In The Shadow of the Moon
Tracy Seeger
10.00 am
It had started, but it was hardly noticeable yet. An insignificant slither of the moon had passed in front of the sun. To the non-experts in the crowd nothing perceptible had changed, and so they assumed that either the experts had miscalculated the start time, or that their watches were a little fast. They carried on chattering. Many were excited and were talking loudly about how thrilled they were to be there. Some were discussing completely different topics: shopping, a television program, who's sleeping with who at the office. Others were clearly bored by the whole thing, chiefly children and partners of enthusiasts. One wife sat with her back to a wall, listening to her favourite CD on a set of headphones with her eyes closed, while nearby a 3-year-old boy sat in his pushchair and cried.
Very few were aware of the wondrous spectacle of nature that was this occasion.
But to the trained eye, to the masses of men and women who had waited a lifetime to witness this event, and had brought all the right equipment with them, the waiting was finally over. And they could see the first chink of the sun disappearing.
10.17 am
As the minutes ticked away, and the group of bodies watched, (some more closely than others), a few more spectators observed that the sun did not look entirely round any more. It was beginning to look a little squashed on the right side. They began groping in bags for the special viewers they had bought or made just for this occasion. Once found, these devices enabled them to look directly at the sun and see that almost a quarter of it had already been eaten by the moon.
Those who had come unprepared, or had not given in to the hundreds of locals selling viewing glasses by the thousand, tried to look at the sun using just their sunglasses, but soon found that too painful, or were warned how dangerous that was by their friends or fellow watchers. They soon began collecting in smaller groups around the more affluent observers, begging for a look through their viewers or projectors. Some of these better equipped observers granted their requests, while others wanted to keep their fortune all to themselves. Eventually though, most people found someone who would let them have a look at the momentous event unfolding before them, if for a price.
As yet there was still very little to see, especially without the right tools. But it was clear the excitement was growing. The noise level rose, and there was more movement amongst the crowd also, as people rushed about, seemingly for no reason at all half of the time.
10.33 am
Over half an hour had passed now since it had started. To anyone watching within the path of totality it was obvious what was happening. And even those not within the path, or those who did not know what was taking place, it was apparent that something was not right. Apart from the fact that the sun was more than half covered by the moon now, and there were large groups of people gazing skyward all over the country, there was something odd about the daylight. It was almost like early evening, or as if a storm was coming, although it was mid-morning and there was not a cloud in the summer sky.
It was amazing to realise that there were people going about their daily routines as if nothing was happening, who did not even realise that something was happening. They sat at their desks and typed, or fed the baby after doing the housework, or drove to their next appointment, as if this was just another ordinary day. And as the light decreased, they simply turned on the light.
But it would only be a matter of minutes now, before they were able to deny what was happening no longer. In another half an hour they would be witnessing something most of them had never seen before, and probably never would again.
11.06 am
The large group had swelled in number quite significantly in the last 30 minutes. As more and more people realised what was going on in the sea blue sky, they had drifted outside and joined the sky watchers, who had already been at their spots for over an hour now. The noise and commotion had also risen dramatically with the new arrivals.
But as the final minutes ticked away a change came over the crowd. The shouting became murmuring, the runners became stationary. The moon seemed to be picking up speed; the watchers could just make out its final movements as it engulfed the sun. This movement was more apparent on the ground, as the shadow of the moon could be seen rushing towards them. It was a terrifically eerie sight. The birds stopped singing and retreated to the trees as if to roost for the night. Other wildlife reacted in a similar way, while domestic pets began crying in confusion.
At exactly 11 minutes past 11 o'clock, the moment of totality, when the moon finally covered the sun completely, a hushed silence fell over everyone watching. It grew surprisingly cold very quickly, and bright stars and planets could be seen in the now darkened sky. But by far the most amazing sight was the concealed sun itself. Now that the moon obscured the main, bright photosphere, the corona stood out magnificently, like a wispy fairy skirt around it.
For a short while everything seemed to stand still. Then, gradually, some cameras started to click, and people began whispering to each other. Couples reached for their partners' hands, wanting to be close to their loved ones during this such unusual time. It was understandably frightening for all that were experiencing the event. It is not often night falls when you are having your elevenses.
The atmosphere of the crowd was mixed. Fear and wonder were the primary emotions detectable, but there was also awe, love, and loneliness among this strange gathering of humankind.
11.13 am
2 minutes and 2 seconds later it was all over. A brighter glow slowly appeared on the right side of the moon, which was quickly followed by the first dazzling rays of light from the sun. Another awed gasp arose from the crowd, and some people realised they had been holding their breath. As quickly as it had disappeared, the light and warmth returned to the Earth.
The animals and birds, clearly confused by the whole situation, came out of their nocturnal refuges to try and work out what was going on. The human observers were touched by what they had just witnessed, and were reluctant to move yet, wanting only to sit or stand quietly and consider what they had seen.
As the time ticked away though, and more and more of the sun emerged from its hiding place, one by one the crowd started to break up and drift away.
11.45 am
With half of the sun still to return to its place in the sky, the crowd on the ground had diminished considerably. With the main feature of the event long over they had elected to return to their normal lives, with their memories of nature's fantastic show fresh in their minds.
The more hard core observers lingered. But they too knew nothing they would see now would compare to what they had seen only half an hour ago. And soon they too began packing up their equipment to leave. They would perhaps have hard evidence to back up their memories of the spectacle, photographs and drawings, which would be lovingly treasured for many years to come.
And so, eventually, the site that such a short time ago had been occupied by a couple of hundred people, was once again a simple children's park, deserted until school finished in another 2 or 3 hours.
But I can never forget. I will be there forever.
Copyright © 2009 Tracy Seeger. All rights reserved.