Feeling Like a Failure (During an Eclipse)

[@christopherdelude9441]

I would clarify that an educational channel on KZbin no longer creating content isn't a failure, because the hard work that you put in will continue to educate people who look for and find it. Sure, more of it could exist, but I can't tell you how important ed videos have been for me to survive challenging courses or understand things better. Making any amount of this content is a huge win for you, your team, and humanity! Thanks for all your hard work Hank :)

[@caitlinburke5184]

Very well said

[@jessicab6305]

The beautiful thing about internet based educational content!

[@only20frickinletters]

@@WhataMensch They literally did a fundraiser for MSF and Save the Children.

[@b1646717]

I used Crash Course in college to fact check myself often.

[@anniemeek55]

So true. Videos from 2013 are often just as good as today’s. You made something that will last at least as long as KZbin! That’s a huge win. No failure there!

[@yyzhed]

I saw the "is it normal to be nauseated after?" tweet and assumed it was about Rax 😂

[@vlogbrothers]

No honestly I wish I'd gotten more...

[@jobriq5]

You weren’t the only one

[@AndreaCrisp]

I know people who weren't in totality or even close that were also nauseated during the eclipse. It would be interesting to know if it's a thing that happens with some regularity.

[@MtnNerd]

I would theorize that it's simply the result of the lot of sun exposure as people waited outdoors in unshaded areas for totality.

[@gladiusmaximus412]

​@@AndreaCrispI wasn't in totality for this one, and it was almost entirely cloudy, but I had this deep feeling that it was weird. I was in totality in 2017 and I felt that less then.

[@Speilbilde]

"It's not inevitable, Perry the Platypus, it's completely evitable!"

[@levilukeskytrekker]

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[@theanyktos]

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[@anna._olsen_]

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[@alex.g7317]

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[@untappedinkwell]

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[@emilycarr2913]

I managed to pick the one very cloudy place to watch the total eclipse (lol) BUT just as totality started, the clouds broke in just the right place that we could see. the. sun!!! The emotion from expecting failure followed by very unlikely success was a pure joy and gratitude I have never felt before. I am so grateful for the impossibilities made possible both by this community and the natural world.

[@zest6542]

Literally this 100%. Im in Buffalo and as the eclipse got closer and the forecast got more confident I felt my hope get sucked away. I was so convinced we would see only clouds, and then the moment totality started the clouds broke and we got to see it for almost the entire 4 minutes. I wonder if I would’ve appreciated it less if it was a clear day. I’ve never cried happy tears but that day I did. It really changed my outlook on the last year of my life and reminded me that hope is always an option.

[@emilycarr2913]

@@zest6542 yes even though we had a far from perfect view (we could only see a small amount of the corona), the experience of getting /something/ was so moving. I also feel like I might have appreciated it less had it been sunny the whole time. What an emotional roller coaster of a day!

[@daemn42]

From a technical perspective, I kinda wonder if the clouds breaking for so many people actually had anything to do with the drastic decrease in solar radiation approaching totality. If it literally had an effect on the clouds. It certainly has a an effect on the weather at ground level, with a huge temperature drop, and generally a drop off in wind. I've seen two in the last few years and both times the wind which was blowing before (I filmed the little eclipse shaped light spots under the trees dancing around in the wind) completely stopped just before totality, and stayed stopped for about 15 minutes after.

[@emilycarr2913]

@@daemn42 I thought about that! Eclipses can dissipate low cumulus clouds, but from Destin’s SmarterEveryDay video about the eclipse, they said that for big fronts (like we had in NY) there’s not enough time. Not sure if that means there /could/ be enough time to dissipate small amounts of cloud around the sun, but I will say I have friends in Syracuse and Rochester who did not get breaks in the clouds and couldn’t see the sun at all.

[@itmedana]

for some reason this made me tear up. so glad you got to experience that moment!

[@TamarZiri]

That's not fair! I was looking at that!

[@susym5494]

That was hilarious yet completely understandable. 😂

[@miller-joel]

4 minutes flew by, like it was 4 seconds. 😡

[@Conservative4]

I saw a *Solar Flare* on the sun with my naked eye. Yeah! I wasn’t done lookin’ at it!

[@AndreaCrisp]

​@@Conservative4 I learned afterwards that those were solar prominences (because they were still attached but sticking way up) not flares/CMEs. But still really awesome to see. Everyone except for the scientists thought they were flares, myself included.

