Vinita Domier calls herself an eclipse chaser. As the Davis Astronomy Club’s sole coordinator, she says she’s long been a person who’s excited about celestial phenomena. But she said it was the solar eclipse in 2017 that got her hooked.
“For years, people have asked me after that eclipse, like, what's the best thing you've seen in the sky?” she said. “And I'll always say, you know, if you can see a total solar eclipse, it's worth the effort.”
The chance to witness one in the United States is coming up soon. On April 8, a solar eclipse will be visible to varying degrees throughout the country.
But Californians won’t be able to see a full solar eclipse here in April. The path of totality — which is the area where people can see the sun fully eclipsed by the moon — is further east in the United States. Domier said she plans to drive to Texas with her husband to see it in totality.
But even so, with some safety precautions, residents here can still view a partial eclipse. Domier said what you’ll see of the eclipse depends on your location. If you’re in Davis, for example, she said you’ll have a chance to see the moon cover about a third of the sun at 11:16 a.m. on April 8.
“It'll look like part of the sun has been eaten up, so the sun will look like a crescent,” she said. “You will notice slight changes in temperature because you know, a third of the sun is now blocked.”
At no point during a partial eclipse is it safe to look directly at the sun. If you want to catch a glimpse of it, Domier said it’s important to use glasses specially made for looking at the sun during an eclipse. If you’re looking through a telescope, it should be equipped with a solar filter.
For thousands of years, solar eclipses have been a source of fixation and fascination for humans across the globe. Some ancient peoples viewed solar eclipses as bad omens. But other more positive interpretations of the event have persisted since then.
Allison Fae, founder of the Witching Hour Collective, describes herself as a lifelong student of astrology. She’s found herself particularly drawn to Ireland’s history with eclipses, a place that’s home to one of the oldest known records of a solar eclipse, dating back to 3,340 BCE. In that history and others, she said there’s another interpretation of the solar event — as something that humans need not necessarily fear and can instead celebrate.
Astrologically, Fae said eclipses are now often understood as a time to embrace change and step into a renewed version of yourself.
“Eclipses are like a way of allowing us to realign ourselves with what better aligns with us right now,” she said.
It’s important to note: Solar eclipses are always accompanied by a lunar eclipse. This time, a lunar eclipse began late in the evening of March 24 and lasted into the early hours of March 25. Fae said it kicked off a period of time where people can take stock of their life and decide what they want to keep, as well as what they might want to release, ahead of the April 8 event.
She recommends pairing that internal preparation for change with physical acts, like cleaning out your closet or journaling. Then, when the solar eclipse comes around, she said people can focus on “leaning into change rather than resisting it.”
“It’s a two-week window where we have an opportunity to really work with the energy of change … and ask ourselves what kind of change we would like to have,” Fae said. “Whether it's releasing people or work situations … and then moving to a new situation, or if it's releasing maybe an old version of yourself that's no longer serving you so that you can step into your new self.”
If you’re interested in viewing the solar eclipse with a group, Domier said the Davis Astronomy Club will host a viewing on April 8 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Mace Ranch Park in Davis by the Explorit Science Center. Ahead of that, the group will host a meeting on March 30 from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Explorit Science Center where they’ll give a presentation on the April 8 eclipse and hand out free solar eclipse glasses.
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