It’s great to see and read how moved eclipse viewers were by the direct sight of the moon blocking out the sun. This allegedly constituted an at least momentary realization of science, here and there.
Some of us, however, were extremely fortunate to see reflected on the Earth’s surface an infinite number of “moon smiles” projected onto every single point of sunlight that filtered through every tree and shrub, during perhaps a half hour before and after the eclipse, itself, as pervasive images of the moon’s relationship with the sun. I was not expecting this event, so I had a hard time believing how beautiful and moving it could be. Dazzling.
The breath of cool air that wafted through town should remind us of the inevitability of climate change, the Permian Extinction, and how Earth evolution got us to this precarious point. The Earth will endure even if we won’t, and the moon will, indeed, smile.
Ivan Weber
Salt Lake City