Yesterday was the total solar eclipse here in the United States. Where I live, there won’t be another one in pretty much anyone’s lifetime. I would have to travel to see one again.

If you aren’t familiar, there are two types of eclipses: solar and lunar. There are a couple of differences between them. Both are caused by an object blocking the sun. In a lunar eclipse, the Earth is in between the sun and the moon. The moon reflects the light of the sun, so when the Earth is in between the two, the moon can’t be seen overly well. A solar eclipse is where the moon comes in between the sun and the Earth. The other key difference is that a lunar eclipse can be seen anywhere that is already night. A solar eclipse, on the other hand, can really only be seen in certain areas. While both occur decently often, solar eclipses especially tends to occur over the ocean or near the poles, meaning very few people get to see them.

There are also types of solar eclipses. The moon may not cover all the sun. The moon may be too close or too far away to block out the sun. There are so many factors that influence an eclipse.

Because the Earth is both spinning to give us the days and rotating around the sun and the moon is also spinning around the Earth, eclipses don’t last long. The longest ever recorded in totality was 7 minutes, 28 seconds. The one yesterday averaged around 4 minutes in totality.

It was so fascinating to watch how the world responded to the eclipse, and I’m not talking about people’s responses. The birds and insects stopped and rested. Up until totality, the shadows got longer. The world got darker while the sun continued to be bright. Once we hit totality, my part of the world became twilight at 3 in the afternoon. I was most surprised by how cold it was outside. It takes about 8 minutes for sunlight to reach the Earth, so I didn’t really expect the temperature to drop as much as it did. In just a few minutes, it went from being a nice day to almost needing a jacket. After totality had ended, it took about 15-20 minutes to warm back up to the temperature before the eclipse.

The lack of sun can throw off nature as well. Many animals use the sun as a compass or an orientation. Bees can return to their hives. Depending on time of year, fireflies may appear. Owls may hoot, and other nocturnal animals may appear for a little bit. The wind slows down, and electricity may have some issues working. This morning as I left for work, it was extremely steamy, as if there had been a thunderstorm. This is also due to the eclipse. There are so many things that the sun controls and guides. Witnessing some of these things firsthand yesterday was absolutely incredible.

Eclipses can also be a big deal culturally. I saw a post on Facebook that an eclipse is a time of prayer for the Navajo so they cannot look at the moon. Some other cultures perceive the eclipse as a bad omen. And still others use it as a time for renewal and recharge.

Regardless of whatever you believe about the solar eclipse, experiencing it yesterday was amazing. My neighborhood was only a few miles off the center line of totality. We sat in our backyard to watch it. My neighbors sat in their hot tub. The house next door to them had people sitting on the roof to observe the eclipse. It was cool to track the progress of the moon with the eclipse glasses before we reached totality. Even though the sun was still bright and blinding without the glasses, once you put the glasses on, the sun became much dimmer and you could clearly see the moon as it passed across the path of the sun. It was not like a normal day transitioning to night. In a normal day, everything turns golden right before the sun sets. Because the sun was still high in the sky, everything turned paler, like the world was being bleached of color. Once we hit totality, the glasses came off, and the sky was purple and black. There were a couple of planets or stars visible during totality. At the bottom of the eclipse yesterday, there were some red dots. I found out later that those were solar flares. So not only did I get to see a solar eclipse, but I was also able to see solar flares with my own eyes. I was absolutely amazed as I witnessed this once-in-a-lifetime event. Whether you believe in a deity or just marvel at the wonder of nature, I think we can all agree that the eclipse was a wondrous and special event.

I hope that you get to witness a total solar eclipse at some point in your life, especially if you didn’t see the one yesterday. I have seen some cool phenomena in my life, both natural and manmade. I have seen fireworks from an airplane, watched a sunrise over the beach and ocean, and have seen a shooting star. A solar eclipse now gets to be included on the list, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to have witnessed it.