JACKSON, WY - AUGUST 21: A woman views the solar eclipse in the first phase of a total eclipse in Grand Teton National Park on August 21, 2017 outside Jackson, Wyoming.
For science journalist and CBC radio host Bob McDonald, the journey to the path of totality is part of the adventure of being an eclipse-chaser.A woman views the solar eclipse in the first phase of a total eclipse in Wyoming in August 2017. Bob McDonald was also in Casper, Wyo., to view this 'powerful cosmic event' and enjoyed it so much he didn't take any photos. This First Person column is written by Bob McDonald, host of CBC Radio's Quirks & Quarks.
The tropical sun was hot. But as the moon began to pass in front of it, the temperature dropped to a comfortable level and the sky darkened to a deep cobalt blue. Totality arrived, transforming the sun into a silvery ring. Photographs just can't capture the beauty of the sun's corona, a wispy silvery glow with no definable edge, like the finest cat's fur.
In 1979, people in Winnipeg and Brandon, Man., were treated to the full spectacle, but I was in Red Lake, Ont., visiting schools as an instructor from the Ontario Science Centre. We were clouded out but even with the clouds, it was a unique experience as the day suddenly went dark for a few minutes, as though some kind of giant alien mother ship had passed overhead.
In 1983, I bought a ticket to Indonesia, where we had an observing site on a beautiful beach on the island of Jakarta. The U.S. was treated to an eclipse in 2017, so I travelled by motorcycle to Casper Wyo., for the event. The city held a three-day street festival with music, food, beer and vendors selling all kinds of memorabilia. This was the first eclipse event I'd attended with the general public rather than a bunch of science types. There was a party atmosphere ahead of time, but on the morning of eclipse day, everything went eerily quiet.
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