Music has always played a huge role in my life. Not just the notes that are strung together but I pay particular attention to the lyrics as well. The first time I heard about a solar eclipse was in Carly Simon’s song “You’re So Vain” and the word ‘eclipse’ sparked my curiosity. From that moment on, I became fascinated by celestial movements thanks to a song.
Solar eclipses occur when the moon moves in front of the sun. This can happen only at the time of a new moon, when the moon is between Earth and the sun. When the three objects align perfectly an eclipse occurs. Along with the science of ‘what and why’, I also discovered fun folklore regarding this mysterious event. Chinese banged pots and drums to shoo the frightful sun-eating character away. And in India, people would immerse themselves in water to help the sun fight the dragon.
The last total eclipse happened two years ago ( 2006 ) so to astronomers, it’s a big deal. NASA pays close attention to everything that moves in space and offers a live webcast tonight so check it out if you’re so inclined.
Here’s the skinny on 2008′s eclipse:
The eclipse was visible from a narrow corridor through northern Canada, Greenland, central Russia, eastern Kazakhstan, western Mongolia and China. It belonged to the so-called midnight sun eclipses, as it was visible from regions experiencing midnight sun. The greatest eclipse duration was reached near the town of Nadym in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug in Northern Siberia. A partial eclipse could be seen from the much broader path of the Moon’s penumbra, including eastern North America and most of Europe and Asia.
So what does a solar eclipse mean in terms of NOW? For me, there’s a couple of worthy mentions. One, there’s a ‘specialness’ available to those who notice things that don’t happen on a regular basis. ‘Specialness’ can be transferred to the rest of this day too. And secondly, ‘alignment’ holds relevance. Three objects perfectly aligning is pretty dogon cool. And last but not least, I am RE(mind)ed of other triads. The alignment of ‘Body, Mind and Spirit’ and ’The Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost.’
So pay attention. Be attention. It’s happening NOW.
So when is the next total eclipse? July 22, 2009.
Excerpt from “You’re So Vain” lyrics:
Well I hear you went up to saratoga and your horse naturally won
Then you flew your lear jet up to nova scotia
To see the total eclipse of the sun
Well you’re where you should be all the time
And when youre not you’re with
Some underworld spy or the wife of a close friend
Wife of a close friend, and…
Chorus Out~