[@afroceltduck]

This phrase sums up so much of current life. Whether it's eclipses, KZbin shows, things on streaming channels, or your Instagram feed.

[@ThatWouldBeCareless]

Thank you for making journey to the microcosmos happen. It is a weird beautiful thing and I'm grateful for it ❤

[@vlogbrothers]

Thanks go entirely to Matt and Deboki and Chayton and a bunch of other people and especially to James

[@ThatWouldBeCareless]

@@vlogbrothers I'm grateful for them too, they're the best ❤️ I've loved getting to know all those lil microscopic guys.

[@greeneyedlady5580]

I'm sorry that I hadn't even known that channel existed. 😢 KZbin has never recommended it to me, even though I'm subscribed here. at SciShow, and a number of other channels that cover science.

[@StonedtotheBones13]

Petition to thank the ppl making microcosmos individually at the last couple eps

[@kashiichan]

​@@greeneyedlady5580I'd subscribed TO IT and barely saw any of the videos in my feed. I only recently learned about the Subscriptions page (I use the app, which doesn't make it easy to look at it) but will be checking it more regularly from now on. :(

[@JosephLSelby]

I think it's less "I'm glad I knew that was going to happen" and more "I'm glad I knew that was temporary."

[@WhataMensch]

Does he think his silence will be temporary?

[@nala6846]

100% this. Ancient humans prolly thought the world was ending 😅

[@JosephLSelby]

@@WhataMensch I was talking about the eclipse. What are you talking about?

[@JosephLSelby]

Although the parallel to being a public figure seem kind of on the nose.

[@susanheld]

Also "I know this won't just keep happening every day now that it has happened once"

[@Chris_winthers]

I mean, it's better than feeling like a failure during a not eclipse

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

That's the kind of totally healthy mindset that I stand by.

[@taukid421]

If you thought you were mad about the eclipse being so short, some scientists in the 70s wanted a longer eclipse so bad they got Concorde involved and chased an eclipse to experience totality for 74 MINUTES!!!

[@larlslab998]

I go back to microcosmos all the time as one of those "HEY YOU COME HERE HAVE YOU SEEN THIS THERES A WHOLE GIANT TINY WORLD INSIDE OF THE WORLD" -- thanks to everyone who worked on this wonderful project

[@stunt4248]

Just like Microcosmos, your channel deserves way more recognition Carl! I love your other channel too!

[@Ryukachoo]

Best quote ive heard to describe totality; "I now understand why people believed in gods"

[@geeksdo1tbetter]

Yes. This event and like, lightning, speak greatly to my pagany heart!

[@geeksdo1tbetter]

Also, that earthquake a bit ago!

[@Coral_skies]

"Hey! I was looking at that!" This is the most relatable sentiment about the eclipse that I've seen hahaha

[@JackieOdonnel]

For once in my life, I was speechless when I took off my eclipse glasses, and I knew what to expect. But the raw thing---the giant dark spot in the sky where two celestial objects aligned---just completely shook me. Dude. Hard work and videos that folks can still watch are not ever a failure. But it's normal to "mourn" the end of something precious.

[@charleshanson9467]

I can't be the only one having a hard time watching this with Hank's jacket collar all messed up like it is, right?

[@myladycasagrande863]

Nope, it bugged me that I couldn't reach through the screen and fix it.

[@ShinShadoWolf]

I didn't notice till you pointed it out, thanks a lot.

[@JoeJaJoeJoe]

Hank's only real failure 😂

[@drummerofawe]

That's so you know it's the real him Call that a collar ID

[@DinoOnACactus]

@@drummerofaweI’m in awe. Which, admittedly, suits your username.

[@hannamayh]

That title sure is the current vibe.

[@pushtiashar]

yes, ikr

[@tinkergnomad]

Feeling this way too hard.

[@Skip6235]

I went to the eclipse in 2017, but it was pretty far away from my family and they get very stressed about travel so they didn’t come. Since 2017 I’ve talked all about what the eclipse was like and how incredible it is and what happens during totality. Well, this time, totality was only a 2 hour drive from parent’s house, so I convinced them to load up the car, take my nephew out of class, and experience it for themselves. And my favorite reaction afterwards from every one of them, despite 7 years of me explaining what it was like was “I didn’t know it was going to be like that!!” with massive grins on their faces.

