 |
| Theoretically, this is the ideal image people will see |
All those out-of-towners who are showing up in Southern Illinois in hopes of finding a spot where when the solar eclipse occurs, they’ll be able to see the scarce site of the Sun being totally blocked out by the Moon.
ADMITTEDLY,
THAT EVENT will only last for a few moments. The darkened sky will disappear
within minutes, and daylight will return to all of us on Monday.
If
it doesn’t, then of course we will have experienced a catastrophic event that
likely will wipe out all life in existence on this planet. We’ll have far
bigger concerns than whether the dark will go away.
Anyway,
I didn’t try to make the trip to the land known to the locals as Egypt –
largely because I think that trip is ridiculously long. Illinois is a much
larger state than people usually credit it for; some 500 miles north to south
and 350 miles east to west.
Consider
all the Chicago-area people who chose to attend college at the University of
Illinois and who think the trip to Urbana is one deep into the Land of Lincoln.
Then consider that drive isn’t even the half-way point to places like Carbondale
and Murphysboro.
IT’S
A DAY-long trip to get there, and a day-long event to drive back. And if you
think that flight somehow saves you time, a plane to St. Louis puts you about a
three-hour drive away from the optimum sites to see the darkened skies.
 |
| Did you buy? Or find a freebie pair? |
So
I’ll pass, although for what it’s worth, my father and step-mother are amongst
those people making the sojourn to Southern Illinois. They even managed to get
free pairs of the special dark-lensed glasses that you’re supposed to use to
protect your eyes when you look directly into the sun.
Yes,
it seems the Adler Planetarium made glasses available without charge – which probably
burns the toast, so to speak of those individuals who turned to Amazon.com and
shelled out as much as 12 bucks for a pair of cardboard shades that make them
look like Biff’s sidekick in the “Back to the Future” film.
Or
those people who turned to Wal-mart, which advertised on their website that the
normal price was $19.99, but that they were discounting them to $9.99 – and as
of Saturday were completely sold out.
 |
| Biff and his buddies |
MAYBE
PART OF the reason I’m not up for this excuse for a road trip is that I have to
confess to having been around for the last time that the moon blocked the view
of the sun back in 1979.
Yet
I honestly have only the vaguest recollections of that event having occurred. I
certainly don’t remember the sky suddenly darkening as though the Sun ceased to
exist!
I
honestly believe that many people who make the trip are going to be seriously
disappointed by what they see. I only hope they build in some time to their
extended weekend so they can check out some of the uniqueness of Southern
Illinois so as to make their drive there and back home worthwhile.
Personally,
I’m more inclined to think the unique sight could come from right here in
Chicago, where we’re not going to see a total eclipse – we’re at the wrong
angle so all we’re going to see is a partial one.
I’M
STILL TRYING to figure out if it’s worth my trying to take some image – since I’ll
be the first to admit to not being worth much as a photographer and that the “camera”
I’d be using is a cheap one that usually comes up with passable images on
occasions where there are optimal natural lighting conditions.
 |
| Watching the eclipse near where I-57 and 70 intersect? |
Yet
by its very definition, a total eclipse is going to block out all the light.
Which
is why I’m sure there will be many millions of people who will be sticking
their cell phones in the sky hoping to capture an image that will wind up being
blurred and unidentifiable.
Kind
of like all those “selfies” that get taken of people supposedly with a
celebrity – only the thumb conveniently covers up the prime spot that would
have been interesting.
-30-
No comments:
Post a Comment