2017 was a memorable year for many reasons, but watching a total eclipse tops that list. I still remember driving the day before towards the town of Madras, to a campground (which was really farmland let to fallow) right on the path of totality. I wandered into the town, walking right into the heart of an eclipse-themed carnival. After having had my fill of that atmosphere, I got back to the campground, which had swollen in numbers stretching over the entire open field. The people here were eagerly awaiting in anticipation of the big event of the next day.
Morning dawned and the crowd slowly gathered around to catch a spot of open ground to shoot the eclipse. The sky gradually cleared up of the clouds left over from the night with the rising temperature. Groups of astronomers from as far away as Poland had set up their armada of telescopes catering to different spectra and magnifications for viewing the upcoming eclipse. Meanwhile, I only had two cameras that I jerry rigged to carry mylar filters, along with a eclipse-shade for myself. I had set the cameras up to shoot at a specific interval so that I could go and watch the eclipse through one of telescopes belonging to the neighboring tent.
Soon, a chorus of sounds went around the campground as we observe the first contact of the eclipse. As the eclipse progressed, the size of the solar disc kept reducing, leading to a drop in temperature as well as the volume of the songs the passarine birds lowering to ominous levels. And then totality hit the area, and it was a spectacle like no other. A hushed silence pervaded the area, with everyone engrossed by the dance of the plasma in the coronal stream. And soon after the famed Baily's beads appeared, transforming the sun into an celestial diamond ring. A cacophony of screams, joyful gasps of delight and a chorus of claps spread around the area, with everyone feeling thoroughly blessed by the scene.
Its funny that even though eclipses that are predictable to the exact time and location, they still inspire an awe in every person who watches it. Perhaps there are some instincts leftover from our genetic past that still prods us to observe this celestial dance in rapt attention. As for myself, I can't wait long enough to see the next one
Madras
OR USA
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2017 in Review
2018 was an amazing year. Between traveling to seven amazing destinations around the world, completing my second graduate degree and settling down in the Pacific Northwest, this year has been a whirlwind of changes. Here is to hoping that 2018 will be as adventurous as the last for all of you.
From upper left, the locations are
1. Holiday lights in Cartagena, Colombia
2. The blue alleys of Chefchaouen, Morocco
3. The Torii way at Fushimi Inari temple in Kyoto, Japan
4. The Shah-i-Zinda mausoleum ensemble in Samarkhand, Uzbekistan
5. Summer Jailoos in Songkol, Kyrgyzstan
6. The unique rock formation sof Cappadocia, Turkey
7. The misty forests of British Colombia
8. Solar eclipse in Madras, OR
9. El Capitan at Guadalupe Mountains National Park, TX
Its never too late to get my 2018 Calendar. All proceeds go to NRDC and WildAid, two non-profits whose missions I wholly support.