Total Eclipse Of The Brain, Part 9
It is the day of the April 8, 2024, solar eclipse in the USA. I’m watching it with a friend.
Friend: “So, what’s blocking the sun?”
Me: “…the moon, [Friend]. It’s the moon that’s blocking the sun.”
Friend: “Why are you saying it like that?”
Me: “Well what else would it be? The frickin’ Death Star?”
Friend: “Maybe like an asteroid or something. I dunno, I didn’t study astro-taut-eronomy or whatever.”
Me: “It’s the moon. It’s always the moon, [Friend]. Every time there’s an eclipse, it’s the moon.”
Friend: “How do they always know when it’s gonna happen?”
Me: “Because they always know where the Moon, Sun, and Earth are gonna be way out into the future, so they know when they line up for eclipses.”
Friend: “What if they just… decide not to?”
Me: “What do you mean?”
Friend: “Well, what if one day the Sun and Moon decide to swap positions? What if the sun gets in front of the moon one day?”
Me: “…”
Friend: “Don’t look at me like that! I said that I didn’t study astro-whatever!”
Me: “Yes that is becoming increasingly obvious.”
To my friend’s credit, he is an amazing electrician and very intelligent; he just skipped that particular science semester at school. It was also fun explaining to him that Saturn’s rings didn’t spin around the planet like a hula hoop.
Related:
Total Eclipse Of The Brain, Part 8
Total Eclipse Of The Brain, Part 7
Total Eclipse Of The Brain, Part 6
Total Eclipse Of The Brain, Part 5
Total Eclipse Of The Brain, Part 4
