Eclipse Day

 Today is the 2nd day of the 15th week, the 8th day of the 4th month, the 99th day of 2024, and:

  • Buddha Day - his historical birth date, also known as Hana Matsuri [Flower Festival]
  • DARE Day - since 2010
  • Dog Farting Awareness Day
  • Draw a Picture of a Bird Day
  • International Feng Shui Awareness Day
  • International Romani [or Roma] Day
  • National All is Ours Day
  • National Dog Fighting Awareness Day
  • National Empanada Day 
  • Right to Read Day
  • Step Into the Spotlight Day
  • Trading Cards for Grownups Day
  • Zoo Lovers Day
  • new moon at 02:53 EDT - so all we will actually be able to see of the moon is its shadow blocking the sun
  • And Voyager I is 15,126,623,773 mi/24,343,948,738 km/162.72924625 AU from Earth

Quote of the day:
"There is no science in this world like physics. Nothing comes close to the precision with which physics enables you to understand the world around you. It's the laws of physics that allow us to say exactly what time the sun is going to rise. What time the eclipse is going to begin. What time the eclipse is going to end."
~  Neil deGrasse Tyson


So, you might've heard about the astronomical phenomena that has taken ahold of the the news hereabouts....

Never mind that eclipses happen all the time, this one is across a swath of a very populated area in North America and lots of folks are actually in the path of totality.  It is a once in a lifetime viewing opportunity.

IF you could travel or live in that area.  A year ago, figuring it would be a fun birthday present to myself, I tried to make reservations in Pennsylvania and every place for 50 miles around the path was completely booked up.

Hereabouts it will be at 87%

IF the clouds don't block it  

I have glasses and might go outside and see if I can see anything, but given the cloud cover, just watching online with NASA is a much safer bet for most of us.    

Now, in this day and age, we have a great deal of science that explains why the sun will be obscured.  But that hasn't actually stopped or slowed down conspiracy theories and doom sayers!  A few of my favorites:

There will be a massive human sacrifice - apparently caused by the eclipse triggering an earthquake along the New Madrid Fault Line - as reported by The Washington Post 

A group of "elites"  [or maybe it is Masonic ritualists, I'm not sure] will be using the eclipse to impose marital law, or maybe to deploy balloons full of poisonous gas, reports Wired

Apparently the fact that the eclipse travels west to east proves the Flat Earth Theory somehow, notes Yahoo News.  Granted I don't understand the physics explanation of why that happens either, but I'm pretty sure the Earth remains round... 

And no, CERN is not going to open a portal or gateway or black hole, The USA Today assures us. 

It is a fact, however, that this solar eclipse does happen to occur during Mercury retrograde, a cycle that started on April 2nd [right on my birthday], and since communication is always a concern during that cycle, cell communications are supposedly going to be disrupted, which apparently has more to do with lots of people calling each other or sharing pictures and posting online all at the same time then the sun or moon.    

And apparently a 41 year old song is suddenly very popular again


Not a bad day for a Monday!

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