Countdown To Totality

You had to have heard by now that a big swath of the country will be in the path of totality during the April 8th solar eclipse, including some locations in the Ark-La-Tex. The last time we were treated to this celestial spectacle was August 21, 2017.   The wife and I made a journey to Marshall, Mo. that year to experience the total envelopment of sunlight behind the moon for a little over two minutes, and despite some high cloud cover, it was still an unforgettable, remarkable, soul-stirring (insert awe-struck adjective of your choice) event.  We decided then that we’d plan to see the next, if we were still around, in 2024.  Well, here we are, and here it comes!  Now if you looked-up last October, you might have caught a glimpse of an Annual eclipse…a much smaller shadow as the Moon traverses the Sun, but still pretty cool.  I promise, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.  That was just the trailer, a cosmic tease.  The big show should be a must see on the 8th, especially since we are literally knocking on the back-door of totality here in Shreveport.

I acquired an affordable (read: cheesey) solar filer that can be used with both my DSLR and cell phone,  and set about practicing a few shots during a sunny afternoon last weekend.  The pic above represents my best image so far, but I’ll keep tweaking various settings and hopefully be able to take some memorable pics on the 8th.  Provided the weather is cooperative.  If not, no worries!  If you don’t get a picture, I can promise just the experience of being within those few minutes of totality will leave an indelible memory deep within.

The total eclipse of 2017 was the biggest news in Marshall, Mo. since the arrival of electricity…