Current Lesson No. Ten

The Greatest Show on Earth

(This is a follow-on to Lesson No. Thirteen "All Things Bear Witness of a Supreme Creator" in Lessons on the Plan of Salvation)

A total solar eclipse is a unique witness of a Supreme Creator –The Clark Planetarium is a world-class planetarium located in Salt Lake City, Utah.  During the five years I served on its board of directors I learned many wonderful things about astronomy.  At star parties we saw the moons of Jupiter and rings of Saturn.  We saw millions of light years into space, and galaxies, nebulae, and many other astronomical phenomena were pointed out. 

I also learned that the earth could not support life as we know it if its order, rotation, and placement in our solar system was not exactly what it is.  To me this is absolute evidence of a Supreme Creator. 

Another remarkable astronomical evidence of a Supreme Creator is a total solar eclipse.  The facts behind a total solar eclipse are simple but also amazingly profound.  The reason there are total solar eclipses is that the Sun is 100 times bigger than Earth, and Earth is 4 times bigger than the Moon.  Even though the Sun is 400 times bigger than the Moon, it is also 400 times farther away from Earth than the Moon.  That means the Sun and the Moon appear the same size to people on Earth.  Therefore, at the rare times when the Sun crosses exactly behind the Moon there is a total solar eclipse on the Earth.  To me this is evidence of Divine planning.

A total solar eclipse has been called the “Greatest Show on Earth” – Reasons for this include:

  • Day turns to night and you can look directly at the Sun without being blinded
  • You can see the Sun’s corona consisting of 2-million-degree plasma spreading into space
  • Bright planets and stars can be seen during the daytime.
  • The colors of sunset ring the entire horizon for 360-degrees.
  • The temperature drops by a dozen degrees or more
  • Plants and animals act as if it were night fall as flowers close-up and birds return to roost
  • The brilliant Sun is replaced by a black orb surrounded by a dazzling halo

The Great American Eclipse – On 21 August 2017 there will be a total solar eclipse that can be seen from land only in the United States.  Therefore, if anyone in the world wants to see this eclipse from land they must come to the United States.  This is why it is being called the “Great American Eclipse.”  The last total solar eclipse that is most similar to the coming Great American Eclipse took place 241 years ago in 1776, the year of the Declaration of Independence.

August 21st, 2017 Eclipse "Path of Totality" through the United States.

Close is not close enough; get on the path of totality – One of the reasons that the Great American Eclipse is so unique is that the path of totality, a 70-mile-wide path, crosses the central part of the United States entering in Oregon and leaving in South Carolina.  This makes it possible for most Americans, with a little travel, to experience a total solar eclipse.  (An internet search of “solar eclipse 2017” will provide details of where to get on the path of totality)

A partial eclipse will be visible in the entire United States, but it has been said that if rating natural wonders on a scale of 1 – 10, a partial solar eclipse might be a 7, but a total solar eclipse is 1,000,000!  A total solar eclipse is a spectacular once in a life-time experience.  With a little effort, families can make it an inner-generational experience that will not be forgotten.

My advice – Get on the strait and narrow path, and also get on the path of totality.