There will be a total solar eclipse on April 8th but unfortunately for those of us in the UK, it will only be visible in North America. Total solar eclipses occur because of the amazing relationship between our sun and moon as our sun is about 400 times larger than the moon and also 400 times more distant from the Earth. We may be the only planet in the Galaxy to experience total solar eclipses! We will be able to see a partial eclipse in the north of the UK starting about 7.50pm. The other striking thing about April 8th is that all 7 planets will be in a line in the sky which is a rare phenomenon. Because of their distance from the earth the gravitational pull is minimal so we will not see any effect on the tides.
These are occasional, dramatic events that we can enjoy and marvel at, but our planet’s distance from and relationship with the sun and the moon affect all of life here in ongoing cycles that we can also enjoy and marvel at.
Playing the day
The sun
rolls into the waiting sky
as the earth tilts towards it.
Birds sing in attendance,
the air quickens like an ocean
ready to move.
I sit at the end of dawn,
at the edge of the garden,
matching my strength to its pull,
playing the day
through shoals of unmarked time.