April 8th! Come one, come all! Call the neighbors and wake the kids! April 8th is the date for the Solar Eclipse here in Texas. Oh sure, you can also see it in Mexico, Missouri or Nova Scotia. However, Texas is where I will be along with a couple million of my closest friends to see the most exciting Solar eclipse for many years. In order to prepare for this miraculous event, a friend and I are taking a class at Rice University as part of their Glasscock School of Continuing Studies. I have listened to many speakers who know much more about this kind of stuff than I ever will. Yet, they are masterful at making it very interesting for rookies like myself. They also show the class a lot of cool pictures and we even went on a field trip to the planetarium at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. What Fun!!!!
Where you are in relation to the path of the eclipse will determine how much you see of this miraculous event. Just on the west side of Austin, one will see what is called “Totality”. That means that one will see the sun completely covered by the moon as in these pictures. Here in Houston we will see a measly 94% coverage which still promises to be one heck of a solar phenomenon. Viewing times in Houston will run from 12:20 p.m. until 3:01 p.m. with max coverage at 1:40 p.m. Compare that to Bandera County, Texas which will have totality coverage of the sun at 1:31 p.m. to 1:35 p.m.
It is important to note that no one can look directly at a Solar Eclipse without damaging their eyesight permanently. To keep us safe, places like the Museum of Natural Science and the store Land, Sea and Sky, Houston Camera Exchange and other places are selling what is known as Solar Viewing Cards and Glasses. This is a most important point!!!!! You do not want to damage your eyes while looking at this most magnificent and historical of events.
It is also important to know that if you have not made plans to travel to the prime viewing area, one needs to check with friends and travel authorities in the area. Hotels, Air B&B’s and most camp grounds may all ready spoken for. Traffic on I‑10 will be worse than any rush hour traffic you have ever experienced. That’s why I’m staying here in Houston in the courtyard of my apartment complex. Afterwards many photographers will show off their pictures all over the internet. I bet there will even be a book or two written about this. What do you think?
Finally, while I have been learning all about eclipses, the class lecturers have also talked about the sun. I have been learning all about something called Space Weather. This involves the sun’s magnetic field and how it interacts with the solar plasma. You can also look at pictures like this to see sun spots and solar flares. Apparently there is a lot going on up there that we mere earth mortals rarely think about.
Now is the time to think about all this sciency stuff. When I am done with all of my observations, then I will have to write a ghost story. Yes, I am quite sure that there are ghosts, goblins and grim reapers on the moon, Venus and maybe Mars! The possibilities are endless.
Until next time.….
Here is your first warning sign that you should notice when going to Hermann Park in the second half of April. It’s close enough to Earth Day that all the schools from all over everywhere bring gaggles of children to appreciate nature. Yellow buses line the streets.
It appears as though the children gather in packs. Each group is identified by their colors. Is this similar to a bunch of gangs? I did not get close enough to find out. The group in this picture is heading for Miller Theater. I could hear music playing until all the munchkins got seated for some type of program.
Another batch of gaggles also were observed heading into the Museum of Natural Science. This picture was taken from the top of a hill in the park. I made sure to keep my distance, in order to ensure my safety. I did not venture anywhere near either the theater or museum. Fearless adults communicated with all of the multicolored T‑shirts by bullhorns. That was very brave of them and I think worthy of combat medals.
This is the mountain I climbed up to view the hordes while staying out of harm’s way. There were even safety rules for this vantage point. They included: No bicycles. No swinging from the rails. Please stay off the plants, and most important for today situation: Mind children and dogs. On the way up, I did not see many other people so when I reached the top, I could bask in the fact that it was a cloudy day, and did not swelter in bright sunshine. I didn’t even need to wear my sunglasses.
Walking the trail that wound around this mountain was quite pleasant and since there was a waterfall on one side, much of the noise of the school-age gremlins was literally “drowned out”. This worked for some time until some other grownups discovered my sanctuary. It was at that point that lots of people showed up who actually had the audacity to enjoy a fun-filled conversation amongst themselves. How rude. My silent haven then turned into a party venue and I decided it was time to move on back down the hill. More and more people were heading up to the top of the hill and I apparently made my escape just in time.
There was one last sign that should have clued me in. Even the ducks were aware of what was going on today. These two are far from their normal pond habitat. I found them trying to hide amongst the bushes and trees so the children would not find them and chase them.
