If you didn’t read this week’s post “Totality is Lit” I will read it to you, dramatically and enthusiastically, below. 👇
Reading commences as soon as you hit play. Enjoy!
Notes from the Captain
Space crew—confined to Earth. Unless there are astronauts reading. Are you an astronaut? Welcome. We’re all thought astronauts here—blast off!
Whenever I talk about space or space-adjacent events, I get all tangled up in the glory of it. The majesty and the mystique. Questions. So many questions. I read something science-y and I think I understand, then I record a video and during the edit think, “Did I get that right? Am I going to be eviscerated by the beams of space lasers people will be shooting at me in frustration at my misinformation? Will I be cancelled for space facts gone awry? I come in peace!”
Anything’s possible with science. The problem is, I like talking about space and mystery and universal questions about the universe. I want to be educated. I want to know more. Perhaps in my incoherent ramblings answers can be found?
Did you catch the total solar eclipse, my American friends? I had not given watching it a second thought until a few hours before the event, assuming it would be barely detectable in Santa Cruz. I was for the most part correct about that, but it didn’t stop me getting outside with a colander seeing if I could catch me some crescent action, before suddenly realizing I could watch the whole event LIVE and IN TOTALITY on the Griffith Observatory live feed.
That was GRAND.
I’m not going to lie—I was completely swept up in the moment, and I wasn’t even boots on the ground. I was boots on the carpet watching pixels burst and a corona winking sexily at me from a screen. Thanks, internet. For real.
When totality was reached. Wowie! Mucho exciting. Weirdly moving. I was so moved, in fact, that I wrote a whole thing inspired by it, throwing all sense of scale and logic out the wonder window (creative license!) to write a little missive about the Sun and the Moon’s moment together, away from the prying eyes of the rabble on earth.
That’s us. I’m talkin’ bout us. We’re the rabble. Well… those of use who were lucky enough to be in the umbra. Right in it. Robbed of daylight and plunged into darkness by two cheeky celestial objects having a catchup, and in Sun’s case, a bit of complain.
Creative license. Imagination. Following the thread of an idea and making a blanket. It’s all I know how to do.
Forgive me.
Are there errors? Of course.
Forgive me.
But every week I set out to write something. To explore. To launch a thought into the atmosphere.
In totality.
I’ve just realized while writing this that April the 5th was this newsletter’s birthday. Three years of looking up and dreaming of what’s next. More words. More ideas. More making stuff. When this missive hits your inbox or notifications bell, this will also be the fiftieth episode of Behind the Streams. Do you believe I have sat down and spewed muddle-headed facts into your faces FIFTY TIMES now.
Forgive me.
Whatever. I’m glad we’re on this journey together. To the moon and beyond? Sure. But let’s not head straight to the sun, regardless of how its gravity may pull us. NASA dun got probes for that.
Ok. Back to work. At some point today, look up. What do you see? Tell me. The comment button actually works this week, so… have at it.
Your Captain, Janeen 🫡
Thangs from this episode…
👩✈️ Eclipse Schtuffs
Below 👇 is the live feed I watched on the day. I got strangely emotional, even though I was a long way away from the totality. This time stamp is a good starting point (pretty sun and it’s in progress) but this time stamp is seconds before Totality if you want to jump straight to that.
A page of sun facts - NASA
View of the moon’s shadow on the Earth as seen from the International Space Station
Here's What Earth Looks Like When You're Heading to the Sun - Space.com
There will be seven total eclipses over between now and 2030
Top Solar Eclipses to Look Out for Over the Next Decade - Space.com
Of course—OF COURSE—there are people who follow total eclipses. These people are called umbrafiles. Shadow lovers. Here’s a story about them.
Meet the Eclipse Chasers Traveling Thousands of Miles for the Astronomical Event - TIME
I was going to make an Eclipse playlist, but of course there are plenty. Here’s one.
👩✈️ Mike Mitchell, (he designed the tee in the video)
I’ve spoken about Mike before, but for new subscribers, I’ve been a fan of his work for years and like to share the love.
The t-shirt I’m wearing in the video (that I use to explain a partial eclipse (badly) is many, many years old. I also have one with a wizard driving a Firebird throwing devil horns also in front of the moon. Class. Check out his work on the ‘gram or website.
I managed to snag one of his Princess Leia prints back in the day. Again, class.
Here’s something more recent. Some Willie work.
Total eclipses are neat. Change my mind.
Thanks for listening/watching and sharing this week. If you want to chat about any of the concepts in this week’s post—or just in general—feel free to leave a comment for the Captain (it me.)
Do. Make. Be.
Look up!
I’ll see you out there.
🫡
Shameless Podcast Plug
Listen to audio versions of early issues of The Stream on my podcast, Field of Streams, available on 👉 all major podcasting platforms 👈
Here’s Apple
Share this post