Partial Solar Eclipse 2015: Live Streaming and Funny Conversations

On Friday, March 20th, we happened to be lucky enough to be in a part of the world that got to witness a partial solar eclipse.  It started here about 8:30 a.m. and was over by about 10:00 a.m.  If you want to see much better photos of the eclipse and read a much more detailed account, click here  and here.

Sierra was home sick from school, so we watched a lot of it through live streaming online.  As you can imagine it is hard to explain to a little kid not to look at the sun when that's where the solar eclipse is taking place.  I should have taken more pictures to show the contrast, but you can kind of tell just through the light coming through our curtains. Sierra's holding a colander in the second picture because we just watched a video about how to view the eclipse through a colander.

It did get fairly dark right around the time we took Desmond to preschool.  I had to laugh at our conversations in the car.

Me:  Do you know what a solar eclipse is Sierra?

Sierra: Yeah....that's when the moon cuts in front of the sun.  Like this!  (two flat palms, right palm passes in front of left palm)

Desmond:  Does the moon knock the sun out of the sky?

Me: Um ....no baby, it doesn't.    The sun is just hiding behind the moon.  Do you still see the sun shining a little bit?  It's peeking out at you.

Desmond:  Yessss....(tentatively because I am pretty sure he still didn't believe me and was waiting for the sun to fall out of the sky)

Sierra: Yay Desmond.  Anyways, the sun has a lot of fire.  The moon couldn't knock it out.  The sun would burn the moon.......(long pause)....... Mom, it's kind of dark like bed time.  Does that mean we have to go to bed?  

Me: Um...no, it's 9:30 in the morning you don't go to bed until 7:30 p.m.

Sierra: Good because I am not sleepy at ALL.

*******************************************
Me: Sierra, do you know that this will not happen again for another 90 years.  That means you will be 95 when the next one happens.  That's crazy isn't it?

Sierra: Yeah! And Addie will be 96?  You won't get to see it because you will be dead.

Me: Wow!  You are right Addie will be 96!  It's kind of sad when you remind me that I'll be dead, Sierra.  I guess this is my last solar eclipse.

Sierra:  Well, humans can't live to be 200 mommy!  That would be silly.

Me: Well you make a good point,...(awkward silence....my thought bubble: does she really think I am 110 now or is she just throwing out some arbitrary number?  Either way, I am having an internal debate about if I should be proud of her logic or mildly sad that she doesn't appear as though she is depressed about a world without mommy).