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Finding cloudshine

I was really surprised by Stephen James

O’Meara’s column, “Cloudshine,” in the

July issue. My late boyfriend took pictures

in Elkridge, Maryland, on June 22, 2010. I

thought they were unusual when I found

them and made it a point to keep them.

Your article was my eureka moment, and

I had to go and dig them out to share with

you. Thank you so much for helping me

to remember and define this wonderful

memory. — Tracy Keith, Pasadena, MD

The possibility of aliens

I really enjoyed Bob Berman’s September

column, “Finding aliens.” I liked the way

he gave arguments for both the possibili-

ties of life being common or rare, and

he brought up a point that I had never

thought about: that life evolved only once

on Earth, and all living things on Earth

are descended from that first organism.

I love the magazine in general, and I am

always excited when I get my new issue

every month. — Robert Swancer, Berea, OH

Wise sketching advice

I just wanted to thank Erika Rix for her

timely Astro Sketching column in the

September issue. I had planned to sketch

totality during the August 21 total solar

eclipse and was a little surprised when I

first read her recommendation to expe-

rience totality and sketch afterward.

This sage advice was invaluable, as the

two minutes felt compressed into two

moments. I did keep an audio journal,

which was helpful because my mind was

not clear during totality, something I did

not expect. I got so much more out of the

eclipse by experiencing it and then later

reliving totality on paper with my notes.

— Cindy L. Krach, Maui, HI

Eclipse ready

I was prepared for my recent trip to see

the eclipse in Madras, Oregon, as a result

of reading the great August issue of

Astronomy. That issue alone was worth

the price of a year’s subscription. Of par-

ticular interest to me was the article by

Richard Talcott, “A step-by-step guide to

the Great American Eclipse.” Although

I was still surprised by the congestion,

I was able to adjust my plans, and it

made for a very memorable experience.

I look forward to reading Astronomy

in preparation for the 2024 eclipse.

— Mitchel Sosis, Lafayette Hill, PA

We welcome your comments at

Astronomy Letters, P. O. Box 1612,

Waukesha, WI 53187; or email to letters@

astronomy.com. Please include your

name, city, state, and country. Letters

may be edited for space and clarity.

Left: Using HG

graphite pencils, a

green colored pencil,

and white paper

with a 4-inch circle

template, this artist

sketched the Sun’s

filamentary details

during Australia’s

total solar eclipse

November 13, 2012.

SERGE VIEILLARD

Below: Just before

the setting Sun in

the west begins to

glow red, cloud tops

in the east can often

appear bright white.

RICK KOSTELNIK