denimchicken said:
Is an annular eclipse still bright? Do you need to continue wearing the glasses throughout?
The annular eclipse is still hard on the eyes, being (
in essence) only partial. Glasses must be worn throughout to view it...but it makes up for that by giving you a very unique view of a thin ring of sun in the sky. And for that, foreplanning is everything, if you, if you want to experience concentricity.
There's still a noticeable temperature drop and certain degree of dimness. But it's still worth chasing. For awhile before the event, I'd considered not making the 4-hour drive from Boise to Winnemucca...but very glad I did. The drive was rather spectacular, too!
denimchicken said:
I'm really glad that I got to see the eclipse this year.
For anyone who says "what's the big deal?" Ask yourself if there is anything unique in your life you would be very disappointed to have missed? Like a solar eclipse, these experiences are short lived, and you need to be in the right place at the right time.
Agreed. My response to the skeptics: "If you have to ask, you'll never know". Unless one takes a leap of faith...a chance, a risk. Skeptics--especially those with a heightened sense of fatalism--are best avoided; like zealots, they lack humor. Life's both too short
and too long to endure such tedium.
denimchicken said:
Yeah it's not like missing the birth of your child. But you may never have the opportunity to see an eclipse again depending on your circumstances. Just my thoughts.
Bingo. The sense of wonder is worth pursuing, taking a risk for. Such occasions don't happen often...it's the stuff which gives our lives vitality, happiness, joy...depth, meaning. Every chance to grab a little is worth the time, effort, money invested. It's all a part of
hope. It's not unrealistic to be 40 and up with the curiosity of a toddler...I think for that reason alone, toddlers and small children are the noblest ones of all, merely for the way their hope & wonder inspire us all.