[@Zzyzzyx]

No amount of preparation or explanation is enough. Totality is just mind-blowing, no matter how much one knows.

[@thymeandspace110]

This is so true. I didn't see the eclipse in 2017 but my dad did, and I've heard him describe it before. And one of the first things I said to him this time around (we met up to see the totality together) was, "Words could never do this justice," and he was like, "Exactly!!"

[@TheLeftistOwl]

its so different in person. Feeling everything that happens and how everything shifts during the eclipse add to it's astounding, powerful aura and the existential wonder of seeing an event that is so unlikely to exist.

[@jimmypad5501]

Had nearly this same exact situation with me telling my family about 2017 and then my joy at watching them experience the mystery of it all firsthand this week in Ohio!

[@late2stuff]

I have known about and appreciated Hank for over a decade. Journey To The Microcosmos was the thing that made me a patented "Hank Guy" forever. Saw basically every video, changed my perspective on the world and the universe in a very real way forever. Sad it's going but very happy it happened. ❤

[@helenobrien60]

I have loved Journey to the Microcosmos since the beginning. As a biology nerd who has been a stay at home mom for the last 4 years it soothed something in me I didn't know needed a balm. Now that it is ending I am both sad and inspired. Knowing the microscopes only had one more run I finally bucked up, bought my dream microscope and the supplies I needed to do some basic labs for my chickens! And now I can show my daughters the microcosmos too. Practical, fun, sentimental, and fulfilling, all from a microscope. Thank you for the Journey, it's been wonder-filled!

[@Mark_Cadden]

I was in Erie PA, the clouds were bad UNTIL the eclipse where it got sunny and clear in perfect timing. Totality is just different. It was so so so good

[@hapasiuhengalu7586]

My wife and I drove from DC to Erie PA to watch it We got food poisoning somewhere along the way (we think it was something we ate before leaving) There we were, dehydrated, achey, and miserable, and people are starting to panic that the clouds wouldn’t clear in time, and then IT HAPPENED! It was scary and yet soothing I’d seen an anular eclipse as a child, this was very different It was totally worth it

[@Mark_Cadden]

@@hapasiuhengalu7586 what an experience! I’m very sorry about the food poisoning that’s absolutely terrible but I’m very glad you had that eclipse experience! It really was wild how it got nice out at the perfect time

[@markrenfrow9873]

Went to southern MO for viewing,(from KY) clear skies! Daughters came from Seattle WA and Jacksonville FL to share a celestial event with old Dad! It was great!

[@5hirtandtieler]

What’s cool is it probably wasn’t just coincidence. I think it was a Hank video where he talked about the sun being part of the reason for clouds in the first place, so less sun = less clouds!

[@cyanmanta]

The reverse was true in the Finger Lakes. At 2pm it was fine, but the cloud cover rolled in by 3pm. It still turned nighttime for several minutes, though.

[@MissAthena34]

I also felt overwhelmed and a little scared/uneasy seeing the eclipse. Afterward I felt exhausted like after a day at the beach or something.

[@adriansolis5362]

Yea! I don't know what the exhaustion was about. We were not in the sun for THAT long and yet the fam and I felt totally sun beat. Glad we weren't the only ones.

[@AlyssaRK]

I was so overwhelmed. I tried so hard to commit the view to memory, but it still doesn't feel real. It feels like a dream!

[@ericl1332]

Must be similar to seeing the earth from space... nothing can compare to actually seeing with your own eyes. It does feel like a dream, because it's so unreal. It's like being pulled out from earth to the solar system. The red solar prominence took me off guard, It's like seeing the "real" sun for the first time.

[@isabelleblake8732]

got engaged during totality right in a break in the clouds! you’re right, hank; these things we build and love together are not inevitabilities, which make them all the more precious. thanks for journey to the micro cosmos and for everything else, too (:

[@Sphel17]

congratulations!!!

[@trekkieanna]

Congratulations! 🎉

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Makes sense. Putting on a ring while looking at a really big ring.

[@jaclynkurtz9808]

Congratulations!

