Friday, April 5, 2013

UBC 5 - AtoZ - Eclipse

Day 5  of the Ultimate Blogging Challenge and the letter E for the  AtoZ Blogging Challenge


E is for  ... Eclipse


I had this post written and ready with something else but Eclipse kept nagging at me for the last 3 days so I will have to go with that.

Not sure why eclipse kept dancing in front of me as I had written about it on my other blog Photos are Fun last November. But as it is persistent, with Eclipse I shall go.

On Wednesday 14 November 2012 the Solar Eclipse was seen over Australia and New Zealand.

Unfortunately we didn't have the right glasses to see it in action, but we watched it over the internet and I took some photos from inside.

It was quite eerie to see everything turn so dark. The eclipse was only at 76%  at its peak in Wellington. I can't imagine how dark it must have got where it was 100%.

There was of course no sign of the birds as well and it was very still. It felt very strange.

In Hindu mythology, Rahu, one of the navagrahas (nine influencers on the planet earth - some of which are planets like Jupiter, Mars etc) swallows the sun causing eclipses. The influence of Rahu is considered inauspicious. Hence a solar eclipse is considered inauspicious.

Personally, I felt really uncomfortable and longed for the sun to be visible again. It felt very unnatural and imbalanced.

In the old days, I can imagine how frightened people would've been for it to suddenly turn so dark during the day.

So here it is - my experience of the solar eclipse via the changing light inside my kitchen.

1 = approx 10:37am - Eclipse hits its peak in Wellington at 76%
2 = 10:59am - starting to get brighter
3 = 11:43am
4 = 11:59am - almost back to normal.





Would love to hear your eclipse stories.

Here's an interesting titbit I heard on the National Geographic Channel - Approximately every 18 months a total solar eclipse occurs somewhere and lasts upto a maximum of 8 minutes. (well this one lasted well over 8 mins).


I am grateful for the sun - it brings warmth, comfort, light and joy.

I hope the sun is shining where you are. Enjoy the sunshine.

Warm Regards
Photobucket

66 comments:

  1. A total eclipse can be so eerie, Suzy. Great pictures you've got there.
    It's only in Mumbai that I see people going around the streets begging for castoffs on the eclipse day and I see people throwing clothes down to them. I can't fathom what it's all about but there cries alone make me feel quite lousy.

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    1. Thanks Corinne - I think by giving daan (in this case clothes) it lessons the bad effects of an eclipse - yeah right! But as you know in India traditions go on for eras!

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  2. Such a good point that an eclipse can be scary if it happens unexpectedly. Especially back when there was no electricity. And your pictures do, indeed, make it seem rather eerie!

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    1. Thanks Jeanine. It was quite creepy. Thanks for visiting.

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  3. Very interesting way to capture the eclipse! And great word choice for E. I remember staying up all night when I was a senior in high school to see a lunar eclipse. It was cool.

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    1. Thanks Talya - I did want to capture it somehow and this was the best way I could think of. Oh wow a lunar eclipse must be something to see - will have to look out for the next one!

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  4. WOWWWWW! I really want to witness a full solar eclipse one day.... lets see! And thank God your post did not feature human-obsessed vampires (i was worried for a moment!)

    Cheers
    Meera

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    1. Oh lol Meera - vampires are definitely not my thing. The eclipse was eerie enough.

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  5. Came back to add that Pink Floyd's Eclipse is one of my all time faves.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlHRSpFGtQk

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  6. Love the eclipse pictures. I've watched partial ones with my son, but don't recall ever seeing a full one. Favorite eclipse would have to be Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart." Crank that radio dial every time!

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    1. Thanks Amy. Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse of the Heart is a great song.

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  7. I have witnessed total solar eclipse too. It IS eerie the way it gets dark in the middle of the day. Your photos really tell the story!
    Actually the sun is shining rather too brightly where I am and I am hoping the clouds would come in and it would rain. :)

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    1. Thanks Shail. I hope your wish comes true!

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  8. Your post and pics reminded me of a line I love by, "This too shall pass". It was amazing to see the different stages of darkness and light as you shot them. And you realize nothing is permanent.

