Solar Eclipse
It is difficult to not try and experience it myself when everyone hypes up the solar eclipse. New York City might not have been graced with the marvel of totality, but seeing what was the moon covering 70% of the sun was plenty spectacular. Standing outside while being surrounded by a large group of people all trying to catch a glimpse of something we normally cannot see and stare at an extraterrestrial object which we typically wouldn't dare look at—it was surreal.
I hadn't planned the actual viewing part of the solar eclipse. Even though I knew it would be extremely dangerous to look at with my bare eyeballs, I did not pre-purchase eclipse glasses or make a DIY contraption. I mostly went outside with the hope that some nice person could let me borrow their viewing device for a hot second.
Thankfully, the phone's camera could catch the lens flares from the bright sunlight to give an indirect view of the eclipse. I heard someone say that even pointing the camera straight at the sun could potentially be harmful to both the phone and human eyes; whether I see any side effects remains unknown. It was still incredibly difficult to view through the mobile camera, let alone take a clear photo of it. (This involved max zooming, constant focus tapping, and speedy picture taking.)
Wonders of nature tends to bring humankind together—it isn't about you, me, him, or her specifically for that short period of time—just the sky, the clouds, the sun, and the moon. Complete strangers gather together. Selflessness and sharing spread in the air as a few pair of eclipse glasses passed around a sizeable group of people. Jaws dropped and admirable wows escaped, no matter young or old, as soon as the solar filters covered the eyes.
It felt completely different from the time I saw the super blood moon/lunar eclipse; I was not alone, it was not dark, and there was no chance of not being able to witness this natural event. I hear the next total solar eclipse viewable in the USA will be in 2024 (April 8th to be exact). I also hear parts of New York (far upstate) will get a chance to witness totality. Perhaps I should consider it as a bucket list item?
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