Total Eclipse
Total Eclipse
From the earliest times the sun has been a source of awe, setting our days and nights, moods and hopes. It also provides us with vitamin D which helps us to absorb and retain the calcium and phosphorus critical for our bodies and wellbeing. Equally, it may help reduce cancer cell growth, help control infections and reduce inflammation.
Many of the body’s organs and tissues have receptors for vitamin D so it is perhaps vital in more ways than we know. Thus, at every opportunity in these northern climes, it is good on every front to go outside. This usually means we are also doing something: walking or playing tennis, running, gardening or just chatting with friends, all things that are good for both the body and the soul.
Being outside in the direct sun improves our mood, lowers blood pressure and improves heart health – though obviously with all the concomitant advice for sun screen when it is very hot.
Culturally, there are two almost equally important celestial bodies, the sun and the moon. They even define two of our days: lundi or Monday references the moon) whilst Sunday - sonntag references the sun.
From time to time many people living on this beautiful planet witness something extraordinary that has nothing to do with the seemingly endless rain: a solar eclipse. For a short time, the sun genuinely seems to disappear into an almost unnatural dark as the moon passes in front of it, completely obscuring it
In almost all cultures, an eclipse is seen as a forbidding omen as if the sun and the moon are being devoured by some evil being. Records testify that in ancient Egypt, the King, who represented the Sun, went so far as to go around the city to reassure people.
Eclipses, however, are also a valuable resource for historians as they can help date ancient calendars. Researchers from Cambridge developed a new eclipse calendar reference taking into account the variations of the Earth’s rotation over time. The only annular eclipse visible from Canaan between 1500 and 1050 BC was on the afternoon of 30 October 1207 BC. If this is accepted, it would not only be the oldest recorded solar eclipse but it also helps date the reigns of Ramesses the Great and his son Merenptah to within a year.
Astronomy has always been highly regarded and its records and significance are recorded both in paintings and writing. An unfinished tomb for Senenmut, (Hatshesput’s architect), was quarried and carved out under her temple at Deir el Bahri. It is 90m long and gives access to three successive chambers with extraordinary and beautiful astrological ceilings. Painted around 1460 BC, it includes celestial bodies such as Sirius, Orion, and four planets Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn.
Two thousand years later the Egyptian astronomer Ibn Yunus (950-1009AD), regarded as one of the greatest observational astronomers of his time, made detailed observations of lunar and solar eclipses in Cairo, again invaluable data.
Today, once again, scientists will be hoping to gather invaluable data. In an eclipse, the edges of the solar corona become visible and it offers a brief chance to study how the sun’s light affects Earth’s atmosphere, to measure wavelengths or how charged the ionosphere is.
The essential rule when looking at an eclipse is never to look directly at it for fear of eye damage. Whilst some parts of the world will have a total eclipse today, here in the UK it is only a partial one. Nevertheless, this evening, between 7.52pm and 8.51pm, I will once again be walking with the dogs on the dark lawns on the slim chance that the weather might cooperate so that I can catch a peak of the moon...
I know that in many parts of the world the sun is not really being stolen but it is extraordinary how there is still some essential deep emotional fear and foreboding as our view of the world goes dark - despite all our sophistication. The sun helps mark our north, our south, our east and west, our working weeks and our Sunday rest.
To quotes Galileo: “The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do.”
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73 Comments
Hi Fiona,
I have a funny/sad story about an eclipse. On May 10th, 1994 I sat in my solicitors office signing papers to incorporate our company. During our meeting there was a total eclipse of the sun. For a minute in was dark outside. The company closed by the end of 1998. The moral of this story: Don't do anything important during a solar eclipse. :-)
Happy Total Eclipse Day! In Essex County, Canada, we should be in the Path of Totality between 3:10-3:15EST. Getting our viewing glasses on!
I do hope the weather will cooperate this evening, and you will get a glimpse of the moon tonight, Lady Canarvon. The clouds in portions of the U.S. will unfortunately obscure the view of the eclipse in many areas that are in the path of totality. I am not in the path of totality in Georgia, but we should still be able to have a partial glimpse since it is a very clear day. Thank you again for your always thoughtful blog. I also enjoyed your talk on the podcast with Nicola Chester. You consistently come up with interesting people to speak with on your podcast. Thank you.
Beautifully written! Sharing your Galileo quote. He was truly brilliant.
