heliovision

[adrienmundi]

Ever since I was very young, I've always liked stealing looks directly at the sun. I distinctly remember being about four, and being told while on a car trip not to do that any more because it might damage my eyes. I remember nodding gravely to my father in the front seat, then sneaking another quick glance out the window at the sun so I could close my eyes and see the orangeypurple afterimage behind my eyelids.

I still do that to this day. In a way, it seems almost... rude not to, almost like not looking someone you genuinely like in the eyes when they're talking to you. In a very strange, difficult to articulate way, it's as though the sun shines on me, gazes at me every time I'm outside; the least I can do is glance back, slightly coy, and akcnowledge it.

It's likely bad for me, but I also know that in some way, it's also good for me.

Comments

[arcticturtle.livejournal.com]

Not only do you now know the sun better than the rest of us, but your Dad was wrong.

Ham and his co-workers estimated that ``sungazing at bright midnoon for 100 s can produce a threshold lesion.'' This may be roughly consistent with Lowe's experience, and is certainly in line with the reports of eye damage in sun-gazing religious pilgrims, who required at least several minutes' exposure without protection to suffer long-lasting eye damage.

Hypothesis: Any warning delivered with deep earnestness is likely wrong. Discuss?

[adrienmundi]

Good to know; I'll pass this info along to my sweetie, who also scolds me for that from time to time (maybe she just doesn't want me to be coy with anyone else, though).

[fourounces.livejournal.com]

I have an Astroscan wide-field telescope if you get tired of being coy. ;)