Sol et Luna
“Three things that cannot be long hidden, the sun, the moon and the truth.” ~Buddha
On Monday, August 21st, this region of the country will experience a near total eclipse of the sun as the moon passes between the earth and the sun. This astrological phenomenon occurs about every 18 months or so but at different points around the earth. Monday’s solar eclipse will span the entire United States from Oregon to the Carolinas and is the first to span the country since it happened here in North America since 1918. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen a solar eclipse in person, just fabulous photos taken from exotic location somewhere else on the planet. On Monday, I plan to take a little time and spend it with my beautiful wife and do a little skygazing as we watch one of nature’s greatest celestial events unfold before Monday afternoon. It will be an event that my children and I can talk about for years to come and I hope they remember it as long as they live.
Throughout history there have been solar eclipses that each and every culture on the planet has ventured to try and explain in a contextual way that made sense to them and their culture. Superstitions, fear and a sense of evil omens have always followed the path of solar eclipses as ancient people tried to understand why the life-giving light of the sun was being taken away from them. Over time, as celestial science and a better understanding of mathematics has allowed us to understand the movements of heavenly bodies, we as humanity can now predict when and where such events occur with great accuracy. I’m really excited to see such a display but that hardwired sense of foreboding is still lingering deep in my subconscious, why? I have no idea, but I feel it there like a distant tinkling of a windchime on a light breeze far away. I understand that the special lenses and viewing glasses to look at the solar eclipse are very hard to come by now and many places are sold out. Please don’t despair, there are several ways of safely observing the event without injury to your eyes such as a pin hole devise, a welding helmet (if the lens is rated at least 12), or through a projection scope onto a separate surface…WARNING: NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY INTO THE SUN UNPROTECTED AS THIS COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR BLINDNESS!!!
Our good friends at NASA have once again provided some excellent tips and advice on how best to experience this event and I encourage you to visit their website for further reading. Check them out at: https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety and get the full feeling of how to get the most out of your viewing experience on Monday. I hope everyone enjoys the weekend, take care of yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this together.
Wm Reid
Best Home Care Services
325 N Eastern Ave
Connersville, IN 47331
765-827-9833
wmreid@bhcshealth.com