On April 8, a total solar eclipse was visible across a large territory of North America. During this eclipse, the Moon was 5.5 percent larger than average.
The stunning celestial spectacle brought 4 minutes and 28.13 seconds of totality, a path of semidarkness through Mexico, 15 U.S. States and Canada — where some lucky ones were able to see the moon entirely cover the sun’s disk, according to NASA.
—yes, the moon completely blocked out the sun for those few minutes, in fact during a total solar eclipse, the new moon appears almost exactly the same size as the sun, so blocking the entire sun. This rare and spectacular event, results in a beautiful totality during which the sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona is visible to the naked eye.
Photo by my brother @Alberto Sanchez, a stargazing neophyte.
But what did ancient humans think about eclipses? How did they see the darkness of the sun? What did they make of those minutes without bursts of light, when the usual flow of light illuminating the earth stopped?
Some of them viewed those celestial events as messages from the gods, a cue to end a war or leave a settlement and move far away. In ancient China an eclipse was a signal that the sun was devoured by a dragon. The Greeks were studying eclipses as far as the 5th century BCE. Thales of Miletus , a Greek philosopher one of the Seven Sages of Greece credited with saying “ Know thyself“, predicted a famous solar eclipse that occurred in May 28, 525 BCE.
Early cultures like the Mayas and the Aztecs tracked the sun’s movements to predict future events, such as astronomical cycles. On the Aztec `s Cuauhxicalli Eagle Bowl, a 24-ton basalt disc shaped stone more than 12 feet (3 meters) in diameter and 3 Feet thick (91.44 cm) , the death of the Sun God Tonatiuh during the darkness of the sun is represented in its center. You can see the original monument today in Mexico City in the National Museum of Anthropology.
The sun god’s face representing the sun darkened during an eclipse.FLORIDA MUSEUM GRAPHIC BY JAMES YOUNG, WITH IMAGES FROM EL COMMANDANT AND KEEPSCASES / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS / CC-BY-SA-3.0
Are you also in awe of nature?
(To be continued with the Spanish version of this post.)
Mathematically, the Golden Ratio, with a value of 1.61803398875, is a fascinating, irrational number that appears in countless natural phenomena, from the spirals of galaxies to the petals of flowers. Philosophically, it has captivated thinkers for centuries. It symbolises the pursuit of harmony, balance, and divine proportions in the universe, reflecting an inherent order to the chaos of existence.
Rafael Araujo, is a Venezuelan Arquitect and illustrator creator of awe-inspiring illustrations of nature, woven seamlessly with the enigmatic Golden Ratio. He does all of his work on his drawing board, by hand, with a compass, and a protractor, without using a computer or ny type of software. For Araujo “the Golden Ratio is a tool in the search of perfection.”
“Directly related to the Fibonacci series, quotients 1/1, 2/1, 3/2, 5/3, 8/5, 13/8, 21/13….. converge progressively into PHI: 1.618. Also known as the Golden Ratio, PHI is used as the backbone of this hand-drawn artwork series where I try to show some of the harmony and perfection of this number, while understanding, of course, natural human limitations.” Rafael Araujo.
The Golden Ratio unveils a hidden connection between the precision of mathematics and the enigmatic allure of nature, hinting at a deeper meaning that resonates with our quest for understanding. During the Renaissance the notion that the golden ratio provided the most aesthetically pleasing proportion of sides of a rectangle, became critical for the masters .
The works of Leonardo da Vinci, the renaissance genius of science and art, are interconnected through an invisible geometric-harmonious fabric.
His Vitruvian man combines principles of art, anatomy, geometry and humanism.The arrangement of the figure within the circle and the square symbols of the divine and the earthly reflects the Renaissance humanist belief that the human body is a microcosm of the universe.
L’uomo vitruviano 1490 Leonardo da Vinci- The Vitruvian man paper and ink
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”
– Albert Einstein
Read in Spanish
Desde un punto de vista matemático, la Proporción Áurea, con un valor de 1,61803398875, es un fascinante número irracional que aparece en innumerables fenómenos naturales, desde las espirales de las galaxias hasta los pétalos de las flores. Desde el punto de vista filosófico, ha cautivado a los pensadores durante siglos. Simboliza la búsqueda de la armonía, el equilibrio y las proporciones divinas en el universo, reflejando un orden inherente al caos de la existencia.
