Abstract
Everyone, even atheists, experiences awe. Can they explain it away? The thundering of a waterfall, the soaring heights of a snow-peaked mountaintop, a dark sky sprinkled with thousands of stars. Sights like these have inspired awe throughout history. What moment of awe stands out in your memory? Mine lasted two minutes and forty seconds. On August 21, 2017, I was standing in an open field in Gallatin, Tennessee, as the hot sun beat down on an excited group of onlookers. On cue, twilight quietly crept over the earth, and everything grew hushed. We were witnessing a total solar eclipse. As the sun disappeared into blackness, the corona's glowing halo shimmered like a cosmic diamond. Those who experience totality say the feeling is impossible to put into words. I would agree.