We will see the total eclipse at 3:26 in New York's Hudson Valley (in 1664, the City was named after the Duke of York who had become King James II). People are spreading the news to keep dogs and other pets/animals inside during the whole process.
How very interesting ,thank you so much for my Monday reads ,
Thank you so much for this - another Monday where I learn something and start to think about a new subject. Always look forward to your writings. Much appreciated.
Impressive historic information again!
Given rainy weather overnight and a bit today we are predicted to be mostly cloudy all day so a minor chance of any sunshine and seeing the Solar Eclipse today.
Good luck with your weather today as well especially when walking your dogs.
Here in Maryland, the 2024 Solar Eclipse will be visible with near totality at 90%. Will be going to the Observatory Park to witness the universe at its most dramatic moment. I read that for people living in Ireland or the UK, a partial eclipse may be visible on Monday evening if the weather stays clear. Do you think you will be able to see it?
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
Such beautiful--and well researched--writing today. Thank you! As I write from the backseat of our car, we are in the midwestern part of the U.S. traveling towards the eclipse's path of totality in Indiana. Much of our own state of Illinois will be cloudy, so we have taken the advice of the McCartney / Lennon tune, "I'll follow the Sun." We have lawn chairs, a packed lunch and of course our viewing glasses. Wish us luck! 6 hours to go...
Lady Carnarvon,
I absolutely love how you weave history into your observational writing. I learn something new each week from you. Having visited Egypt, with Viking of course, I especially enjoy the Egyptian history you share, and today’s piece is no exception.
Here in the US, the solar eclipse is causing quite an uproar. I plan to take a long walk to safely experience the sights and sounds ( or lack of sound as the birds go quiet) outdoors. You have a gift. Thank you for sharing it with us, and please keep writing.
From suburban Chicago
Thanks for posting...super quote from Galileo.
We're having a partial in New Jersey in the U.S. today, and we had two earthquakes on Friday.
Thank you, Lady Carnarvon. This is the most informative and interesting eclipse piece I have read. Wishing you many sunny days in your future!
Martha from Illinois
I love your Egyptian history of recording eclipses. The Egyptians recorded so much of their daily lives, well especially their leaders’ lives, for many generations in the future. The eclipse during Ramses the Great’s time coincided with the time Moses freed his people, too, though it is not written in Egyptian history. Thank you for this timely and informative entry.
We will be watching the eclipse from Northern Michigan. Our library gave special viewing glasses . We have a clear high spot to hopefully get a better view. The eclipse begins about 1:58 pm. Hope everyone gets a peek at this amazing event.
My husband and I will be viewing the total eclipse here from our driveway in Cleveland, Ohio! We'll have a toast of champagne to celebrate this special day!
We are all excited here in Kingston, Ontario, Canada as we are in the right spot for the total eclipse. So much so, that every hotel, airbnb and restaurant is fully booked up. Licence plates from Georgia, Wisconsin and Michigan are on our streets. We will gather with friends and family with our special viewing glasses in a few hours. I have even created a "SOLAR ECLIPSE" cocktail for us to enjoy with Highclere gin of course!
Hope you get a view!
H.
Lady Carnarvon,
Good morning (10:35 am) from the East Coast of America! My husband and I are eagerly awaiting this afternoon’s solar eclipse - scheduled here from 1:30 ish to 4:20 ish. I have my special sunglasses ready!
I wonder - what will you see since it’s evening? I wonder also what the doggies will think!
In any event, I hope what we see reminds all of us of the wonder of our creation and the many smart people throughout the ages who have lent us so much education and information! Including you!!
Thank you for your writings every Monday. I look for them knowing how interesting they always are.
Martha G
Good morning from the zone of totality in Texas. We have our fingers crossed for a break in the clouds this afternoon to actually view this rare occurrence, but it’s always a dance with Mother Nature isn’t it? Thank you for your blog, it’s always timely and interesting-I look forward to each new topic.
Hello from Bandon, Oregon, USA (our Irish founder named us Bandon)
Thank you for the wonderful history and discussion about the eclipse. I will be here in Oregon and won't be able to see this eclipse, but it will be fun for those who will see it, hopefully safely.
