Sheridan Williams
Travelling to see a total solar eclipse is high on the list of must-see-before-I-die experiences. So much so, that literally hundreds of thousands of people flock to see each one, regardless of where they occur – and they occur in some very strange and interesting places. This year’s eclipse starts in the northern wastes of Canada, crosses the Arctic, and then into Russia, Siberia and the Gobi desert in China.
A total solar eclipse is the most moving experience on earth for many of those who witness one. While some feel unrestrained joy at the sight of totality, others feel an equally powerful sense of desolation, as was told by such as an observer in England in 1927:
‘It was as if the whole Earth were smitten with a mortal sickness – It was all inexpressibly sad and utterly desolate, and when the small golden crescent appeared again behind the Moon, I involuntarily uttered the words, "Thank God for the Sun".’
No-one can really explain why a total eclipse of the sun has the power to unleash such varied emotions, leaving us so momentously disorientated. After all, the movements of the earth, moon and sun have been predictable for thousands of years. Yet they still overwhelm us.
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