By Tracie Mitchell
Staff Writer 

Eclipse creates sense of community

 

August 22, 2017

Tracie Mitchell

Salt Lake City, Utah, resident Anna Skliar tries to take a picture of the eclipse with her cell phone through the telescope with Mikhal Skliar and Caroline Corcoran watching on at Hot Springs State Park in Thermopolis Monday morning.

THERMOPOLIS – As hundreds of people, from all over the country converged together at the Hot Springs State Park in Thermopolis, and viewed the progress of the 2017 total solar eclipse Monday morning a sense of community was felt by all attending. Strangers talked as old friends, watching the event together as family and sharing what they had with each other, be it glasses, water or a telescope.

Amateur astronomer Randy Dragon from Red Lodge, Montana, brought his telescope to view the event and take pictures as the eclipse progressed. He, his wife and a couple friends had secured lodging in Thermopolis and were set up hours before the event began. Dragon explained that since he moved to Red Lodge from California he had gotten into photography. He had seen a partial eclipse before and was excited about this opportunity but planned on focusing on the telescope instead of the photography aspect.

Dragon allowed anyone and everyone who wanted to look through his telescope and he answered any and all questions. Allowing people to view the eclipse through his telescope changed the experience for many, making the event more memorable. People came from all over the park to look through the telescope to see the eclipse's progress, see the sunspots and get a more up close and personal perspective.

The generosity of Dragon was contagious and soon a family from Texas, after seeing that another family didn't have the proper glasses to view the eclipse, generously gave them their extra pairs.

As the eclipse got closer and closer to totality and it got darker and darker people gathered near each other and near Dragon's telescope to share how they were feeling. Some felt that the experience was amazing yet eerie. Others mention the fact that it was getting cooler and cooler and that the street lights had come on, while others, wanting to share their experience with each other, noted the crescents on the walkways caused by the eclipse shining through the leaves of the trees.

Every face in the park [with the exception of the dogs present] was looking up when the moon cover the sun totally, and you could have heard a pin drop for a split second, before hoots and hollers were heard across the park from excited viewers. Just 53 seconds later, the sun peeked from behind the moon, ending the eerie darkness.

The experiences of the people present as the eclipse reached totality varied. Some people felt an uneasiness, some got the chills and others experienced a moment of light headedness but all agreed that the experience would remain in their memories forever, except for one little girl who felt that she had missed it, and still felt like she had missed something even after her father explained that she had seen it through Dragon's telescope.

Pre-teen Caroline Corcoran from Salt Lake City, Utah, said, It was awesome and cool and something that she will be telling her grandkids about.

For many the experience was too short and as the sun continued to emerge from behind the moon, many people began to pack their belongings in a hurry to get on the road in order to get ahead of the traffic. Natalie Becker stated that she had a nine-hour drive to return home and was worried about the traffic. Others, having plans to visit the sights in Wyoming were also concerned about the traffic and wanted to be one step ahead.

All in all, people left Hot Springs State Park a little different from when they arrived and their feelings could be best described by young Heidi Becker who said, "It was amazing, I will never never, ever forget this."

 
X
 

Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation
© Copyright 2024