Dear Lady Carnarvon, Thank you for this very fascinating information! I would assume that it seems logical that the dark side of the moon, which seemingly, is in perpetual darkness, gets a reprieve from that darkness for a short period of time during this rare period. Biblical accounts suggest that during the crucifixion of Jesus, that this rare occurrence also happened, seemingly sending a profound message to all those who witnessed it. Astronomical calculations have been used to reconstruct the Jewish calendar in the first century AD, and to date a lunar eclipse that biblical and other references suggest followed the Crucifixion. The evidence points to Friday 3 April AD 33 as the date of the Crucifixion.
Michael Sloboda
Ontario Canada
Lady Carnarvon,
I hope you did get that peek at the moon!
Here in Southern California, we will get about a 50% eclipse.
God's handiwork is marvelous to behold!
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
Thanks again for your gracious reflections. As I write this, I am getting ready to head to our local observatory in Des Moines, Iowa, where I attend lectures once a week to watch and possibly lend a hand. We will only get 85% here, and I did debate driving to the path of totality but the hotels were either sold out or very pricey and the heavy traffic predictions were so ominous that, even though I could have left home and made it to the central path under normal driving conditions, I have opted to stay here. 85% is not as exciting as totality but at least we will see some. We are pretty clear here so far. Here’s hoping the clouds will part for you as well. Happy watching.
Lady Carnarvon.........Here in North Dakota we will only see about 50% totality and cloudy at that but anticipating to see a dimming of the daylight. There is so much history involved with the eclipse any you have presented it beautifully. Enjoy this evening on you walk with the dogs
Lovely the picture of total eclipse and did you and lord Carnarvon have a wonderful weekend and lovely highcelere castle and lam fan of Downton Abbey thank you for send me
Living in New Hampshire, USA, it is a total eclipse day for the mountain area. Crowds are arriving, and highways are like parking lots. Beautiful sunny sky which is long overdue after a week of a Nor'easter and power outages. Day of reflection and wonder. I so enjoyed your blog on Total Eclipse. Hope you get a glimpse on your nightly walk.
And all that is now
And all that is gone
And all that's to come
And everything under the sun is in tune
But the sun is eclipsed by the moon.
Pink Floyd, Eclipse, from Dark Side of the Moon
Dear Lady Carnarvon, thank you so much for your beautiful post about today's eclipse. I saw it here in Los Angeles, where we had a partial eclipse. I'm thinking about ancient peoples today also (although your thoughts are expressed more beautifully!). I hope I may share my modest thoughts that I put on my Facebook page an hour ago: "An eclipse always makes me think of ancient peoples and what they thought. Something powerful enough to actually block out the sun must be a god! No wonder there is so much beautiful mythology about the planets and the sky from the ancients. It makes me feel connected to other peoples throughout time because we can see what they saw. I also think that an eclipse puts us as humans into perspective: We are microscopic compared to bodies moving in space, and I think that's a very healthy way to view the human race."
What a beautiful day for nature to bring us peace and tranquility, and unite all of us "under-the-sun." Thank you for this informative blog and the historical facts that you always weave so amazingly with the stunning images. May you have a most pleasant week ahead.
Thank you so much
Thank you so much - i really enjoy the book clubs - it is great to be able to stream them too
They are naturally wary .. we are naturally curious!
You are very kind!
Thank you - cloudy !!!
It is overcast here
Good luck!
We had a Viking group here this morning - they do travel the Nile well!
I studied DAs Leben des Galilei by Brecht and thus the background too - great play
We heard about the earthquakes - what a time!
Thank you !
that sounds a great idea!
Perfect!!!
The world is a calendar - but I wish we had happier events !
Bit rainy adn cloudy (again) now!
Sounds good ..
Thank you for your kind thoughts
Thank you Catherine ... we are all one
Hi... thank you for your comments on the eclipse... today I witnessed the total eclipse in USA , Indianapolis, Indiana... it stole my heart!!! I toured your beautiful estate a couple of years ago and love your writings... enjoy spring.....
Thank you for this excellent post! Here in Ohio US, we were in 100% totality and it was amazing! I can only imagine what the people thought of this phenomenon before it was understood. We knew what was happening and it was still awe inspiring!
Yes, I would also like to see it! Thank you for your articles, they are marvelous!
I love the way you bring words to life and paint with them. I hope you get your wish and the weather there cooperates. I sat outside for the entire event here in Dallas Texas and it was magical.
Wonderful post about eclipses and the Egyptians’ records of such. We were able to see a total eclipse here in Texas as the predicted storms stayed away. The wild animals and especially birds’ reactions were interesting. Also the shadows of the leaves on the ground were beautiful. You constantly choose wonderful, timely topics to meld with fascinating history and Highclere lore, love it! Thank you!
