Monday, August 21, 2017

August 21, 2017 Total Eclipse 2017

The Total Solar Eclipse occurred Monday, August 21, 2017.
Precisely, this is where the moon completely covers the sun.
The skies darkened from Oregon to South Carolina in the first TOTAL  solar eclipse visible across the United States in 99 years!
Quite the strange feeling to experience in the middle of the day!
Traveling to the 'best place to view' the total eclipse was not an option for us.
There was lots of hype, and lots of disappointment, but for us, it was a pleasant few minutes in our backyard!
Here are a few pics that I captured with my cell phone! 
"Among the eerie phenomena that can accompany an eclipse of the sun, SHADOW BANDS are perhaps the most unusual. These mysterious gray ripples are sometimes seen flitting over the ground within several minutes of totality (the period when the sun's disk is fully concealed by the moon).




























"A tree full of leaves casts a shadow full of little holes, places where sunlight pases through, sometimes making rays as reflective material passes through. During the eclipse, these pinholes of light change, becoming crescent waves dancing across the ground as the tree sways."   
We were able to see images of the eclipse in each of those gaps!  No special glasses were required for looking at the shadows, turning our backs toward the sun.