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What on Earth?
Written By: William McReynolds | Issue: April 2024
This month features the shadow dance between the Sun and the Moon.
Total eclipse from Western North Carolina, 2017
Big doings this month. Beginning with a solar eclipse!
On April 8, the moon will pass between the Earth and Sun resulting in a solar eclipse across North America. The “path of totality” of the Moon’s umbra shadow is narrow, beginning in Texas and proceeding diagonally up to Arkansas, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Maine. This path is west of us in Western North Carolina but close enough that we should have about an 80 percent eclipse. Worth the gander. Expect a crescent sun.
The eclipse here will be a two-hour event starting around 2:00 P.M., the four-minute peak coming around 3:00 P.M. Wear protective glasses, inexpensive eclipse lenses or solar viewers. Looking at the sun without protection could damage your retina. An early psychologist ruined his vision staring at the sun to study visual afterimages. The safest place to see the eclipse might be at one of the live cams online.
Imagine the stir that has come historically from solar eclipses: tales and superstitions, mostly ill omens. The oldest, dating back to the Egyptians, is that an eclipse portends the death of the king. The Egyptians were fairly accurate in predicting eclipses and would enthrone a temporary king to incur that fate. King Henry l did in fact die after a solar eclipse. Kepler and Halley worked out the planetary science of eclipses.
Highlands total eclipse solar viewers, 2017
This astronomical event is not all that is going on this month. There’s April foolery on the 1st. Most “fools” are victims of trust and innocence – precious and dear. April 1 also hosts the iHeartRadio Music Awards and that’s no joke but a leading edge of popular music.
Wednesday the 3rd is National Walking Day. We have great walking and hiking trails around us. The 4th is National Burrito Day and the 5th is Deep Dish Pizza Day. Monday, April 15 is World Art Day and Leonardo da Vinci’s birthday.
This is also tax day. File your tax returns and celebrate by going to an art exhibit. Beauty heals.
April 22 is Earth Day, Mother Earth. Love your Mother.
The 26th is Arbor Day. Hug a tree, then plant one.
April ends with music and dance. The 29th is both Duke Ellington Day and International Dance Day. The 30th is International Jazz Day. Sing, dance and Jazz up your life this month.
Happy April from the Laurel magazine.
