The much-hyped solar eclipse peaked at 3:25 pm today in the New York City area, where the angle afforded us a 90 percent obstructed view of our system’s star.
I spent those few minutes squinting through a pair of NASA-approved solar glasses, warnings from ophthalmologists echoing in my head.
Being able to gaze upon it directly was pretty cool, although I wonder how the humans of centuries past managed to study the phenomenon without blinding themselves.
I viewed the eclipse from Rye Town Park, a shoreline park adjacent to Rye Playland, a historic amusement park. A few hundred people had the same idea and the parking lot was as full as it gets on hot summer days when crowds head to the nearby beach. Some used solar glasses, some had homemade pinhole viewers, and a few people sat in their cars and smoked weed while waiting for peak viewing time. (The smell is ubiquitous since legalization.)
I spent more time looking at the nearby duck pond and its residents, mindful of warnings not to exceed three minutes of eclipse viewing time even with proper eyewear.
Several mated pairs of ducks waddled around, quietly quacking and seemingly unbothered by the solar phenomenon. It was darker than usual, although not as dark as one might expect given the amount of obstruction.
As for Bud, if he exhibited any strange behavior, I didn’t witness it. When I got home he was much more interested in the Chewy shipment and his brand new box:
Although he may appear to be a small cat in this photo, he asks me to remind readers to note the viewing angle, which makes his considerable meowscles look much smaller than they actually are. In reality he remains a terrifying beast, nearly indistinguishable from a tiger.
If you’re viewing today’s eclipse, stay safe and protect your eyes!
Top image via Pexels
Pain In The Bud 
I don’t know about centuries past, but back in the 1950s – which seems like a previous century – we used milk glass. I suppose people in centuries before that used smoked glass.
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my view was 50% so no real effects. My pets had their usual afternoon naps. Good pic of buddy 😊
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Adorable picture of that astonishing fierce tiger! Glad you got to see the eclipse. Cloud cover today meant no viewing for us. It just looked like a gray day outside. Looking out the window, I did see the skies brighten slightly as the eclipse ended. In contrast in 2017 we saw a partial on a sunny day. The light in the forest was really weird, and I took some pics that are on my blog. Named the street cat we adopted the day after, Ultraviolet, and she helped curate the pics.
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Next big event in N.Y. A CAT MUSEUM!!
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The park looks beautiful and the ducks are wonderful that looks amazing. There is however nothing that can eclipse his buddinesses’ iconic figure – a tower of power!
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I understand and applaud Little Buddy’s preference for checking out the Chewy box rather than the eclipse. Also feel nothing can totally hide LB’s incredibly impressive meowscles which are an expression of his SuperHero self. Very good to see your photo again, Little Buddy.
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