    Eclipses have always been a cause of concern, but then again, everything completely unknown always is.

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    1. So true Blogwati Gee - the unknown is always a little scary. This too shall pass is one of my favourite mantras - helps get me through the difficult times.

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  9. It's fun how all the birds and other animals also get confused! Great timeline photos of the light and dark of your house!

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  10. That sure was eerie , but it must have been THE MOMENT . Loved the pictures Suzie :)

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    1. Thanks Sridevi. It was a moment to remember even though it was eerie.

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  11. Hi Suzy. Thanks for stopping by my blog (D is for Delhi). I agree with your thoughts...I do believe that my experience might have been better if I had more money to spend...and my experience was in 1989. I know that many things have changed in India since then. I read a book several years ago about a woman who had been to India in her early 20s and had not enjoyed it, and then she returned and loved it. I actually have many positive memories of India (my husband proposed to me in Udaipur), but I found it to be difficult to adjust to when I first arrived.

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    1. Hi Marie, thanks for dropping by and commenting. I hope someday you will visit India again and find it a pleasant experience. I haven't been to Udaipur but it is in my list of places to see.

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  12. Awesome pics of house instead of the regular moon / sun pics we see during eclipses. Somehow I have always been fascinated by them. I remember trying to get a sight of it when my mom and grans wanted us not to look at the sun during an eclipse. It comes here with a lot of superstitions as well and many donate old clothes to the poor.

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    1. Thanks Anuradha. Yep, a lot of superstition with the eclipse.

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  13. I have experienced a total eclipse just one and it was eerie and a tad uncomfortable !

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    1. Hi Ruchira - yes it was uncomfortable. Something just not natural about it.

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  14. Lovely pictorial depicting the eclipse - I always had a stigma attached to it as well, owing to the 'stories' that surrounded eclipses. Wishing you sunshine :)
    Laxmi

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    1. Thanks Laxmi - there's always a story behind each superstition. Might have to do some searching.

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  15. Lovely
    Eclipse as a word hit me too but couldn't write much as I was a kid then
    Good to see ur pics and read ur exp
    I personally enjoyed eclipse it was in 99 or Some year
    Forgot
    We had only partial . I loved where it fully occurred and there was diamond ring or Coronna if I m right
    Those sights were prettying saw eclipse using a negative film
    Nothing happened to my eyes ;)

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    1. Thanks Afshan. Yes they say we have to shield eyes - I think it's the UV thing.

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  16. I have never experienced a total eclipse! But liked your idea of posting pics of your room to give an idea about it! Good one! :)

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  17. There was a lunar eclipse here (in 2011 I think) and the moon actually turned into a red ball - I forget why, something to do with reflection from somewhere. Anyway I sat out in the garden all night to see it - it was awesome and I got a few mosquito bites to remember it by!

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    1. Hi Isobel - yes the moon turns red during a total lunar eclipse. That must be quite awesome to watch. Thanks for visiting.

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  18. I think seeing a total eclipse would be fun. I remember when Mount St. Helens erupted, sending ash across Washington State. The ash obscured the sun for hours! We put a flashlight up to the window and you could not even see the beam of light, there was so much ash. What an experience that was.

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    1. Hi Arla, oh wow that must've been quite unnerving. thanks for sharing.

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  19. Wow! Suzy, that was like dawn giving way to bright daylight. What a sight it must have been. Nice pictures. I don't remember seeing a total eclipse.

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    1. Thanks Cynthia - yep, you summed it up nicely.

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  20. Those set of four pics do all the talking ;)

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    1. Thanks Meena. Pictures do speak a thousand words!

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  21. There's a lot of superstition revolving around Eclipse. No doubt that the rays are harmful....When I was pregnant with my first child, there was a total eclipse. And I was shut in a room, the windows shut and drapes pulled...extra drapes on top of them so they could block an errant ray! My mom came into the room to describe "the diamond ring" they saw live on TV...which I would have loved to too.

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    1. Hi Janu - same ritual at my place - curtains closed, food covered etc. While we think of it as superstition, there must be something behind it - will have to research the old Hindu Vedas for more explanation.

