2024 Total Solar Eclipse
“Dad, I need to go to Ontario,” said Astrid. “Do you want to come?”
“I’d love to,” Dad replied with a smile. “We could visit Aunt Bertha. It’s been so long. Are we going because of the eclipse?”
“Yes,” Astrid nodded. “It’s the biggest event in the sky this year!”
“Being an astronaut, I thought you wouldn’t want to miss it,” Dad said with a chuckle.
“Definitely not,” Astrid beamed. “And I really wanted you to come with me. It’ll be our special adventure.”
“That’s exactly why I said yes,” Dad smiled.
Astrid booked their flights while Dad called Aunt Bertha.
“Aunt Bertha is so excited!” Dad laughed after the call. “She lives in eastern Ontario now, right where the eclipse will be best seen.”
“Perfect,” Astrid grinned.
When they arrived in Ontario, the airport was buzzing with excitement. Many people had telescopes, just like Astrid.
“It seems we’re not the only ones with this idea,” Dad observed.
“We wouldn’t have seen much back home in Regina,” Astrid added.
They had a wonderful time with Aunt Bertha and her family. Astrid hardly recognized her cousins, but they all knew her!
“How’s our famous astronaut cousin?” cousin Allan asked, giving her a big hug.
On the day of the eclipse, Aunt Bertha showed them an old barn with a loft that was perfect for watching.
“Oh, I do hope those clouds go away!” Aunt Bertha worried as they set up.
“They’re just scattered; we’ll still see plenty,” Astrid assured her, adjusting her telescope.
After putting on their special glasses, they took turns looking through the telescope. Soon, they could see the moon and in the bottom right corner, the sun started blocking it.”
“It looks like the sun is taking a bite out of the moon!” Dad laughed.
When the moon was completely covering the sun, leaving only the corona visible as a halo of light, they stood hand in hand in awe until the moon began to move away.
“This is phenomenal,” Dad whispered, touched by the moment.
“It really is,” Astrid agreed softly.
As the moon began to slide away, revealing the sun’s bright face once more, Astrid and her father slowly lowered their glasses. The world around them gradually returned to daylight.
“You know, every time I witness something like this, it reminds me how small we are in this vast universe,” said Dad squeezing Astrid’s hand gently.
Astrid nodded, her eyes still wide with wonder. “And yet, it’s these moments that make me feel the most alive. Sharing this with you, it’s… it’s more than just looking at the sky. It’s feeling a part of it all, together.”
They turned to see Aunt Bertha, her face aglow with the returning sunlight, her eyes misty. “I haven’t seen anything this beautiful since I was a little girl,” she whispered. “It’s moments like these that stay with you forever.”
The three of them stood there for a while longer, not speaking, just watching as the last sliver of shadow slipped off the sun. It was a reminder that some experiences are so profound, they transcend words, and the memory of them lingers long after the moment has passed.
Moral of this Story:
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