Countdown to Eclipse
The Path of Totality. A phrase frequently tossed around these days in the same sentence as once in a lifetime. The astronomical term referring to the track of the Moon’s shadow across the Earth’s surface is of timely relevance this week before a solar eclipse. Despite claims of its rarity, the cosmic blackout wrought by heavenly happenstance actually takes the spotlight multiple times a year.* Such phenomena feel more rare than they are because only specific swaths of the population find themselves in the shadow and under its spell.
The upcoming event connects an unlikely string of cities that lie in the path of the umbra. A 3D visualization on the NASA website links Mazatlán, Durango, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Little Rock, Indianapolis, Buffalo, and Montreal in a terrestrial arc stretching from Mexico to Cananda almost 10,000 miles long. The Sun will be blocked, its light obscured, when the Moon passes between it and us. A planetary moment will be felt by millions of North Americans when an unprecedented number look to the sky at the same time. For a fleeting few seconds, day will become night in the afternoon. All who observe will experience a world transformed in a blink of the eye.
The communal experience is anticipated, promoted and marketed for months. Warnings not to look directly at the celestial occurrence abound. Solar viewing glasses are displayed at checkout counters in supermarkets and pharmacies while consumers are advised to be on the lookout for foreign fakes and online scams. A circus of special activities include eclipse viewing at 30,000 feet aboard a Delta airlines Path-of-Totality Flight while science museums advertise Super Solar planetarium shows for all ages. Music playlists suggest ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ by Bonnie Tyler, ‘Ain't No Sunshine’ by Bill Withers, plus the albums Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd and The Path of Totality by nu metal band Korn.
Dictionary.com provides several definitions of the keyword on amateur astronomer’s lips. Apart from the primary -– ‘the obscuring of the light from one celestial body by the passage of another between it and the observer’ –- there is also ‘the sudden loss of importance in relation to a newly arrived person or thing.’ By way of example: The status of the lead actress was eclipsed by a young ingénue in the film. Additional uses of the word include ‘A fall into obscurity or disuse; a decline’ and ‘A disgraceful or humiliating end; a downfall.’
For a definitive explanation of what one needs to know about the where, when and how to view the obscuring celestial passage, The New York Times answers these common questions. As the day of alignment approaches, attention intensifies across platforms as articles rich with scientific explanations, practical tips, and lofty language populate feeds and feed the frenzy. Physicists and planetary scientists share expertise and excitement for the upcoming event in a University Newsletter dispatched to alumni this week.
Thinking back to the last time such a sublime occurrence grabbed hold of the general population, I recall a summer in the city years ago when crowds began to form on the midtown streets beneath my office window. Pedestrian traffic slowed and eventually came to a halt. Faces in windows on every floor of every building looked outward and upward. A buzz of excitement pervaded the air. Thousands of arms and fingers pointed. Millions of photos were taken. Then, suddenly, it was over. The unifying moment that brought everyone together elapsed. All who gathered subsequently dispersed. The scene changed from a huge happening to something like nothing had happened at all. As if it were all a cosmic blip in the time/space continuum. Perhaps that’s all it was.
Yet, is it possible that something ineffable occurs when so many come together for a shared experience even if the effect can’t be perceived in a measurable way? Might invisible forces be at play at such transformational moments even if they go unnoticed? Can the obscuring of light from one celestial body by the passage of another illuminate some innate awareness that a photon cannot reveal?
The Overview Effect, coined by Frank White, is a cognitive shift reported by some astronauts while viewing Earth from space. Researchers have characterized it as “a state of awe with self-transcendent qualities.” Among its impressions are an increased sense of connection to other people and the Earth as a whole.
A derivative concept called The Orbital Perspective claims that humans can channel the Overview Effect without having to leave the planet. One can achieve a cognitive shift of perspective and consciously step back from looking at things as they affect us locally and in the short term, to how they affect us globally over the long-term. Such enlightened perspective can change the world.
These mind-expanding concepts are explained by former NASA astronaut Ron Garan while addressing a room packed with young people teeming with questions about Space exploration. Curiosity is nurtured, knowledge is shared. Seeds for a better future are planted on the eve of the eclipse. Perhaps the celestial dance will provide the mystical rain. Perhaps we occupants of Earth all lie in a greater path of totality, if only we manage to channel its unifying power to recognize our inherent brotherhood.
#Eclipse #PathOfTotality #OverviewEffect #OrbitalPerspective
*Admittedly, the latter is uncommon. Once in a lifetime aptly describes a calendar year featuring five solar eclipses. The last quintuple appeared in 1935; the next anticipated in 2206. As for a total solar eclipse that can be seen from the contiguous United States, the next such occurrence will be on Aug. 23, 2044.