I am going to witness the eclipse. I have to, I am a photographer. Trained as a photojournalist, the pull of this event is too strong. Billions of pictures will be made on Monday as the moon’s shadow races across the country, so why bother. I have had a modestly successful career but have no delusions of grandeur regarding the importance of my work that day.
Dayton, TN. is the destination. A relatively short drive if I can sneak around the major interstate highways. Dayton seems right. More than two minutes of totality at the place where legal giants of their time clashed over evolution 92 years ago in the Rhea County Courthouse.
America is tumultuously reevaluating herself. Who we are and what we stand for. Those two minutes of darkness in the middle of the day is cosmic reminder for us to reflect and perhaps realize how small we are compared to the wonders of the universe.
The photo above was taken at the University of Arizona Steward Observatory.
Paul OMara