Diamond Ring, Oh Ring of Fire!

Not a sight for the naked eye. Mr. “Bigly” are you listening?

A good friend who is an astronomy buff took these spectacular photos of the Annular solar eclipse on October 14, 2023.

An annular solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth. At this point, the Moon is at its farthest from Earth. The Moon appears smaller than the Sun and does not fully cover the solar orb.

Thus, as per NASA: “The Moon appears as a dark disk on top of a larger, bright disk, creating what looks like a ring around the Moon.”

Our friend was kind enough to give me the special dark glasses through which hubby and I viewed the eclipse.

NASA warns, “Eclipse glasses are NOT regular sunglasses. Regular sunglasses, no matter how dark, are not safe for viewing the Sun. Safe solar viewers are thousands of times darker and ought to comply with the ISO 12312–2 international standard.”

Here are two photos hubby took of the crescent sun. Not a patch on our friend’s photos, but the best we could get with an iPhone and the eclipse glasses.

The eclipse began at around 10:27 a.m. CDT. It lasted for 3 hours and 11 minutes.

During this time, the sunlight dimmed and grew somber as if it were filtering in through a dark screen. The temperature dropped noticeably, prompting me to break out a sweater — a garment I hadn’t worn since February. A quartet of mockingbirds, infrequent visitors to my backyard at this time of year, suddenly appeared at my bird bath.

I waited on my patio for forty-five minutes for the signature “ring of fire” to appear around the moon. The crescent sun got thinner and thinner — and I got increasingly impatient.

I should have waited a bit more. But I slipped inside for five minutes to prep lunch. I never knew when five turned to fifteen.

When I returned to the patio, the moon was fast moving away from the face of the sun. The “ring of fire” — which had lasted less than five minutes — had slotted neatly into the middle of my fifteen minute absence. Now, much like Alice in Wonderland, I wanted to “box my own ears.”

So, I missed the ring of fire, but there’s no way I am missing the “Diamond ring” which, is set to spark — albeit briefly — in the heavens on April 8, 2024.

Total solar eclipse, April 8, 2024 —

The path of this eclipse is through Austin, Texas. I have penciled in the date already. I am driving down for the event.

I witnessed my first solar eclipse — and diamond ring — in 2017 —

On August 21, 2017, hubby and I were driving through Oregon. We stopped at a viewing point in the path of the eclipse, near the city of Lime.

We got to the location early — or so we thought. But a thousand cars were waiting there already. We were lucky to find parking.

People came equipped with eclipse glasses, telescopes, and cameras. They also brought picnic chairs, tables, and coolers full of food and beverages. Hubby and I munched on chips and trail mix washed down with soda. We chatted with our fellow picnickers in the neighboring cars.

There were enthusiasts from all over America and Canada. An astronomer — in the car next to ours — had driven up from Florida. He told us he had never missed a total solar eclipse.

We watched the eclipse unfold. Watched the moon gain ascendancy while the mid-morning light darkened and took on a purplish hue. We burst into applause when the moon obscured the sun excepting for the blazing corona. We raised our beverage glasses and beer bottles.

And when the sun sparked out from behind the moon’s shadow with its characteristic diamond ring effect, an involuntary sound — somewhere between a sigh and a gasp — ran through the spectators.

“That was just… just beautiful,” the astronomer said after the eclipse had ended. Tears filled his eyes.

I confess I had a lump in my throat as well.

Hopefully, I will get to view another cosmological diamond ring in six months. And when that happens, lunch can take care of itself. I am ordering takeout or just fasting. This time, I am not budging from the patio.

Can’t hardly wait!

Thanks for visiting! 🌻🌼

Do check out this must-read parenting story by Olivia Love

And this story by Krista Bennett that, as a writer, I found super interesting:

Sahil Patel, a big Thank You for publishing my story! Really appreciate. 🌷