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L
eading up to the full solar eclipse that recently swept
across a swath of the U.S., it was eclipse-mania
in Oregon, where I live. Experts say this was the
most watched eclipse in human history. I bet most
EARTH readers found a way to see it.
Predictions called for up to 1 million visitors to descend on
Oregon for the eclipse. The state activated the National Guard
to help with traffic, since Oregon’s roads are not equipped to handle the droves of
visitors. Campsites in the path of totality sold out within a couple of minutes of
opening online reservations more than six months prior to the eclipse, despite long
minimum stays. Hotels sold out and locals rented rooms in their houses, on their
lawns and in their driveways. Was it like this everywhere within the path of totality?
Prior to the eclipse, many of us in Portland — where 99-point-something per-
cent of the sun was hidden from view — wondered if seeing something just shy
of a total eclipse would be enough to satisfy our interest, or if we should join the
hordes heading to see it in totality. Across the country, the same was probably true
in many other locations just outside the path of totality. The chance to see a total
eclipse is pretty rare and, if poems, books and essays are to be believed, it’s pretty
spectacular. As Annie Dillard wrote in 1982 in “Teaching a Stone to Talk,” “Seeing
a partial eclipse bears the same relation to seeing a total eclipse as kissing a man
does to marrying him, or as flying in an airplane does to falling out of an airplane.”
My family and I decided to stay home to watch the eclipse. We just couldn’t
stomach the idea of multiple hours stuck in traffic with a toddler. We thought we’d
get pretty close to total darkness here, but the lighting merely resembled dusk. I
think Dillard is right. There’s no comparison to the full eclipse.
So, did you make the effort to see full eclipse? Was the effort worth it? Tell us!
We’d love to run some of your letters about your eclipse experiences in an upcoming
issue. Email [email protected] or share your stories on our social media
pages (@earthmagazine or http://www.facebook.com/earthmagazine).
In the meantime, enjoy this issue of EARTH, which spotlights the new class of
rovers and probes heading to Mars in a few years, and brings you stories of volca-
noes, earthquakes and travel along the Silk Road, plus a plethora of other articles
featuring the latest geoscience research.
Megan Sever
EARTH *HMXSV
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TEKIȏ•4GXSFIVȶȉȦȮ• EARTH • [[[IEVXLQEKE^MRISVK
From the Editor
