TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE!

Total Solar Eclipse, Columbia, SC, USA.
The bright star in the upper left corner is the planet Venus.

Greetings and Salutations my fellow travelers!

Today was perhaps one of the most amazing moments of my adult life as I traveled to Columbia, South Carolina, into the path of the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse. 

Truly the sight of Luna completely covering the brightest star in our sky, and the sight of the sun's corona around the dark new moon, is without question one of the most awe-inspiring sights in astronomy. 

I set up my camera on the south lawn of the Statehouse grounds -- a place I hadn't been since my previous visit back in May -- and waited patiently along with several hundred folks who had traveled to the direct path of the totality of the eclipse. 

This marked the first Total Solar Eclipse to cross the United States of America since 1979. 

I set up my Sony DSC-H300 Cyber-shot and tripod, improvising a makeshift solar filter using the lens of a spare pair of eclipse glasses I purchased for the event (in order to prevent damage to the camera) and took several shots of the moon going into phase between around 1:30 PM until 2:40 PM when the last thin line of sunlight was visible through the glasses. 

The full Total Solar Eclipse reached South Carolina at precisely 2:41 PM EST. The sky got darker and the nearly 98F late August temperatures dropped over 10 degrees just as Luna completely covered the sun. All around people whooped and cheered. 

Contrary to what some believe, you can view the sun with no eye protection during the totality, when the moon covers the sun completely. But you need eye protection or an indirect viewing system for the partial phases

I removed my eclipse glasses once the dangerous sunlight was blocked out and stood in awe of the impressive black sun and blue-white corona in a Southern sky that looked close to twilight. A few large stars became visible for the 2:45 seconds of the total eclipse. 

Folks, the feeling that I got from watching that moment was a mixture of utter awe and humility. 

Consider folks how old this Earth of ours is, not to mention the moon. Once it was much closer to this planet, and has since moved away over the billions of years of rotations. We humans live on this planet at just the right time when the moon is positioned so far away, yet still close enough relatively that the moon can perfectly cover the full sun and leave the lovely corona visible, if only ever-so briefly. Folks, if that isn't proof of an intelligent design in this universe of ours, I could not tell you what is. 

Those of us in South Carolina this afternoon who were there to see it, and blessed by God above with clear skies for the occasion, were truly fortunate indeed. 

The following are the photos I took from the event. You will not that I didn't label every single frame of the transition towards the eclipse, though I was able to give an exact time for the two pictures (both the close-up and wide angle shot) of the Full Total Eclipse itself. I will tell you though than no photo can possibly do the actual sight of the event with your own eyes any justice.

Invasion of the sun-worshipers, LOL!

Well folks, I hope that y'all enjoyed this once in a lifetime event as much as I did. It was my pleasure to bring it to y'all. Keep looking to the skies folks, and y'all come back now, ya hear?