Rafael Araujo es un arquitecto e ilustrador venezolano creador de asombrosas ilustraciones de la naturaleza, entretejidas a la perfección con la enigmática proporción áurea. Todo lo hace en su mesa de dibujo, a mano, con un compás y un transportador, sin utilizar ordenador ni ningún tipo de software. Para Araujo “la Proporción Áurea es una herramienta en busca de la perfección”.
Directamente relacionados con la serie de Fibonacci, los cocientes 1/1, 2/1, 3/2, 5/3, 8/5, 13/8, 21/13….. convergen progresivamente en PHI: 1.618. También conocido como la Proporción Áurea, PHI se utiliza como columna vertebral de esta serie de obras de arte dibujadas a mano en las que trato de mostrar algo de la armonía y la perfección de este número, comprendiendo, por supuesto, las limitaciones humanas naturales.” Rafael Araujo.
La proporción áurea desvela una conexión oculta entre la precisión de las matemáticas y el enigmático encanto de la naturaleza, insinuando un significado más profundo que resuena en nuestra búsqueda de comprensión. Durante el Renacimiento, la idea de que la proporción áurea ofrecía la proporción estéticamente más agradable de los lados de un rectángulo se convirtió en algo fundamental para los artistas. Las obras de Leonardo da Vinci están interconectadas a través de un tejido geométrico-armónico invisible.
El hombre de Vitruvio combina principios del arte, la anatomía, la geometría y el humanismo. La disposición de la figura dentro del círculo y el cuadrado, símbolos de lo divino y lo terrenal, refleja la creencia humanista renacentista de que el cuerpo humano es un microcosmos del universo.
On the outskirts of Caracas, a colourful mural depicting giant blue-winged macaws , birds and landscapes is a recycling effort by children and elderly residents. Under the guidance of Venezuelan artist Oscar Olivares, they glued plastic bottle caps to a 90 meters long cement wall and transformed it into a beautiful “eco-mural.”
Oscar and volunteers collected over 400,000 caps and created the ecological mural in 33 days in Guatire, a town 50 km east of the Venezuelan capital.
Oscar Olivares designed the mural with the idea to teach people to take consciousness about recycling, and that taking care of the environment is a collective effort.
Nearly a ton of plastic waste turned into art, instead of garbage,
lOscar Oivares’ mural features colorful Guacamayas ( the macaw, bird found throughout South America.) Credit:Courtesy of Oscar Olivares
Oscar Olivares uses his creativity to convey a powerful environmental message. Armed with plastic lids – Olivares is on a world mission to raise awareness about environmental protection.You can read more about Oscar here https://www.instagram.com/olivarescfc/?hl=en
Image credit Okospiri
Lee en Español:
En las afueras de Caracas, un colorido mural que representa guacamayos gigantes de alas azules , aves y paisajes es un esfuerzo de reciclaje realizado por niños y personas mayores de la zona. Bajo la dirección del artista venezolano Oscar Olivera, pegaron tapas de botellas de plástico a un muro de cemento de 90 metros de largo y lo transformaron en un hermoso ” eco-mural”.
Oscar y los voluntarios recogieron más de 400.000 tapas y crearon el mural ecológico en 33 días en Guatire, un pueblo a 50 km al este de la capital venezolana.
César Olivares diseñó el mural con la idea de enseñar a la gente a tomar conciencia sobre el reciclaje, y de que cuidar el medio ambiente es un esfuerzo de colaboración.
Casi una tonelada de residuos plásticos convertida en arte, en lugar de basura,
Oscar Olivares utiliza su creatividad para transmitir un poderoso mensaje sobre el medio ambiente. Armado con tapas de plástico, Olivares se ha propuesto sensibilizar a la opinión pública sobre la protección del medio ambiente. Puede leer más sobre Óscar en https://www.instagram.com/olivarescfc/?hl=en.
LEARN SPANISH 