It’s a special life event to see a total solar eclipse, and I feel so lucky to have witnessed one in my life time. There’s nothing on Earth like a total solar eclipse.
I was originally going to do a coding course in Bali for 10 days, but I was persuaded to put the eclipse at the top of my list. I am glad I did because what you see is so surreal and no photograph does the experience any justice.
In the moments leading up to totality, the light took on a faint, eerie hue, as though someone had placed a low-light Instagram filter over the whole world. The landscape was gradually darkening. The changed quality-of-light was something that needed to be experienced to understand. The atmosphere was not completely dark like the night, but more like the time in between twilight and darkness.
When we took our eclipse glasses off, the experience and sights were overwhelming, I wanted to treasure every second. When the moon was completely covering the sun, the sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, created a three dimensional effect on the moon and it made everything seem closer to you. My eyes scanned all around and I noticed a point of light had emerged in the sky: the planet Venus. Then you notice another light, it was Regulus, the only star that was visible. The horizon started turning red and the blues were getting richer and deeper. Even though there was no sunrise or sunset, the horizon turned that red color we pretty much never see or experience otherwise. Pictures do not do the colours you see with your eyes justice.
You also can’t help but look around and watch how others are experiencing the the moment. There are people cheering, clapping, wiping tears from their eyes and hugging. Astonished faces, gasps, people muttering “Oh My God!” I love people watching, so seeing people’s reactions and emotions was just as good as the eclipse itself. No one can prepare you for how you will feel when see it, even trying to find big descriptive words doesn’t suffice.
Then, as the Sun re-emerged from behind the Moon, it was the signal we all needed to put our eclipse glasses back on. As tempting as it was to continue looking at the moon and the sun, the cost isn’t worth your eyesight. I had to fight the temptation, too, but I wanted to keep looking.
Despite all my best plans and preparations, the two minutes went by in what seemed like 30 seconds, and then it was all over.
So now the world prepares for the next total solar eclipse in 2024. The eclipse shadow will be nearly twice as wide, and it’s duration more than four minutes long. If you got to experience the 2017 eclipse, but wanted darker skies, longer totality, and more stars and planets, consider 2017 a warm-up for 2024.
After experiencing my very first total solar eclipse, I’m definitely not going to miss the next one in 2024.
