Where were you at 7:30 AM JST, May 21, 2012?

If you were in Japan, the odds are good that you were outside, trying to see the solar eclipse. Despite clouds here and there, most of us got at least a glimpse of a fiery ring, or a fingernail clipping of bright light with a dark shadow over it. Along with all the fun of trying out pinhole cameras and various solar glasses that had been on sale since last week. Heck, the Monday morning news got bumped in favor of various specials about the solar eclipse!

Lots of happy cries of "Detekita!" (it's coming out!) and "Kirei, kirei!" (beautiful). Fun!

There's something oddly reassuring about the dance of celestial mechanics. Awe-inspiring, exciting, and fun to watch.