I wish I can sit here and say, my mom took me out when I was younger and showed me the stars. That we took a camping trip when Halley’s Comment came soaring by and we studied the skies together. I wish I can say that my dad took me out and pointed out all the constellations and provided me with the awe inspiring and breath taking moments our universe has to offer. Although these memories never happened, I learned to love the unknown and star gaze on my own.
It want until my senior year in high school that I really took notice of the possibility of an asteroid coming in contact with a planet. Shoemaker-Levy 9 that broke apart in ’92 and collided with Jupiter in July of ’94. That got me excited to see something of that magnitude take place in real time. From that point on I was fascinated with Solar and Lunar eclipses, the finding of alien life and overall the feeling of are we alone in this vast universe. So much that I even started using SETI on my computer to search for extraterrestrial live.
Although I have not traveled to see any Lunar or Solar eclipses, I have been blessed to see a few here and there with my family. I always make sure the kids know when it will take place and how to use protective glasses for viewing.
I made sure this year that both my kids were sent to school with viewing glasses so they can experience amazing experience. Both my step-mom and my dad have passed away and I can say more than likely both of them have never experienced a full total eclipse. Although I only experienced a partial eclipse this time around, I can say that even experiencing a partial eclipse is worth sharing with your family. It really is amazing, some how the size of our moon is the perfect distance and size, to cover the diameter of our sun from our viewpoint here on Earth.
If you have never experienced a total eclipse, partial eclipse, I definitely suggest you make time no matter what you are doing. This is an experience that will say with you forever.