In the United States we are being treated to a celestial wonder tomorrow. A total solar eclipse will occur across a swath of North America. There has already been a mass-migration of tourists to spots along the path where the umbra will be most present. Hotels in the oddest of locations have been booked for months in anticipation of this celestial event.
Where I am located, we'll only experience the penumbra, but the event has not lost it's novelty on us. Our children's schools have purchased special glasses and science will come alive for them as they get to view the movement of the moon across the sun.
But in my best @Kristján Geir Mathiesen's voice, DID YOU KNOW that there are many different cultures that view eclipses differently? I've linked a few articles below for us to become more informed about the different interpretations and traditions related to eclipses.
Exploratorium
Encyclopedia Britannica
Almanac
For me, every time I hear the word eclipse, the words of Bonnie Tyler's 1983 hit song "Total Eclipse of the Heart" ringing in my ears. I had it on a mix tape I gave my then girlfriend, now wife in 1995 when we started dating with the Nikki French Dance Remix on it. It became our anthem.
(Turn around)
Every now and then
I know you'll never be the boy
You always wanted to be
(Turn around)
But every now and then
I know you'll always be the only boy
Who wanted me the way that I am
(Turn around)
Every now and then
I know there's no one in the universe
As magical and wondrous as you
Have you ever seen an eclipse, lunar or solar? If so, please let us know about the experience in the comments. If not, let us know what you associate eclipses with.
