God Glorified in Solar Eclipse

Millions stood in awe of the
April 8 total solar eclipse
but theists had the best time

EYEWITNESS REPORT

Those outside the path of totality on April 8 undoubtedly heard about the Great American Eclipse, and many have seen the partial phases. News reporters tried to express the wonder of totality, some with reverence and others with silliness or even dismissive remarks. Only those within the narrow path of totality can really know how marvelous the sun looks with the black shadow of the moon covering the photosphere, and the gleaming, brilliant corona bursting out from the eclipsed sun with hundreds of bright streamers. The crowd with me in Waxahachie, Texas, was lifted into a spirit of worshipful, joyful awe richer than any emotion an atheist could experience.

100 seconds to go: as the crowd awaits totality, the surroundings darken and streetlights come on. (David Coppedge, 4/08/24)

This was my third total solar eclipse (1991 Baja, 2017 Wyoming, 2024 Texas), and nearly tied for #1 as the best, although one’s first experience of totality is rarely surpassed. I was able to get 4K video of the corona through most of totality, as well as decent still photos and crowd reactions that I can use for projects. This time, however, I didn’t want to be obsessed with gear, so I planned ahead to save adequate time to gaze at the phenomenon with the naked eye and with binoculars. It was especially memorable to share this eclipse with a nephew who took the day off work and flew out from California for the occasion.

Leading up to the moment were three events illustrating how Christ followers and those who appreciate the design of eclipses have the most fun. The prior Saturday, nearly a thousand people came to an Eclipse Celebration by the Institute for Creation Research (ICR) held east of Dallas at a church campus in Forney, Texas. More details will be forthcoming about this day-long celebration in a future post, perhaps next week. Suffice it to say it was excellent in every way and filled with excited folks of all ages. It was especially good to see numerous young people and children. On eclipse day, ICR hosted a viewing event at their headquarters in Dallas, but I had relocated to Waxahachie, Texas, closer to the centerline.

The day before the eclipse, on Sunday April 7 Waxahachie Bible Church invited the public to come for an eclipse watch. They provided bounce houses for the kids and various treats to welcome all comers to the natural wonder coming on the morrow as an opportunity to learn about the God of creation and marvel at his works.

Across the road from the church, the Discovery Institute had two big events at Nelson University in Waxahachie. Sunday night, the authors of The Privileged Planet (2004), Dr Guillermo Gonzalex (astronomer) and Dr Jay Richards (philosopher of science) spoke about the thesis of their book: how the factors that make earth habitable are also factors that make scientific discovery possible. This congruence of factors, they argue from perfect solar eclipses and other natural phenomena, suggest “conspiracy” (i.e., design, plan) instead of coincidence. Gonzalez showed a segment of Illustra Media’s film The Privileged Planet (2005) to hearty audience applause. He also told about his calculations that proved that of all the planets and moons in the solar system, only Earth has perfect eclipses. Is it just a coincidence that Earth is also the only body with intelligent observers who can appreciate them and use them to make scientific discoveries? The two fielded questions from the audience and announced a 20th anniversary update of their book due out in September.

On eclipse day Monday April 8, hundreds of participants gathered starting at 8:30 AM on the soccer field at Nelson University for the main event sponsored by the Discovery Institute. Jay Richards and Guillermo Gonzalez gave additional remarks and explained how to observe safely and what to look for. Everyone knew that weathermen were forecasting scattered storms across Texas, so the mood was hopeful but a bit subdued under the morning’s fully overcast skies. By noon, clouds were moving about with patches of blue here and there. (I’m sure many prayers were ascending for a break in the clouds.)

The total solar eclipse of April 8, 2024, by David Coppedge. Occurring near solar maximum, the corona produced streamers in all directions, Dr Gonzalez explained. At solar minimum, coronal streamers tend to be oriented along the poles.

Amazingly, just ten or fifteen minutes before totality, as the sky was darkening and the temperature dropping, a huge window in the clouds opened up with the sun in the center, yielding perfect conditions for observing totality. Shouts, squeals of delight and cheers of astonishment rose at the spectacle! A small group sang the Doxology in those precious 4 minutes and 19 seconds. Then another ovation of shouts and grateful applause ensued as the sun reappeared in its glorious “diamond ring.” People were hugging and expressing exuberant joy at what they had just witnessed. After 4th contact, when the moon had moved away entirely, the clouds returned to block the sun.

Some will say that the window on the eclipse has a natural explanation. The drop in temperature during the partial phase, with the reduction in temperature, affected the cumulus clouds and made them dissipate. Perhaps that had something to do with it (although clouds did obscure views from other cities in Texas). But given that this crowd was there to witness how the heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19) and had come with a worshipful spirit of thankfulness and trust, I like to think that God in his grace parted the clouds to give us a window to his glory — glory that is uniquely displayed in the fine-tuning that permits a perfect solar eclipse.