It was a crazy week at work. But amidst the whirl of chaos, it was the first sunny midweek in a week, the forecast for the next few days was bleak, and I knew the crossover point was close.
The crossover in the figure 8 looks, from the plot, to be about 11/12th April and 29th August. Having failed miserably to get anything close to the point in the late summer, this one compelled me to leave my ailing database for 45 minutes and head to the bridge. I cycled again, stressed.
This time there wasn’t the luxury of a leisurely walk south, but I’d prefer to call it perfectly timed than a rush. As I arrived a tug dragged its huge load downriver, but the shadow was so close to the south bank that it didn’t obstruct the view. And it was a fair bit further south for its week. Attempting to triangulate again, it now aligned Belfast’s bridge with the Clipper pier, but it’s trickier the other way. The map marker is a best estimate.
The exact crossover point I feel should be celebrated. It’d be possible to work it out exactly. I wonder what it would take to get the Port of London Authority to put a buoy there, topped with a disco mirrorball, to reflect the moment to everyone around?
(Incidentally, although I’d written the above post several years ago, I’ve only picked this up again in August 2026. Why now? Maybe the looming eclipse puts such things in mind. I’ve also mentioned it to a few people now, and the fact that it’s unfinished irks me in an unusually tugging way.)
Shard Analemma 