I was driving through Port St. Joe at the peak of coverage here in NW FL and was down to a half-tank, so I used that as an excuse to pull over and observe. Lacing fingers together to make a crude pinhole gave a decent image on a smooth patch of the gas station's pavement. At least, it was enough to see a chunk taken out of the image of the Sun, maybe 70%. Though nowhere near the totality path, I'd still have felt bad if I hadn't at least made that little effort.
Coming out of the gas station (bathroom & caffeine stop), there was a dood hanging out in the gloom outside. We spoke, he said he'd looked straight at it anyway. I showed him the improvised pinhole trick and projected a pretty clear image on the sidewalk, still showing a hefty chunk out of the image. He looked at me uncomprehendingly. All I could think to say was "Hey, science. Don't worry too much about it." Then I popped open my can o' caffeine, got in my car, and headed for home.
No comments:
Post a Comment