'At once this disk of sky slid over the sun like a lid. The sky snapped over
the sun like a lens cover. The hatch in the brain slammed. Abruptly it
was dark night, on the land and in the sky. In the night sky was a tiny
ring of light.' Annie Dillard
The result of 2 years of planning, 12,000 kilometres travelled and 5,000
feet climbed: 2 minutes 30 seconds of a near-horizon total solar eclipse
over the Pacific Ocean. Photographed from a remote location above La
Higuera, Coquimbo Region, Chile on June 4, 2019.
This tiny part of Chile was the only place in the world where the 2019
total eclipse, which occurs when the moon moves between the sun and
Earth, was visible.
The location I chose was planned months in advance, high enough to be
above the marine layer, remote enough to be away from the crowds, and
as close as possible to the path of greatest totality.
It's so easy to fixate on a single thing and not see the big picture. The Sun's corona is undeniably beautiful, but the effect that the total eclipse had on the sky and Earth affected me even more profoundly. My sense of connection to the Earth, and to humanity, renewed.
Artwork by https://twitter.com/Reuben_Wu