[@fufun4me]

Oh thats cool as hell

[@akajinan]

jokes on you I feel like a failure whether or not, there is an eclipse

[@twojuiceman]

Hey now, I'll not have this negativity in my vlogbrothers comment section. You're probably doing better than you think

[@sarahcarstairs8141]

I think feeling like a failure is probably a decent sign that you're not failing. You are at least self aware enough to know that there may be room for improvement and that is not the same thing as failing

[@akajinan]

@@twojuiceman reminds me of “I’m doin’ better than I ever was” lyric by taylorr ty I love us :)

[@Kazemba]

​@@twojuicemanFeeling like a failure isn't negativity, it's humanity, especially humanity being crushed under capitalism. We need to feel our "negative" emotions and talk about them, just as much as our "positive" emotions. Emotions don't have to be happy or accurate to be beautiful. Feeling like a failure probably means you care about something, and you're probably doing better than you think, but you can still be sad and disappointed and human. Even, or perhaps especially, in Nerdfighteria.

[@darsynia]

My daughter was born on Easter morning and she turned 12 on the day of the eclipse... but she had a very severe freaked out/nauseated reaction and she felt TERRIBLE about it. Hank, you have singlehandedly made her feel better about that. I mean, we as a family weren't prepared for that, and we kept thinking if she would just look up, it would be so cool she'd be ok, but we ALL thought and said that at once, so she was bombarded and... I feel like a failure too. We hyped this up and didn't warn her she could be scared and yeah. Thank you for showing her that someone as prepared as you were still felt funny and nauseated and such. It makes all the difference.

[@Zhiperser]

She will be very prepared for and still fairly young for the next major eclipse in 2045. It doesn't have to be a once in a lifetime event that goes badly.

[@jimmypad5501]

I think even in retrospect she’ll appreciate her total embodied integration with the eclipse event. It’ll lodge in her memory how much she was truly consumed with this thought of the sun. There are worse things to be consumed by as a tween.

[@pawz3016]

We saw the eclipse from Crown Hill Cemetery. One of my primary thoughts when totality ended was, "again!" and I was (and still am, somewhat) disappointed that the rest of my life isn't that cool.

[@EcceJack]

That's why people go hunting for more eclipses x)

[@juicyjuice671]

I was *so* mad when it ended! Three and a half minutes went like a blink, and I was just about to change my camera settings to try to get the CMEs to show up better. And then we all had to scramble to put our glasses back on 😂 But I'm glad I took time to look around at the horizon and experience that untimely twilight rather than be glued to my viewfinder and get a perfect photograph.

[@deborahlawrence680]

I couldn’t see it though my glasses and I was scared to look right at it for too long. Then it was over. It’s gone.

[@Ryukachoo]

Having a bunch of settings in advance helps a lot, also using exposure bracketing so you can just shotgun shots and pick the best ones later. The really tough stuff is getting video since you can't really trust the automatic settings

[@AndreaCrisp]

I read that those were not CMEs, but solar prominences. They are attached to the sun and sticking way out vs getting shot out like the CMEs. I thought it was solar flares too and so did a lot of news people, so afterwards the scientists came out and corrected us all. But I love learning new things and it was super cool regardless. Just thought I'd share what I learned.

[@auroraourania7161]

I specifically didn't take any pictures other than a quick reaction shot of me and my gf, since I wanted to be able to experience it fully, rather than worrying about my phone. I'm glad about that.

[@ChlckenNugget]

@@deborahlawrence680it's okay to look at as long as you want during totality :(

[@naota3k]

This eclipse was the first I was able to see in totality. I drove up to VT with a group of friends _just_ for the occasion, and I was not disappointed. I immediately burst into tears.

[@clippedwings225]

When you were talking about that weird sort of anger over the eclipse being over, it almost reminds me of like, the feeling of a death you know? Something you can't quite believe is real and those like conflicting gut feelings.

[@eileen7303]

That's exactly what I was thinking, too...

[@princesshannah7]

Oh man Hard Same on the "but I was looking at that!!" feeling. I went a few hours upstate in New York to reach the path of totality, and as the first bead of sunlight peaked out at the end of it I heard someone behind me shout "ENCORE!" And that was def a feeling I was left with in the immediate aftermath, of "aw no I wanted to watch that some more!!" and wishing I could've like. paused the sky for a bit.

[@YAOES]

Hey Hank?… what’s that book on your desk?

[@geeksdo1tbetter]

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[@TeeganPlayz_8903]

Look like a space kind of book I don't know I'm assuming it is

[@geeksdo1tbetter]

He mentions in another video, that it's a foreign edition of one of his books!