We were very fortunate to be able to drive from our home in Northwest Tennessee to Poplar Bluff, Missouri, which was in the 100% totality band. It has been a warm, sunny, breezy day, and the eclipse was amazing. After we ate our packed lunch, we donned our special glasses and watched as the moon slowly moved across the sun until only a perfect shining border surrounded the moon. We stood in darkness for a couple of minutes, and then the moon slowly moved on and the light returned and the birds began to sing! It was quite an experience and helped me understand why ancient peoples might have thought the world was ending during a total eclipse!
My entire little school – 40 students ages 3 to 13 plus teachers and staff – went out onto our ballfield today to watch the eclipse. Here in the Chicago area we had 95% coverage of the sun. And our weather was gorgeously clear and sunny… perfect for eclipse viewing! The whole thing was a marvel, and I feel so blessed to have witnessed this amazing celestial event. I hope it’s something my students will remember for a long time. I know I certainly will.
Thank you for another inspiring blog, Lady Carnarvon.
Best wishes from Illinois
Happy spring!
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
My husband Kyle and I spent at least a few hours sitting outside our house in
San Angelo, Tx experiencing the partial eclipse. It had been cloudy in the morning, I had gone onto Goodfellow Air Force Base to do some business, come home and so we sat and watched those amazing shadows lengthen across the grass. The most amazing thing, and one that can't be replicated, was that wonderful blue grey colour of the sky right before and after the eclipse.
I hope yours was as good.
Loveday Mantel
At the moment that I was born, there was a total eclipse of the sun, so it has always held special meaning for me. My mother was intrigued enough to enlist a friend who was an amateur astrologer to write up something like a chart for me. I don't recall anything especially memorable that he wrote, except that I would be extraordinarily lucky all my life (which turned out to be true, and which you witnessed first hand when I was one of the lucky runners up in your book review writing contest), and that I would live to the ripe old age of 62. Although I did my best to silence the alarm bells in my mind during my 62nd year, I must admit that I did exhale a sigh of relief when I reached 63 in February.
Thank you
I have been watching the news coverage
Thank you
It is an extraordinary world!
Thank you
You are an outstanding educator. I hope many teachers took their students outside to observe the event. Back in the day when Haley’s comet appeared my students buried a time capsule with things that were important My local funeral parlour donated a wooden casket then enclosed it in a metal box and then in a concrete casing and my class ceremonially lowered it into our Green in Litchfield Connecticut. There is a plaque stating that it was to be opened seventy some odd years later when the comet returns It should be very interesting for the future historians
Lady Carnarvon,
Brilliant theme, as all your blogs. Always a lesson for me.
The Sun is part of our health as well as life itself. Being outdoors a few hours a day also helps us sleep better. Yesterday at 3:02 pm I saw the sky become cloudy for an hour, while the eclipse was passing. I tried to keep busy working.
We do rather need the sun ..
In Texas I saw a total eclipse....it was breathtaking when the whole area turned black. I learned something today as I read your blog....I just celebrated my Birthday on April 3 and learned in your blog that it is said Christ was crucified on April 3.....I never knew that and it saddened me. Doris, Houston, TX
I live in Indianapolis, so I got to see the total eclipse. Was much darker than I thought it would be, and the temperature dropped 7 degrees (F). A reminder of how vital the sun is to our existence.
How extraordinary
Yet he lived and the sun returned
You are a delight love to hear from you. God Bless Wava Schumacher USA
Lady Carnarvon,
Nothing lightens my heart more than a day spent outside gardening, playing with my grandkids or just visiting with friends. January and February in Michigan are dark and cold. Since retiring, we have been able to escape winter's dreary days. Thank you for your "enlightening" post.
Dear Lady Carnarvon:
Thank you for your informative blog regarding the solar eclipse.
The day the eclipse happened in the United States, I was on the road in Indianapolis, and driving back to Michigan. What a unique experience. First it was bright and sunny, then it became dark. So much so that the lights on the freeway turned on.
Until next time, keep your eye on the moon and sun.
Perpetua Crawford
Lady Carnarvon’s insights on the total eclipse beautifully blend personal experience with informative detail, creating an engaging and captivating read!
THANKS FOR SHARING , GREAT READ .