'At once this disk of sky slid over the sun like a lid. The sky snapped over

the sun like a lens cover. The hatch in the brain slammed. Abruptly it

was dark night, on the land and in the sky. In the night sky was a tiny

ring of light.' Annie Dillard

The result of 2 years of planning, 12,000 kilometres travelled and 5,000

feet climbed: 2 minutes 30 seconds of a near-horizon total solar eclipse

over the Pacific Ocean. Photographed from a remote location above La

Higuera, Coquimbo Region, Chile on June 4, 2019.

This tiny part of Chile was the only place in the world where the 2019

total eclipse, which occurs when the moon moves between the sun and

Earth, was visible.

The location I chose was planned months in advance, high enough to be

above the marine layer, remote enough to be away from the crowds, and

as close as possible to the path of greatest totality.

It's so easy to fixate on a single thing and not see the big picture. The Sun's corona is undeniably beautiful, but the effect that the total eclipse had on the sky and Earth affected me even more profoundly. My sense of connection to the Earth, and to humanity, renewed.

Artwork by https://twitter.com/Reuben_Wu