[@laiheniel]

I've experienced totality twice and both times I'm left with a feeling of "no, please come back". Also, I love journey to the microcosmos and I'm simultaneously so sad it is ending and so glad it was made. Thank you

[@danielmullanewrites]

I was over by the sea recently, and I had a similar experience looking at the night sky without light pollution. It took a while for my eyes to adjust, and then I stood there staring, and the only thought that really crossed my mind was "wow, I will have to leave this" -- it was late on the last night of my stay, and I was getting up early. It was so surreal, and yet the whole time I wasn't really thinking "please come back", more so that I was thinking it would be a long time I could go back and see it again.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

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[@Bluesmudge]

The eclipse is a great reminder that our brain basically has two settings when it comes to memory vs. a camera. (I am way oversimplifying this.) If you are in a moment with your loved ones, BE THERE. If you take a picture, yes you have a picture forever. Record moments for prosperity. However, if you want it *in your brain,* then use your senses (eyes, nose, ears etc.) When we spend time trying to get our camera out to record that special moment, our brain isn't in the same space as when we are just being there. To conclude my TED talk, remember to take time to be in your life instead of just recording your life.

[@SeekingTheLoveThatGodMeans7648]

Eclipses and the opportunity to visit them are rare enough that maybe nobody would care about this -- but it seems to me that the easier it is to set up the camera and leave it, the more likely it is not to monopolize our attention. Two cameras might be needed in order that one has the light filter to see the sun outside of totality, and another has no light filter but a shutter so it can capture the sun during totality. But again the specialized nature of such equipment could mean a lot of cost.

[@MitchellGunn]

What's that thing on Hank's desk in the bottom-left corner? Looks like a book with "Hank Green" on the spine and a title beginning with "The" -- so not an edition of one of his existing novels. Did I miss an announcement of Hank doing a new thing?

[@fossilfighters101]

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[@acidhelm]

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[@geeksdo1tbetter]

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[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Looks to be the German edition of AART.

[@allgoodthingsarewildfree8011]

Just commented this and then came back to fully scour the comments section to see if anyone else noticed. Also, wearing a book related shirt…🙀

[@TheMajorStranger]

I completely know how you feel Hank, I'm in Montreal so the total eclipse here lasted less than 2 minutes. I have been trying to recapture this image and the feeling of seeing it for the whole week now and I also have this irrational anger that I had something amazing but somehow someone took it from me before I could internalized it and fully appreciate and this sucks so much!

[@soupymei]

"i have to remember this forever, but will i?"

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Three minutes just isn't enough to make a lifelong memory.

[@ericl1332]

Drove 1h30 min out of south shore to a small Vermont/Qc custom just to gain bout a minute and a half more, was totally worth it. However, both my sons and I said out loud when totality was over, oh no, it's gone. Make you feel so mortal. I am seriously thinking going to Spain in 2026...

[@bubbleonempirestide]

i loved journey to the microcosmos :( it was a great run while it lasted! speaking of what a prehistoric human could have never known, the show showed so many people who would have never otherwise got a chance to see the microscopic life all around us. so bittersweet, but i think that's pretty cool!

[@Fs3i]

But unlike the eclipse, journey to the microcosmos will still be there. It is not gone, unless people continue chosing not watch it. Yes, there are no episodes made, and I feel the profound loss. But just like Tom Scott doesn't make new videos, it doesn't mean his videos aren't still there. After the eclipse, the sky is back to what it was. But the garlic bread that was sent to space wasn't uneaten.

[@kayleee1020]

we tend to be obsessed with the idea of things lasting forever, but just because it has ended doesn’t mean it failed

[@soundofez]

"that's not fair! i was looking at that!!" THE BIGGEST MOOD, i felt so distracted(?) during totality, like i wasn't present enough, like i wasn't committing it well enough to memory. i want another!!! :( (and isn't that want beautiful?)

[@suemiller9506]

Me too! I was distracted in the minutes leading up to totality instead of settling inside myself to absorb the entire experience. I just wanted to do it again as soon as it was over.

[@AbbreviatedReviews]

There was a real disconnect between what my brain knew would happen during the eclipse and what my body and eyes were telling me was happening. It was completely overwhelming. My heart was racing as the edge of the sun disappeared and when I took off my glasses I couldn't even make a sound. It was all so surreal.

