Senior Carston Chancellor travels to Illinois to view the eclipse with his dad and his friend; 10 long hours later, they finally arrive.

Anticipating, the first total solar eclipse in the United States in 99 years.

Wearing the goggles, readying cameras and arming telescopes for a better look, his group prepares for the magical moment.

“As the eclipse approached, the atmosphere around me started changing.”

He questions if it is because of the excitement of the world, or because something in the universe really changes.

Suddenly, the city experiences a surreal silence and the countdown begins.

Showtime: The moon touches the sun, which gradually begins to lose its round shape; two worlds that by magic come into contact.

The cold weather nips at everyone; he starts dressing.  Others, careless of everything, remain staring at the sky –hypnotized.

In his moment of clarity, Carston understands how small humans are in the face of nature and the universe.

“Everything seemed stationary and motionless; the birds did not feel like singing as they usually did in the evening — a sign that even nature seemed to attend at this time.”

He adds, “The most wonderful event of all happens within us because in those moments recovering contact with yourself.”

He feels his heartbeat.  His adrenaline pumps with his level of excitement.

He feels thoughts; his feelings peak.

After those short moments that seem to be eternity, the sun returns to its habitual form, and the temperature begins to rise.

Summer returns. The crowd disappears.

Everything is back to normal and ends with the tale of that memorable day — Monday, Aug. 21 — which remains among his most beautiful memories.