A syzygy ((“Syzygy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/syzygy. Accessed 24 Oct. 2023.)) is any three celestial bodies of a single gravitational system arranged in a line. If one of those bodies is light emitting like the Sun, if the middle one is the Moon, and is the third one is the Earth, the result is a solar eclipse. Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy all eclipses, but solar ones are special. Why? Because we can see all three bodies: The Earth at our feet, the Moon by its blocking out of the Sun, and the Sun. When I think about it, solar eclipses are as much about the Moon as they are about the Sun.
A solar eclipse occurred locally on the morning of 14 October 2023 when the Moon was farther away than average from our planet. The smaller apparent size of the Moon could not quite cover the entire Sun. The result was an annular eclipse defined as a ring of exposed light remaining around the edge of the Sun. That annularity, as it is called, lasted 4.5 minutes from our location in Richfield, Utah. Here are some scenes from our eclipse party in that central Utah city:
Sun before Eclipse against Clouds
There are two sunspot groups visible, one near the center and the other in the lower left quadrant. Weirdly, the spots seem to be on the clouds rather than on the Sun. (You will have to look close to see the spots.)
Seth Jarvis, Noted Science Educator
The retired director of the Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake City is ready to enjoy the show.
Mother and Son Hugging
If I see a mother and son embracing and I have a camera, there is going to be a photo. Mother is Susan Jarvis and son is Peter Campbell. Both are wonderful artists whose pieces were featured in the Loge Gallery at the Pioneer Theater earlier this month.
First Contact
I find this moment the most exciting of a solar eclipse because the hiding Moon suddenly reveals itself at the exact minute predicted.
An odd sensation, which I had experienced at a previous annular eclipse, is dimensionality. I sense not only intellectually but also emotionally the very distant Sun and the very near Moon. One of my brothers is the only other person who has reported this sense of dimensionality. If you have, please leave a comment.
An Eclipse Party Broke Out
I did not know the three people on the left, but once the eclipse began we were all friends. Susan Jarvis at the binoculars; Carol (retired associate director of the Clark Planetarium and my spouse) in the hat behind Susan; and Seth Jarvis, seated, complete the group.
Michael DeCaria (Author)
(Photo courtesy of Susan Jarvis)
Fifty-four Minutes after First Contact
I remind myself that the black bite out of the Sun is the Moon. If you look closely, you can see the outline of lunar features on the lower right edge of the Moon. The Moon is not a smooth ball.
Sixty Minutes after First Contact
The Moon has now hidden that one sunspot that was visible in the previous picture.
Sixty-seven Minutes after First Contact
Even the little sliver of Sun overwhelms the camera sensor. But you can see the almost eclipsed Sun in the green lens reflection above and slightly to the left of the Sun.
Endnote
Because I stopped taking pictures here, I have no photos of the annularity or “ring of fire.” Instead, I enjoyed the 4.5 minutes of annularity by looking through a #13 welding glass. Sometimes I put the glass aside and simply looked at the scenery and other parts of the sky while I pushed any words out of my head.
Thank you, for visiting thecosmos.blog,
Sincerely,
Michael DeCaria
Making visible what, without you, might perhaps never have been seen -Robert Bresson