[@jimmypad5501]

100% spot on with this. I saw totality in 2017 and this week and both times my body was reacting to the event in ways that superseded my intellectual ability to rationalize and explain what was happening. Totality is a *feeling*

[@H2G24life]

I genuily teared up at you saying how the eclipe made you angry becuse I felt/feel the same. All week I have been trying to explain why and feeling alone. no one I was with was also angery, they were all in awe and amazed. and I felt I wasn't allowed to be angery cause we got to see the eclipe in a perfect spot and weather when I have friends who got clouds and missed out. I blamed myself cause I read somewhere to close you eyes for 5-10 min before totailty to have better dark vision and see the stars better (didn't work) and as much as my husban asured me I didn't miss anything I didnt see after totailty I felt I ruined my experience cause of dumb things I read online. but now I think your explanation for your angry explaines mine. it was SO FAST. i feel I didn't look at the dark hole enought, or the 360 sun set, or listen to the animals, or everything. It was overwhelming and then just done. Im addicted and already planning to try to see the next one.

[@suemiller9506]

I know! I relate - I feel I missed out on some of the things I should have seen, the advancing shadow, the planets - and yet I saw it. Why do I feel so annoyed with myself?

[@IanTheWonderDog]

A few things: 1)I was also in Indianapolis for the Eclipse. It was pretty amazing. 2) I had never seen videos from the Microscopy channel until the video announcing it was shutting down. 3) I wanted to fix the collar/lapel of your NASA jacket the entire video. Drove me nuts.

[@davespriter]

journey to the microcosmos was a very good late night relaxation show for me that helped me make peace with the fact that there are all these tiny things everywhere. nothing lasts forever, but the benefits from lowering my stress levels at key moments in my life may last til the end of my life. which is not so bad in my book

[@shigshug8581]

I saw it Dallas, my expectations were low because all week I was checking the forecast and it was cloudy with a chance of rain....but in the last minute, the skies cleared and I saw totality!

[@lorenabpv]

this reminds me of when i learned that i was under the tropic of Capricorn as a kid and got very upset when I realized it wasn't an actual sky thing. but on the flipside, it makes me happy whenever I "cross" it (aka see road signs) a very human thing that people are indeed responsible for, but only kind of.

[@myladycasagrande863]

I get a little excited every time I cross 45° latitude!

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

They should make it an actual sky thing. I think Jeff Bezos could probably make that happen.

[@wildflower1397]

I remember as a kid we went on a road trip to California. I was so excited when we passed the sign welcoming us. I was crushed when I discovered there was no line and nothing changed when we crossed it, lol.

[@LikelyToBeEatenByAGrue]

I didn't catch this one but I made it to one back in 2017. It was incredible and it shocked me how poorly photos or video is able to capture the experience. You just have to be there.

[@sierralvx]

I felt the exact same way. It was amazing to witness and I was trying to enjoy every second, without my phone in my hand, just filming my reaction so I could look back on it. Despite watching several videos, I realized I didn't know exactly how cold it would get, when to take my glasses off, or when to put them back on. I wasn't prepared for the unknowns. All I knew was this was only gonna last for 2 mins where I was and I had to savour it. It wasn't enough, and I almost felt underwhelmed after. It was so strange to have this thing where so many people come together and all of us just had to go on with our lives as usual after. I desperately want to see it again, and to be right in the center of totality where I'll 4 mins or more. I just have to.

[@deborahlawrence680]

So many things happened. I wanted to see the atmosphere, feel the coolness that suddenly came, hear the birds change, film it, watch the actual eclipse and be fully present. There just wasn’t enough time!

[@CharlieTheAstronaut]

In 1999. I was 8 years old and witnessed an eclipse in Montenegro, the same year our country was bombed by the USA, so it is not really big in my memory. 27 years later in 2026 I will be (hopefully) going to Palma, Spain to see and experience a totality, I can't wait!

[@Condor987]

Instead of angry I’ve felt incredibly sad that it ended. Shockingly so. Like… people ask me how it was and I tell them how beyond anything I could have ever imagined it was and then i’m… depressed I’m not able to see it again (easily) for over 20 years. It was an unbelievable experience and so incredibly worth getting to totality. Partial eclipse viewer just can’t comprehend the difference.

[@danielmullanewrites]

MR GREEN! WHAT BOOK IS THAT ATTRIBUTED TO A "HANK GREEN" ON YOUR TABLE, THAT SAYS "THE A..."????

[@danielmullanewrites]

Also, very sorry for MicroCosmos. It's unfortunate that such an amazing series has to come to an end.

