Enjoyed the Total Solar Eclipse in 1988 Mcguiver-style

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After theTaiwan earthquake which sent tsunami warnings to Japan and Philippines, an earthquake shook New York where I am slated to vacation soon, and I learned that the New Jersey where my friends reside was the epicenter. Reading the news on the earthquake led me to reading about the upcoming solar eclipse which will hit NY on April 8. 

These news brought back my childhood memory of a solar eclipse which happened while I was in school though this particular eclipse won't be seen in the Philippines. Uncle Google told me that the Philippines had a total solar eclipse on 18 March 1988. I recalled my teacher took the opportunity to cover eclipse in our science class.

My core memory was I enjoyed the phenomenon by creating many ways to look at the sun being slowly covered by darkness. There were no online shoppings then specialty sunglasses, thus invention became the child of necessity. 

I recalled, we had broken glasses smoked to blackness by lighted kerosene lamp. We then used it to see the eclipse without hurting our eyes. I sure did see the eclipse using this.

Another way we did was prepare a basin of water and watch the reflection of the skies through it. I also saw the eclipse slowly becoming total as the moon passes by the sun for a matter of 3 to 4 minutes. 

I can vividly recall using these two methods but I am not sure if we also used smoked mirrors back then. 

Instead of buying a specialty sunglass and throwing it away as trash later, I believe my elementary methods will serve the purpose very well. Well, Mcguiver who is a genius tinker was a thing then when I was growing up. 

*Credits to the photo indicated in the photo itself. Thanks to Uncle Google



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