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  22. Amazing!! Love the pictures. It reminded me of the solar eclipse which was the setting for Stephen King's book " Delores Clairbourne".

    Kathy
    http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks Kathy. Glad you liked it. Haven't read the book - will check it out.

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  23. I've never seen a total eclipse. There was an almost total one here about 12 years ago, but it was cloudy so we couldn't even se the sun, and it didn't really get much darker than it was already! I have seen a few lunar eclipses though.

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    1. Hi Paula - same here, usually so cloudy that most times when they do occur you can't see anything anyway.

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  24. >It was quite eerie to see everything turn so dark
    Oh yes, feels like the Hollywood sci-fi movies finally coming true. Eerie!

    When I was a kid, I was more concerned about what causes it and all the technicalities(because they would ask in school next day, brownie points :P), but these days I just feel glad that something is bringing people together, that feels good, all gathering around in the colony park to watch it, nice communal feeling :)

    Creative eclipse pictures and a nice post Suzy!

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    1. Thanks Nandana. Yes, it was just about Hollywood sci-fi movies in real time action.

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  25. Beautiful and eerie. .. both at the same time. Loved your pictures. How very mystic mother nature is.

    Loved your eclipse post.

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    1. Thanks Preetilata. The Universe is mystical - so true.

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  26. Great photos of the eclipse. We usually see a video of the solar eclipse after it has happened as we have the tradition of not coming out of the house or looking directly at the sun, followed by a bath to rid oneself of the ill effects. :D Then, a visit to the temple. Also, one is forbidden from eating during the eclipse. I just rebelled and did not do all this the last time.

    I am grateful to the sun, too!

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    1. Thanks Vidya - we follow the same tradition too. But watching it from inside was just as fascinating.

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  27. Hey Suzy, The pictures were spooky! But, I think it's great you were able to capture them. I have missed most of the eclipses that happened here (United States in the Pacific Northwest). As a child I remember one was approaching and I was afraid of them, because I was told you could harm your eyes. One day I'll look out for them-you have me curious.

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    1. Thanks Stephanie - I do believe that they are harmful to the eyes. But experiencing it inside the house was just as exciting albeit a little strange and unnerving.

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  28. I remember one I saw in Italy a few years back. It was really weird--even my very brave dog (not) hid under the table because it freaked him out. Thank you for giving me the idea of watching it on Internet. I hadn't thought of that. Dang! Oh well, next time I guess. :3

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    1. Hi Mary, animals have some kind of sixth sense that we don't. They are certainly unnerved during strange cosmic occurances. Watching on the internet was also quite interesting - good enough for me! Thanks for visiting my blog. :)

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  29. I remember a solar eclipse in high school. We were told and told again not to look directly at it. Bummer.

    http://joycelansky.blogspot.com

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    1. Hi Joyce. My family was very strict about eclipses - stay indoors, curtains pulled, food covered etc.

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  30. I remember one almost full peak solar eclipse in 1992 or 1993. It was rather cool to see it get so dark in the middle of the day--but then--it does that here if a good storm blows in...so that part wasn't entirely new. I watched it with glasses on and thought it was the neatest phenomenon ever!

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    1. Hi Jenn, it was a good experience even though it felt very strange.

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  31. The eclipse is very mysterious! The wonders of nature is amazing! Thanks for sharing your eclipse story and photos.

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    1. Thanks Linda. So true - nature is amazing.

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  32. I haven't experienced a total eclipse but could see from your pictures how dark and disturbing it must have been.

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    1. Hi Sulekha - it made me quite uncomfortable.

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  33. I've been fortunate enough to see two total solar eclipses. I had to travel to see both - one, several hundred miles - the other, over a thousand miles from Kansas to Oregon. I can not describe it except to say...right before totality, it gets so still, and then a breeze starts to blow...you can feel the temperature drop and that two or three minutes is like nothing else you will ever experience. Words fail me. It is intense and it is scary but also can be quite the spiritual experience- yes, I saw the diamond ring, too. I hope I can see another eclipse before I die.

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    1. Hi Bookworm. Thanks for sharing your experience. Oh how awesome to see that diamond ring. It did get very still - it felt quite eerie.

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