A solar eclipse is pretty rare. The fact that it was visible is truly a miracle of coincidence.
The moon's orbit lined up perfectly to block the sun for about one hour.
The first hint's of the eclipse came at around 7:30PM in central Iowa.
As the sun set, the Earth's atmosphere filtered the light into a brilliant red glow surrounding this phenomena making it easier for my camera to capture the show.
The whole event was captivating. Folks showed up in groups to watch one of the most interesting sunsets a person may ever see. Some even brought welder's masks to protect their eyes from the sun.
The Annular Solar Eclipse of 2012 gets its name from the Latin word for "little ring." Although Iowa only experienced a partial eclipse, some parts of the western US could see the sun limited to only a thin sliver of light surrounding the moon like a spectacular ring.
Eclipses evoke strikingly diverse reactions. Some are just fascinated, and others take things to the extreme. Last night a man left our group of eclipse watchers - also leaving behind his wife, daughter and possibly reality. For unknown reasons he decided to chase the setting eclipsed sun onto a busy interstate overpass balancing on a 4 inch concrete ledge 50 feet above busy traffic. Perhaps he was trying to get a better look, perhaps he was intoxicated. I only stayed long enough to make sure he got back safely and didn't ask any questions.
I have never witnessed anything as truly irresponsible as I did that night. It was an alarmingly random and uncomfortable end to a spectacular once-in-a lifetime sunset. By the grace of God it ended well for him, his family and all parties involved. But I can honestly say, I hope I never experience humanities' stupidity like that again.
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