h2g2 Will Not Be Eclipsed!  No, friends and froods, h2g2 is not daunted by eclipses. Unlike certain politicians, we even know how NOT to look at a temporary occlusion of the sun. Thus, we have some amazing photos to share from the sidereal event last Monday. The roses seemed unaffected by the ruckus in the sky: they bloomed on bravely in the park. Out at the farm, the local humans had an unobstructed view, while the goats and horse decided that increasing darkness meant dinner time, and demanded to be fed. Birds got confused, too, and switched their chorus schedule.
Amy Pawloski reports that, alas, her part of California was too foggy for meaningful eclipse viewing. Psychocandy, too, had little luck in cloudy Chicago. But deep in the heart of Texas, Baron Grim and the space people had clear skies and a terrific view. Also very good equipment.
'Very good equipment' was not the way to describe the Post Editor's setup. But it did the trick. A couple of bikers and some ladies with a preschooler happened by the town gazebo, and we shared around the projector and our two pairs of NASA-approved eyewear. At exactly maximum coverage point. . . it rained. For about three minutes. After that, we went back to watching, and everyone was astounded by the sight. Which incidentally proves the Earth is round, I believe…anyway, here are some pictures:
 | Here are. . . pics I took around maximum eclipse (1316 UTC+6) while at work at the Johnson Space Center. Our photographers set up a camera with 600mm lens. I tried to take a snapshot with my mobile through the viewfinder, but they came out a bit more "artistic" than I expected. - Baron Grim |  |  | The picture on the left was made with a really high-tech pinhole projector. Fortunately, Amazon Prime had delivered a suitably long box of gluten-free popcorn the day before. Tinfoil was involved, also standing around looking dorky in the middle of town.
NASA said on the internet that we could capture eclipse-shaped shadows between our outstretched fingers. And behold, it worked – as this volunteer demonstrates with a symbolic blessing from the sun and moon. – Dmitri Gheorgheni |  |
We have lots of cool Stuff for you to read this week:
- Awix reflects on the fortunes of Stephen King movie adaptations.
- Willem shows you another amazing monkey.
- FWR scares the socks off you (again). Part V this week.
- Bluebottle's got more Isle of Wight talk, and Jacks are wild.
- Cactuscafé takes us on a hopeful journey, with mouse.
- There are more revelations as to what Ford Prefect liked about Earth.
- There are the usual attempts to make you laugh.
So read, comment, send more Stuff. We'll be along later in the week with the September Create challenge – all about change. In the meantime, have an enjoyable week, and be glad the sun is back!
Dmitri Gheorgheni
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Poetry
