A few days ago I had the awe inspiring experience of ‘seeing’ the sun setting, and being able to see its full outline as seemingly about four times its normal size, it majestically descended through the city’s haze. All without going blind.

Being able to directly see the sun is a lifetime rarity usually only reserved for sun eclipses and the like, and viewing it through darkened glass. I’ve never witnessed a sun eclipse, never been in a geographic position where that was possible.

Six years ago, during the Australian bushfire emergency, I was at my sister’s place on the western side of a steepish hill as we watched an angry red sun outlined by bushfire smoke in the western sky. Though it was very small and looked even furter away than normal it looked like a warning.

Normally of course we only glance in its direction. We’re careful never to stare too long at that fierce golden globe. And we’re taught that from childhood, Don’t stare into the sun! You’ll go blind! And variations thereof in every language on Earth.

So I think that normally we don’t get a personal experience of how fiercesome our star is, or should be.

When I saw it a couple days ago, seemingly nearer and so big I wish everybody could see that. It would cure us of taking its benison for granted. That Sol is just our sun, that it gives us warmth and light, food and life.

A photo doesn’t do it justice, you need to see it yourself.