Despite dire warnings not to travel to Oregon for the solar eclipse, I went any way. Traffic was not as bad as predicted. My gamble that everyone going to Oregon would have left over the weekend paid off. My gamble that homeward-bound traffic would be going the opposite direction of where I was headed paid off. I even managed to get some pictures for those of you who weren't lucky enough to witness totality, which was a first for me.
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| Before totality, small chunk of sun missing from top right |
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| The eclipse caused these funky curved shadows |
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| Using your hands to make a pinhole viewer |
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| Totality! The black circle is the moon, the white ring is the sun's corona |
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| The sky was dark enough that some stars were visible. I think this is Venus. |
The eclipse got underway just after 9 AM Pacific time, immediately preceded by a flock of birds flying overhead away from the sun. Was that related to the eclipse? I don't know. I don't recall seeing any birds until after the eclipse was over. It took a while to notice any changes in lighting, but as totality got closer it was like someone turning a dimmer switch until it got dark. At that point, the eclipse glasses came off, the pop of some fireworks, and the crowd at the nearby football field let out a cheer. It was oddly quiet and oddly dark for about a minute until there was a flash of light where the top of the sun came out from behind the moon and the dimmer switch turned the other way and daylight returned.
The next total solar eclipse to hit the US is in April 2024. At that time, I hope to be in the field studying how animals react to an eclipse. Not much is known because they are such an infrequent event. Many animals run on a solar (day-night) cycle and scientists like myself wonder what they do when night suddenly happens during the day for a brief period.
Stay tuned for more stories from the road following Nature Minute's great American road trip!
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