Tag: planning

Tomorrow we will witness an astronomical spectacle that will not be seen again by anyone currently alive. The gear has been double checked, packed and loaded. Telescopes, cameras and computers are ready, with the exception of a few camera batteries awaiting their turn in the charger.

It is an odd sense of anticipation I feel. I have had the transit marked in my mental calendar for eight years, since I was unable to see the first transit of this pair. I have had a blog post written and scheduled for June 5th, 2012 ever since I moved to the island five years ago. Every time I logged into the administrator page, there it was, at the top of the list, ever so slowly growing closer. That day is here.

After a great deal of work, the gear is ready, a big source of apprehension has been dealt with. There is some doubt about the weather, with both high winds and possible clouds an issue. But there is nothing I can do about that. I can go into tomorrow and have fun with this event. It will be a very long and tiring day at the summit. Whatever happens, it will be a day for memories.

There is a new blog post entered now, for August 17th, 2017, another five years from now. On that day a total solar eclipse will sweep across the Pacific Northwest. We amateur astronomers schedule our lives a bit further ahead than most. I plan to be there.