TSE2008

Path of 2008 Total Solar Eclipse
Originally uploaded by amnesoid

I have decided that it is healthy to give yourself things to look forward to, and i have subsequently decided that i would like to look forward to a total solar eclipse, which is an astronomical event of the likes that i have never seen yet.

I think that i have also never seen even a partial solar eclipse, but i will bet that if i did i would be disappointed and wished that i were seeing a TSE instead. TSE is what the experts and astronomers call a total solar eclipse. I will use their clever terminologies. Or acronyms.

Many regions of the Earth will be able to see a partial solar eclipse on August 1st 2008, but only a very special arcing swath will be treated to a few moments of complete solar obfuscation. Places such as nameless and remote arctic islands, or desolate areas of Siberia.

If i am able, i would like to travel into a piece of the swath and watch the eclipse from Tavan Bogd Uul, which is a mountain where China and Mongolia and Russia all converge in a rugged splendor of ex-communism.

Of course, there are no reasonable airports for about a thousand milesfrom Tavan Bogd Uul, so the logistics will be tricky. It will also be an expensive failure if there are clouds at Tavan Bogd Uul on August 1st 2008. But if clouds ruin everything then at least there are glaciers nearby, and glaciers are always worth it.

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Right now it is 2:30 AM on a Monday. I have tried to go to bed four times over the last five hours, but it is called insomnia. Episodes of insomnia are good opportunities to listen to jazz. So i am listening to Miles Davis ('Kind of Blue'), and anticipating a most excellent Monday night sleeping.

I will actually be doing my Mondaysleeping in Orlando, because i am flying there in five hours. It will be the first time in two years that i've been back to Orlando, since i decided that i did not want to live there anymore. Orlando is nice for visits though, especially in February. I do not remember what the outside feels like without my coat.