Seven years ago, in eastern Tennessee, I got to experience firsthand the words of the noted British astronomer Roger Waters, "Everything under the sun is in tune, but the sun is eclipsed by the moon", from the Pink Floyd song Eclipse. Today, in French Lick, Indiana, I got to repeat that experience. I even got to use the same protective glasses that a fellow eclipse-watcher gave me back then in 2017. As with that earlier eclipse, this one involved the sun appearing to be "turned down" while still casting distinct shadows during that last minute or so before totality began, with sunlight gradually returning to normal brightness afterwards. Also as with the 2017 eclipse, the weather was nice.
The place where I'm staying extends to the top of a hill, where a gathering was held for the eclipse. Someone in the crowd who knows his astronomy well called out various times before the moon completely covered the sun. Looking eastward, the hilltop was shared with a golf course hole, I believe, to the right.
In another direction is a water tank.
As I had done in 2017, I took a pic of the solar corona, and once again my camera was not able to focus on it. I could still tell that its shape was different than before. Although it doesn't turn up in this photo, I thought I saw a small red area near the bottom of the sun. Did I see a solar prominence?
When light from the sun during partial eclipse passes through the spaces between leaves on trees, it produces crescent-shaped areas of light on the ground or walkway underneath. Did I catch any here?
Unlike what happened in 2017, I'll be staying in the area for a few more days, which will allow me to avoid the "day after" traffic jam. Stay tuned for whatever else I can present while I'm still here.
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