Astronomy

ASTROLETTERS

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f luorescent pink with orange tints), the

diamond rings before and after totality,

the view of solar prominences, and the

brightly glowing extended corona went

together to produce a jaw-dropping,

heart-stopping, otherworldly naked-eye

view! This incredible view was so colorful,

brilliant, and crisp, it looked unreal. It was

as if Hollywood had taken an actual total

solar eclipse image, enhanced it beyond all

reason, and projected it on an overhead

screen. Each time I think about it, talk

about it, read about it, or watch a TV

program about it, my heart starts racing,

my hands start shaking, and I get a lump

in my throat. I guess it’s time to start

planning for 2024! — Larry Russell,

Germantown Hills, IL

The magnificent eclipse

I traveled to Hopkinsville, Kentucky, to

view the total solar eclipse August 21. It

was magnificent, beautiful, awe-inspiring,

and eerie. I almost felt like I was on an

extrasolar planet viewing something that

was normal there. Being alive at this time

to view this rare and spectacular event

was special and very memorable. I feel

fortunate that I was able to witness it!

— Tom Bryant, Danville, KY

The amazing Moon House

Kudos to Mark Boslough for his Moon

House piece, a brilliant exposition of

celestial phenomena through the eyes

of an ancient Anasazi culture with the

time, energy, and incentive to watch the

sky very closely, very closely indeed.

— Kenneth Roberts, Tuc son, A Z

Beautiful cloudshine

I read Stephen James O’Meara’s article

about cloudshine in Astronomy’s July

2017 issue. I witnessed the phenomenon

one evening leaving the gliderport at

Harris Hill near Elmira, New York. I

snapped this photo, but it pales in com-

parison to reality. A rainbow was forming

in the glare of the ref lection, and the

under-cloud landscape stretched into the

horizon. I thought I’d send this image

and let you know how much I appreciate

the observation of planetary science all

around us. I’ve been learning soaring the

past three summers at the gliderport. It’s

been said that weather and wind patterns

are fingerprints of Earth’s primordial

atmosphere after the planet’s formation.

Learning to sail on these wind currents is

fascinating and thrilling, and a direct

connection to the forces of the universe.

— Tom Olson, Ithaca, NY

Ready for the next eclipse

I was fortunate enough to witness my

first total solar eclipse August 21, and I

have to say that it was better than I

dreamed it could be! The sight of that

pitch-black hole in the sky where the Sun

should be, the amazing and indescribable

colors around the edges of the eclipsed

Sun (something like a hot, reddish,

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.

TOM OLSON