friend asked me what kind of filter I’d be using on my drone to capture the eclipse. Finally, people began sharing stories of the last time they’d experienced a total solar eclipse (2017), and it was like it happened yesterday.
It all began to make me wonder whether in our troubled and challenging times, the eclipse of 2024 might just bring us together with a shared experience that has nothing to do with politics, epidemics or disasters, man-made or natural.
Happily, I won’t have to travel to experience an almost total solar eclipse tomorrow while at home on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Indeed, all Americans are likely to experience something. But, for those living along a 115 mile-path from Texas to Maine a total solar eclipse will be experienced. I learned this is called “the path of totality” where the Sun will be behind the Moon for about 4 ½ minutes. During this time, the 30 million Americans living along the path of totality will witness a total solar eclipse, and everyone in America will experience at least a partial eclipse.
Folks, the Sun will be turned off for 4 ½ minutes producing a shared experience for us all – this is a big deal!
It tops any Super Bowl audience, the March Madness viewership, even Taylor Swift!
We can only hope that this moment that brings us all together might keep us a little closer and less divided for a time. Wouldn’t that be nice!
To read more about all of this, I suggest reading an article by David Baron: CLICK HERE.
More scientific information is shared by Kasha Patel: CLICK HERE.
Finally, there is a unique way to experience this event with livestreams provided by the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project for those who want to see what it looks like from 84,000 feet above the planet.
Two things:
1) DO NOT LOOK AT THE SUN….the damage can be permanent!
2) Take a moment and submit a comment sharing whatever you experienced with the light dimmed where you are when the total solar eclipse occurs.
Craig Fuller served four years in the White House as assistant to President Reagan for Cabinet Affairs, followed by four years as chief of staff to Vice President George H.W. Bush. Having been engaged in five presidential campaigns and running public affairs firms and associations in Washington, D.C., he now resides on the Eastern Shore and publishes DECADE SEVEN on Substack.
Howard Freedlander says
I so wish, Craig, that an eclipse would bring a united country for at least a mere 4-1/2 minutes. My skepticism clouds my excitement. More frequent atmospheric events and daily prayer might help.
Steve Lingeman says
Years ago there was a total solar eclipse which passed over the St. Louis airport while our plane was there for a stopover on a flight to the West coast.
All air traffic stopped for about an hour and resumed only after an all clear was announced. The airline allowed all passengers to leave the plane and watch the eclipse from outside the airport if we wished. My traveling companion and I watched from the parking lot across from the main entrance to the gates and ticket counters.
Shortly after the solar eclipse passed, we boarded our 727 and should have been on our way, but no, another ground stop was called by traffic controllers in the tower. Our pilot came over the intercom and enthusiastically urged us passengers to look out out window as an F15 fighter jet approached the runway and proceeded to rest for a few seconds on the tarmac runway.
A General Dynamics factory was directly opposite our taxiway.
The F15 was on a test run of some sort.
The pilot of our 727 urged all passengers to “watch this”! Our pilot was obviously listening to the radio chatter between the tower and the F15.
The F15 began a short run out, gained a little altitude, retracted its landing gear, turned on its after burner and went strait up. And I mean, rocket ship strait up!
Our 727 pilot come over the intercom with only one word- “Showoff!”
Our memory of a Solar Eclipse had been eclipsed with by another memory. Amazing.