Did you travel for it? We were lucky to see it without too many clouds.
What people don’t tell you about it before you witness it for yourself:
How powerful the Sun is:
Even when the Sun was 95% covered and the shadows were longer, there is still so much light. Even just a tiny, thin sliver / arc of light provides so much light to the Earth. Really makes you appreciate the life-giving warmth and power of our solar energy.The wind/temperature changes:
Right when the Moon started moving into position, barely covering the Sun’s lower right corner, the wind picked up substantially. Then, just before the totality, the wind died down, the temperature dropped, and even though people were talking, the whole world was quiet and muffled.Animals acting strangely:
We were standing near lots of folks who brought their dogs to the viewing, and as the Sun dimmed, they (the dogs) all started whimpering or freaking out. I’ve also heard people mention nighttime creatures coming out, although didn’t see it myself.The emotions:
When the totality hit, people around us were cheering, clapping, and crying. I felt an emotional shift, like I was going inside myself. The sky is dark, but the horizon is still lit up, which is eerie and strange. The Moon itself appears like a black hole on the Sun’s white corona, a physical mass covering the Earth’s heart. It was uncanny, almost unnatural. It felt like we were in twilight, like we had entered the Underworld.How fast it goes by:
Just over 3 minutes was barely enough time to be awestruck, try to take photos in multiple camera modes, and try to grasp what was happening up in the sky and all around you. It felt more like 30 seconds, and then it was suddenly over, and the Moon was separating!
The next Total Solar Eclipse will happen August 12, 2026 and be visible from the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, and northern Spain.
I’ll see you there, right?