A Solar Eclipse for the Common Good
Breathing in "the war within" the walls wears on a body's spirit. Witnessing the Jan. 6 siege stays a while in your head.
The Smithsonian museums set up outdoor tables and tents to answer questions and educate passersby on our star, the sun. The next eclipse won't happen for 20 years. The National Air and Space Museum hosted the free Mall event, rounding up several museums to come out to play.
I was struck by the teamwork among institutions. Often they keep to their own. But this April day brought out a burst of enthusiasm, a sense of oneness. The experts were as excited as amateurs.
That felt palpable in a long line of people, all ages, waiting to peer through a standing telescope operated by a youth of 17. He generously assisted everyone, including a small girl dressed as an astronaut.
I asked what museum he represented.
"This is my telescope," he answered. "I built it with a 500-millimeter lens."
Gael Gomez of Chevy Chase, Maryland, indeed came on his own with a telescope he built for this very day. His mother confirmed: "This (astronomy) is his passion."
Looking through, I clearly glimpsed a bit of moon over the sun. The stark sight stirs something deep in the beholder. The peak moment, 3:20 p.m., had not yet happened.
I noticed a chic couple sitting on a bench for hours. "Bien sur," they lived in Paris, though she was American. She characterized her French fiance, clutching solar sunglasses, as "super excited."
Later, a handsome blue-eyed Dutch man asked if he could share my bench. His name? "Job." He and a friend walked all the way from the Lincoln Memorial, in the other direction from the Capitol.
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