Astronomy

Today (March 20, 2022) at 8:33AM Pacific Time, the Earth passed the second cardinal point in its orbit - exactly 1/4 of its journey around the Sun. This is meaningful astronomically because it is the exact moment at which the Earth's tilt is neither towards nor away from the Sun. Consequently, both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres receive exactly the same amount of light and the Sun appears to be directly overhead at the Equator. Hence, the term "equinox" - or "equal day/night".

Today, we mark the winter solstice - the longest day in the Southern Hemisphere and the shortest in the Northern. This year, the precise moment at which the earth passes this fourth cardinal point in its orbit will be 2:25pm PST. Those souls living in Antarctica right now are enjoying a sun that never sets, while those above the Arctic Circle won’t see the sun at all today. Around the world, ancient “observatories” such as Stonehenge mark today with a unique alignment of stones which direct sunlight to a spot visited only on this day each year.

Many of you were aware of (and even witnessed) the unusually-large full moon late last month - a triple-combination super, blue, blood moon, made possible by the coincidence of the second full moon of the month, at perigee and eclipsed by the Earth’s shadow. This interesting combination is beautifully illustrated in the Moon Section of Guy Ottowell’s Astronomical Calendar 2018.

It's over. The solar glasses have been discarded. The sea of humanity that had migrated to a 60-mile-wide transcontinental strip of real estate has dispersed towards home - back to daily life, yet hopefully buoyed by the singular experience of totality. So much happened so fast, that it's taken a bit of time to reflect on my own experience and take stock of its meaning.