Questions About the Eclipse

Hall of Fame shortstop for the Cubs, Ernie Banks used to exclaim, “What a great day for baseball. Let’s play two!” He did it almost every day that they played. I felt the same about the eclipse on August 21, 2017.

Let’s do it again! Did you get to see the eclipse? It was great. As soon as the totality ended, I was tempted to jump in my car and race down the road to catch it again. Then I remembered that the shadow was “crawling” across the country in excess of 2000 miles per hour. I would have never caught it. Shucks. But the next one is only seven years away. (Make of that what you will.)

Watching the eclipse raised two questions, in addition to the ruminations published earlier, and I think I had a mini-epiphany. (Or something like that.) First the questions. For those who were fortunate enough to be in the path of totality, we noticed that it got cooler and a little darker, but full darkness did not hit until the total sliver of crescent disappeared. (At least at my house.)

With just such a small sliver delivering our “light,” it still adequately supplied us. But when the whole disk reappeared, it was not 100 or even 10 times brighter. I thought that was interesting, if not strange.

Second question. The corona, which we could not see until the totality is much hotter than the surface of the sun itself. The surface is about 5800 Kelvin (same as centigrade, only a difference of +273). But the corona (which the spell checker on my phone capitalized every time I used it) the corona is one to three MILLION Kelvins. (Don’t bother with adding the 273.)

So with the “cooler” sun fully blocked, the 150 to 450 times hotter corona did not sustain the temperature here. I thought that was a very intriguing thought. Scientists attempt to study the corona to find out how it can be so much hotter and where does that energy go? Perhaps it is emitted as non-thermal radiation like UV light or other radiation. Just wondering.

Sit down if you are not already. I was, when this happened. A Glory! Hallelujah! moment is coming. After the totality was complete, I sat back down on my deck chair, which conveniently reclined at a perfect angle to lean back and watch the goings on. I looked up, and all I saw was darkness. Oh, no! A cloud. A quick peak confirmed my brilliant deduction. But I just leaned back with my glasses on. (Did the commentators say that enough? I did view the totality without glasses. It was totally black with them. That is how I saw the corona. But I digress.)

As I gazed upward, just contemplating what I had seen, the clouds began to swirl and thin and, “Lo and behold,” the sun gradually appeared in its full glory! Sandy Patty was singing in my head, “The sky shall unfold preparing His entrance....” He is coming in the clouds. I thought I was foreseeing the Son. (Listen to the song.* Link.)

The reason I told you to sit down, was because if you were standing, you would hit the ceiling when she hit that final note. I just about got raptured by myself. Glory. Hands down, now. But that was not all.

As I continued to watch, after a minute or so the clouds again converged and slowly, inexorably covered the sun. It was gone for a quite a while. Another verse occurred to me. Acts 1:9, 10
After He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight.

I saw history in reverse. First He left, and as those clouds that obscured the sun for me, they blocked the disciples’ view of Jesus. But the angel gave them good news that galvanized them from quavering cowards into unstoppable dynamos of faith.

10 “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.” 

And instead of Sandy Patty serenading us, we will have a trumpet. (If it plays that song, I will not be surprised. But heavenly music “may” surpass what we can make down here.)

If you are not ready to hear that trumpet, why not? Get ready now. I am ready. Join me. It will happen and sooner than we think. Glory. Maranatha.


*Sandi Patty - We Shall Behold Him

The sky shall unfold Preparing His entrance
The stars shall applaud Him With thunders of praise
The sweet light in His eyes, shall enhance those awaiting
And we shall behold Him, then face to face
O we shall behold Him, we shall behold Him
Face to face in all of His glory
O we shall behold Him, yes we shall behold Him
Face to face, our Savior and Lord

The angel will sound, the shout of His coming
And the sleeping shall rise, from their slumbering place
And those remaining, shall be changed in a moment
And we shall behold him, then face to face
We shall behold Him, o yes we shall behold Him
Face to face in all of His glory
We shall behold Him, face to face Our Savior and Lord
We shall behold Him, our Savior and Lord Savior and Lord!

Songwriters: DOTTIE RAMBO
© Universal Music Publishing Group, CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP