Watching the solar eclipse that passed through Columbus yesterday was, in a word, awesome. It’s an overused word, to be sure, but it definitely captures the amazement we experienced as we stood back by the parking garage behind the firm, tilted our heads to the sunny, fortunately mostly cloudless sky, wore our eclipse glasses, and watched the moon slide slowly past the sun.
I wasn’t particularly excited about the eclipse, but once I put on the glasses and saw the moon blocking a sliver of the sun, I was hooked. It was as if a magnificent celestial production was being staged just for our benefit. As the moon continued its journey, and the visible sun shrank to a crescent, you could feel the light fading incrementally. The air cooled noticeably as more and more of the sun’s warming rays were blocked. Just before the point closest to totality, as the sky darkened and we reached twilight dimness, all of the automatic outdoor lights in the alley went on. It was a bit startling, but nothing could distract us from the great show in the sky..
Everyone who came out to look at the eclipse seemed to share the same jaw-dropping reaction to the spectacle. There’s a “wow” factor to an eclipse that isn’t like anything else I’ve experienced. I can definitely understand why other people will travel to watch one. In fact, now that I’ve got the glasses, I might just do that myself.
Webner House 