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From: ajs@hpfcla.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.astro
Subject: Re: StarDate: December 8 The Shadow of the Earth
Message-ID: <37600005@hpfcla.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 9-Dec-85 02:01:00 EST
Article-I.D.: hpfcla.37600005
Posted: Mon Dec  9 02:01:00 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 21-Dec-85 04:48:37 EST
References: <146@utastro.UUCP>
Organization: 09 Dec 85 00:01:00 MST
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> One of my most vivid memories of the February 26, 1979 total eclipse
> of the sun was watching the shadow of the moon racing toward me over land.

Yes, I had the good fortune to see the same eclipse (from Lewiston,
Montana) and experienced the same thing.  Lots of reading, etc., had
prepared me for what the sun would look like.  Of course actually SEEING
it in crystal white, with red flecks, surrounding an utter black circle,
was still wondrous.  What was even more amazing, and totally unexpected,
was the complete environment of the eclipse, of which the sun up in the
sky was but a small part.

10-15 minutes before totality, the western sky looked like it might just
before an hellacious thunderstorm.  Then, during totality, there was a
fantastic "ring of fire", the color of sunset, around the entire
horizon.  Very high, thin cirrus clouds glowed white with a trace of
light, against a black sky, due to the low sun angle (only about 30
degrees).

The shadow washes over you like an enormous, slow breaker, crushing you
against the sand (or in this case, snow).  If you've ever snorkeled
under a BIG wave and looked up as it went by, you know the feeling.
I'd go way out of my way to see another total solar eclipse, some day.

Until then, if you want to see the shadow of the Earth, I recommend
Maricopa Point on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, on a clear evening
at sunset, looking east-northeast across the canyon.

Alan Silverstein