They say patience is a virtue. Nowhere is that more evident than in amateur astronomy. If you don’t have patience, you must develop it or you might as well just plop yourself in front of the TV every night. Weather is often the main culprit. Our best-laid schemes “gang aft agley” when they are dependent on the cooperation of the forces of the atmosphere.
Last weekend, we were all set to watch the annular solar eclipse (only partial from our location). We had chosen a good spot to watch from at the local park that offered an open view to the west. The weather had been wonderfully clear all day long and was predicted to stay clear into the evening. But, about an hour beforehand, ominous clouds began to collect in the west. By the time the eclipse began, the western sky was totally blocked by dark storm clouds complete with lightning in the distance. What to do? Nothing, but enjoy the beauty of the clouds and the power of the lightning (from the relative safety of our car) and realize that there is always another interesting event just around the bend – an upcoming partial lunar eclipse, the Venus transit, the 2017 total solar eclipse, etc. We probably won’t be able to see them all but if we don’t make the effort we see nothing. It’s a percentage game.
Non-eclipse - Copyright (c) 2012 Robert D. Vickers, Jr.
After we went back home we did see some of the live eclipse coverage online, even the ring-of-fire which we couldn’t see from here. Nice, but it’s just not the same as firsthand experience. Be patient. Even if it doesn’t always work out, seeing with your own eyes is always worth the effort.
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