African Volcano, Congrats Phil, June: On & Off Earth

Nyiragongo, at the southern end of Africa's Great Rift Valley has fired up, again. Death, destruction, the usual with the overcrowded world that is the Congo.

Congratulations to the old guy, Phil Mickelson on his win at the PGA yesterday. Phil is a really good guy, works hard and still kicking young guns butts at 50. I hope he get the US Open win next!!

Here's my take on June for the local paper:

June 2021 - On & Off Earth

It was truly a delight to attend the LCHS graduation last week and watch my last group of ninth graders, all grown up, receive their diplomas, in person, and share that milestone with their classmates and families. Well done Louisa, well done class of 2021; quite the achievement given the wild ride we have all endured this last year.

Not heeding my own sunscreen warnings, I was reminded later on graduation day that we are very near the greatest sun angle and longest day of the year. Earth’s northern end reaches that daylight extreme, and greatest sunward tilt on the Summer Solstice, late on the 20th.

Hurricane Season officially begins June 1st but with Ana already formed in the Atlantic that may need reworking. This is the seventh straight year with a named storm before June. With a warming planet creating 30 storms in the Atlantic last year, (and already major storms in the Pacific and Indian oceans) make sure your emergency plans are brushed off and updated. There will be hurricanes; where, when? Well, that’s the fun, we just don’t know.

We do know that the sun will rise (about 5:50 in Louisa) on the 10th with a big bite out of it. The New Moon will be passing directly between the Earth and Sun creating an annular solar eclipse. The eclipse will already be underway when we turn to face the sun that morning. You will need a good view of the northeastern horizon, mostly clear skies and your eclipse glasses from 2017; EYE PROTECTION WILL BE NEEDED FOR THIS ENTIRE EVENT!!

This New Moon will be near apogee, its far point in its monthly orbit, and too far from Earth to block the sun completely. Parts of Canada and Greenland will see the complete annular “ring” of sunlight around the moon. We will see a thin arc of sun at sunrise with more and more sun revealed over the next 45 minutes. EYE PROTECTION!! Safe solar filters will be needed to protect cameras and phones, too.

While not as cool as a total solar eclipse, seeing the sun rise as a thin crescent will be a lasting memory. The next total solar eclipse visible across the USA is April 8, 2024. I already have plans to be in Austin, Texas for that amazing 4+ minutes of daytime darkness.

Finally, as someone who enjoys living and walking in the woods daily, it was both troubling and sad to read in last week’s Central Virginian that the person assessing property values for homes impacted by the county’s growing industrial solar developments determined that “woods is not a marketable thing”. My guess: that assessor lives in a city.

I think anyone that hunts, fishes, hikes, bikes, walks, camps, enjoys shade or breaths oxygen would disagree with his assessment. Getting out into the woods last year was one of the few ways Americans had to escape their homes, safely. RV sales soared, camp grounds and National Parks were busy; there is great “marketable” value in woods. They are, also, the life giving lungs of this planet, cooling our world, trading our excess carbon for oxygen and driving the water cycle.

I have mentioned previously, history’s trash bin is littered with civilizations that cut down all their trees. Worldwide, dozens of acres have been felled in the time it took you to read this column. Solar panels need to be a big part of our future but their value does not measure up to that of a tree. Not Today, not any day, On Earth!!