I am an astronomy nerd junky. Have been all my life. I can tell you the diameters, compositions, and orbital periods and rotational speeds of all nine planets. Yes, Pluto/Charon is a planet. End of argument. I can name the major moons, and some minor ones of all the planets. I even had my own observatory on the farm, when I was a kid.
I have a nifty app on my phone called Daff Moon Phase that allows me to track all sorts of celestial goings-on, both backwards and forwards in time. I can tell you every eclipse that ever was or will be by dialling it in.
The first recorded instance of someone predicting a solar eclipse was on May 28, 585 BC, by (of course) a Greek mathematician named Thales. For a long time, this ability was locked up in Sacred Geometry that was only taught to initiates in various secret organizations.
It’s really not hard to predict eclipses, if you have accurate measurements of the Moon’s orbit. The Moon’s orbit is inclined 5.14 degrees relative to Earth’s equator. This means that the Moon crosses the equator at two points, called the nodes, that are 180 degrees apart. The nodes precess (move counterclockwise) around the equator in a predictable pattern of 3.8 degrees per year, or 18.6 years for a full cycle. If the Moon is at the node at precisely the moment the node lines up with the Sun-Earth line, we get a total eclipse, and any other time we see a partial eclipse. If there is a solar eclipse, which happens between 2 and 5 times a year, then two weeks later there will be a lunar eclipse. You are now an expert, and can win friends and influence your uncle with your astronomical wizardry.
That said, observing the madness surrounding the 8 April 2024 eclipse is rather amusing, if not perplexing. Some of the things I’ve heard related to this event are positively superstitious. The messages Mrs. FarSide forwards from her church group are…well, laughable — photons stopping (?), Heavenly judgement, choirs of angels, people floating up into the sky. Seriously? With all our societal progress and learning and technology, folks are still spooked by eclipses?
Now I’ve experienced only one total eclipse in my lifetime, back on July 10, 1972. It is admittedly a unique experience, with a view one never forgets. Perhaps it’s the scale, or the tangible effect of objects that normally seem remote and even imaginary in some ways. It is an awesome feeling to see the shadow of a celestial object pass over your head, one that puts a lot of perspective on a lot of life’s mundane cares.
But Raptures and photons stopping?
Normally, these kinds of events happen in remote places — over oceans or sparsely habited regions. So, for a total eclipse to cross the entire North American continent with as much as 4 minutes of totality is exceedingly rare, and if you have the chance, you must experience it.
For that reason, I can see government agencies recommending stockpiling and activating the National Guard. I imagine the gawker traffic will be fearsome. I witnessed the Great Jam of 2005, in Houston just before Hurricane Rita. There was a line of cars stretching 250 miles to San Antonio. That, too, was an awesome sight, and I use “awesome” in it’s truest sense.
Interestingly, here in Indonesia, we are preparing for Eid al-Fitr, the massive holiday at the end of Ramadhan. You can think of this holiday as Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, and Easter all rolled into one.
Under normal circumstances, millions of Indonesians go back to their home towns for a few days of celebratory feasting in an event called mudik (exodus). This year is the first time the government has graciously relented and allowed folks to travel since the Frankenflu incident, and we are expecting up to 200 million (of a total population of 300 million) folks to be on the move. In addition, the normal 3-day holiday is extended by edict to 10 days, so I expect the entire nation to be closed for business for roughly the month of April.
Under mudik conditions, a normal 2-hour drive can take well over 12, and this year maybe more. Businesses across the country will be closed, making the purchase of daily items difficult if not impossible. So stocking up is just a fact of life this time of year. The government routinely deploys the military to ensure things run smoothly, and with an exponentially expanded event, it’s probably not unwise.
Now, cut to a once-in-a-lifetime event like the upcoming eclipse, in another country of roughly 300 million, if you count the uncountables, on the opposite side of the planet (the, ahem, Far Side), then prudence dictates taking certain precautions to ride out the maelstrom of literal lunacy.
Beyond that, I don’t put a lot of stock in the various political and religious superstitions surrounding the event. Based on my experiences in various parts of the world, mass human migrations can take a toll of regional supplies of food, water and patience. If you are driving to see the eclipse, be sure to have a can of gas and plenty of food and water. Stores will likely be picked clean along the path of totality. If you are driving an EV, there is no hope for you and you should immediately Darwin yourself out of the gene pool.
Oh, just one more thing (using my best Columbo voice). There is a weird effect that occurs during solar eclipses called the Allais Effect. You’ll need a good sized pendulum — say a plumb bob on a string about 3 meters long. Set it to swinging just before the eclipse starts.
Under normal circumstances, it will never swing higher than the initial arc, and it will normally precess (counterclockwise) slowly around a circle in the Northern Hemisphere, due to Earth’s rotation. BUT…during an eclipse, Newton’s laws of motion, gravity and conservation of energy go right out the window. You will see the pendulum change it’s swing arc, move in the wrong direction, and/or speed up or slow down. This defies all known laws of physics, and you have the chance to witness it on 8 April.
As for me, if I somehow manage to live until August 2, 2045, and I (gods forbid) still live in Jakarta, I will have my second chance to see a total solar eclipse. If you have the chance to witness the upcoming event, know that I really dislike you and hope all your children are born hairless. It is worth the effort.
Be sure to want to watch Richard Donner’s entertaining “romcomdram” Ladyhawke, to get in the mood, and put Soundgarden’s Black Hole Sun on blast during the event.
Just beware of the lunatics.
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I witnessed the total eclipse at the age of 17 and what was far more fascinating to me than the actual phenomena in the heavens was the effect it had on the wildlife around me. Crows typically gathered at dusk behind the house in the treetops to prepare for their flight acorss the bay to the island for their nighttime roost. On this day they performed the same ritual at mid day. Once the eclipse was finished, they came back sqawking up a storm and "talked " all afternoon.
Did not know about that pendulum effect ! I imagine if a full eclipse happened in this part of the world people would be outside banging pots and pans, or possibly racing up and down the streets dragging corrugated roof panels behind their motorcycles as they do on New Year's. The local governments would probably need some special funding from Congress for who knows what purpose, and they would distribute sacks of rice for who knows what reason.
Meanwhile, the farmers and fishermen would just carry on. They might take a 10 minute break for a smoke.