It felt strange looking for the sunscreen to go to an event where the sun would completely disappear but we still lathered up anyway for Monday’s total solar eclipse.
The sunscreen proved to be useful as we waited for roughly an hour at North Little Rock’s Dickey-Stephens Park for the total solar eclipse.
It was a bright, warm day, or at least started that way, when we got there a little after 12:30 p.m. and, as promised, the concession stands were open, which meant lunch, while we waited for the show to start.
The Travs had already fired up a team trivia contest and the music was pleasant enough.
The crowd was on the smaller side. A few hundred spread out across the park with most choosing to sit in the shade, while others braved the berm or beer garden as we all waited.
Helpfully, the Travs had synced the pitch clock in the outfield as a countdown to the eclipse, so we all had an idea of how much time was left.
As the clock got closer to 00:00, the partial solar eclipse had already begun and the temperature started to fall. It was maybe 85 degrees when we got there but dropped by maybe 15 degrees when the total eclipse happened.
It also got dimmer. Like a child playing with the dimmer switch, and slowly adjusting the light down. It was odd. And a bit surreal.
I covered the partial solar eclipse in North Little Rock oh so many years ago for the Times, but it wasn’t like that, where the partial filtered through the trees at Laman Library, casting half moon shadows covering the ground like fish scales.
Dickey-Stephens is treeless, so that wouldn’t have happened anyway, but even trying to make the attempt, it didn’t work.
Photo by Gwen Green
The eclipse glasses did, and it was fascinating to see the eclipse grow and grow.
When the pitch got to 10 seconds left, the crowd started to countdown to the totality and, it turned out, the pitch clock sync wasn’t exact, so when the crowd got to “zero”, it was still a partial.
A few seconds later, the totality kicked in and it was wild. The downtown skyline lit up as it wasn’t quite night but it was darker then, say, dusk.
A completely unfamiliar experience, at least for me, and looking up at the sky, sans eclipse glasses, taking in the totality was really something.
It makes sense now, or at least it helps inform, why some people chase total solar eclipses around the world. It also helps one understand why they were completely terrifying to ancient people who didn’t understand the solar system’s orbital mechanics.
All they knew was that the sun, the familiar, daily presence, suddenly wasn’t there. Dragons and such.
Will this experience make some in Arkansas eclipse chasers? Maybe. Everybody needs a hobby and travel like that would certainly be something.
As for me, I can wait until 2045 for the next one that will pass through. Because, unlike those ancients, we have science and eclipses can be more accurately forecast then the weather.
Highlights
Probably should have played the trivia. Would have left with sweet Travs merch because the questions weren’t particularly hard.
Shoutout to Snapple as they were running a buy one, get one deal and it turns out the Elements Sun flavor was pretty good.
Can’t beat free, as admission was exactly nothing, but the Travs did charge $10 to park in the good lot. They were also handing out Travs-branded eclipse glasses when you walked through the gate.
Lowlights
The clock not being exactly right, wasn’t the worst thing, more hilarious than anything else.
After seeing the spectacular eclipse-themed game jerseys, it was hopeful that there would be better merch, and that wasn’t the case.
The Smartphone Solar Imaging, Enhancing Photo Lens 2 Pack ordered from Amazon was a complete bust and a waste of $12. The filter, much like the eclipse glasses, could be used to cover up your phone’s camera lens and they just really didn’t work.
What to do with those eclipse glasses?
If you still have your eclipse glasses, don’t throw them away!
Keep Arkansas Beautiful says that an organization in Utah is collecting the glasses from around the country and will then ship them to South America for use by children there.
The address is:
Eclipse Glasses USA, LLC
PO Box 50571
Provo, UT 84605
The South American eclipse will be later this year.
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Totality didn’t disappoint
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It felt strange looking for the sunscreen to go to an event where the sun would completely disappear but we still lathered up anyway for Monday’s total solar eclipse.
The sunscreen proved to be useful as we waited for roughly an hour at North Little Rock’s Dickey-Stephens Park for the total solar eclipse.
It was a bright, warm day, or at least started that way, when we got there a little after 12:30 p.m. and, as promised, the concession stands were open, which meant lunch, while we waited for the show to start.
The Travs had already fired up a team trivia contest and the music was pleasant enough.
The crowd was on the smaller side. A few hundred spread out across the park with most choosing to sit in the shade, while others braved the berm or beer garden as we all waited.
Helpfully, the Travs had synced the pitch clock in the outfield as a countdown to the eclipse, so we all had an idea of how much time was left.
As the clock got closer to 00:00, the partial solar eclipse had already begun and the temperature started to fall. It was maybe 85 degrees when we got there but dropped by maybe 15 degrees when the total eclipse happened.
It also got dimmer. Like a child playing with the dimmer switch, and slowly adjusting the light down. It was odd. And a bit surreal.
I covered the partial solar eclipse in North Little Rock oh so many years ago for the Times, but it wasn’t like that, where the partial filtered through the trees at Laman Library, casting half moon shadows covering the ground like fish scales.
Dickey-Stephens is treeless, so that wouldn’t have happened anyway, but even trying to make the attempt, it didn’t work.
The eclipse glasses did, and it was fascinating to see the eclipse grow and grow.
When the pitch got to 10 seconds left, the crowd started to countdown to the totality and, it turned out, the pitch clock sync wasn’t exact, so when the crowd got to “zero”, it was still a partial.
A few seconds later, the totality kicked in and it was wild. The downtown skyline lit up as it wasn’t quite night but it was darker then, say, dusk.
A completely unfamiliar experience, at least for me, and looking up at the sky, sans eclipse glasses, taking in the totality was really something.
It makes sense now, or at least it helps inform, why some people chase total solar eclipses around the world. It also helps one understand why they were completely terrifying to ancient people who didn’t understand the solar system’s orbital mechanics.
All they knew was that the sun, the familiar, daily presence, suddenly wasn’t there. Dragons and such.
Will this experience make some in Arkansas eclipse chasers? Maybe. Everybody needs a hobby and travel like that would certainly be something.
As for me, I can wait until 2045 for the next one that will pass through. Because, unlike those ancients, we have science and eclipses can be more accurately forecast then the weather.
Highlights
Probably should have played the trivia. Would have left with sweet Travs merch because the questions weren’t particularly hard.
Shoutout to Snapple as they were running a buy one, get one deal and it turns out the Elements Sun flavor was pretty good.
Can’t beat free, as admission was exactly nothing, but the Travs did charge $10 to park in the good lot. They were also handing out Travs-branded eclipse glasses when you walked through the gate.
Lowlights
The clock not being exactly right, wasn’t the worst thing, more hilarious than anything else.
After seeing the spectacular eclipse-themed game jerseys, it was hopeful that there would be better merch, and that wasn’t the case.
The Smartphone Solar Imaging, Enhancing Photo Lens 2 Pack ordered from Amazon was a complete bust and a waste of $12. The filter, much like the eclipse glasses, could be used to cover up your phone’s camera lens and they just really didn’t work.
What to do with those eclipse glasses?
If you still have your eclipse glasses, don’t throw them away!
Keep Arkansas Beautiful says that an organization in Utah is collecting the glasses from around the country and will then ship them to South America for use by children there.
The address is:
Eclipse Glasses USA, LLC
PO Box 50571
Provo, UT 84605
The South American eclipse will be later this year.