[@SabineHossenfelder]

Hey, I also saw it! (In Canada) I hear what you say about algorithms, I think at this point the guys at KZbin have no idea what their alg is actually doing. If you hear what they say on the creator channel, it's a load of crap. Like, everyone knows it's wrong from looking at their stats. So where does this leave us? I think the alg problem is kinda similar to the more general problem we have with society, it's that our short-term interests aren't necessarily the same as the long-term interests and any system that takes into account only the former will eventually cause us problems. Like, if you asked people, they might actually agree with you that your microcosm videos would be lovely to have around in the long run. Yet they wouldn't watch them tomorrow, and that kills the entire thing. Uh, I'll stop there, otherwise I'll get my own existential crisis ;)

[@Kleinage]

Hank, I also felt something similar. While my wife was exhilarated and talked about how seeing the eclipse felt like witnessing a miracle, afterward I felt an intense sense of grief and loss, anxiety and some anger. I realized it was this existential angst that came from witnessing the most beautiful and astonishing thing I’ve ever seen with my own eyes and knowing that it will not come for another 20 years if I see it again. Since then I’ve found it was a good emotional reset, however, even if it destabilized me for a day or two.

[@GhostsOfThings]

The moment that hit me the most was actually the few seconds before totality, when everything was visibly, slowly dimming, but the angle and colour of the light didn't match up with a sun set. It felt so WRONG. But amazing. And then totality hit and it became a spectacle and it was stunning and beautiful and the whole world paused for 1 minute and 5 seconds. And then it was gone. (I travelled really far for the eclipse and every day leading up to it was very cloudy. However on the day of the sky was almost completely clear. It felt like magic.)

[@claudspadafora1175]

YES! this is such a great way to describe that light phenomenon. It was so strange and I remember it so clearly.

[@shebjess]

Gotta admit, it's kinda reassuring to hear Hank Green, writer, humanitarian, pelican enthusiast openly talk about feeling like a failure. I'm in a weird point in my life where my family is sure I know what I'm doing while I don't feel like it (Kinda started a depression podcast, as one does) and hearing Hank talk about this helped a lot. Thanks

[@hjewkes]

I always think about CT Yankee in King Arthur's Court, where this guy just so happens to be in the path of totality at a point of major crisis. And, yeah, if you're able to plan for that you 100% are going to be called a wizard

[@myladycasagrande863]

Walla Walla Washington! Saskatoon Saskatchewan!

[@wildflower1397]

​@@myladycasagrande863There is a "translate to english" under your comment, lol. Also, I didn't think WA saw any totality this time?

[@myladycasagrande863]

@@wildflower1397 it's a reference to A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Those city names are the "magic words" he used to "cause" the eclipse (in the movie, anyway, not sure about the book).

[@wildflower1397]

@@myladycasagrande863 OH, thanks!

[@Doktor_Calamari]

I've tried so many times to convince non-umbraphiles of the indescribable amazingness of a total eclipse, but words fail me... because it's indescribable. Even if you know all the science, and the "why" of it, actually experiencing it is just mind-blowing, and easily the closest thing to religious experience I've ever had. And yes, it ends too soon, which is why people immediately start making travel arrangements for the next eclipse. Economic realities prevented me from making the trip to totality this time around, and I'm still grumbling about it. Those same economic realities prevented me from supporting Complexly financially for the last year or so, so I feel like I'm directly, individually responsible for Journey to the Microcosmos coming to an end. But as others have said, you created something unique and beautiful, and I have no doubt that the four years of videos will live on, inspiring future generations of microscopists, as well as expanding the minds of armchair scientists like myself. Thank you.

[@Meikulish]

I feel like eclipses might be freakier the older you are before experiencing one since you have more time to get used to the sky not doing that. I drove 24 hours for this one (worth) but I still don’t think I was as struck as a lot of the older people around me.

[@mokimon5079]

Hank, don't forget that you don't need to reach everybody ever to make a difference. Journey to the microcosmos reached thousands of people and they were all changed and touched by that content. Thank you to Matt and Deboki and Chayton and James and Hank and everyone else who made JTTM - I am grateful that it happened, and grateful that I can return to the existing content!

[@prongs4137]

I loved Journey to the microcosmos so much that I watched the videos even tho it relentlessly triggered my contamination phobic OCD n made me squirm in psychic pain. Because the wonder of it all was worth it. Because of how well the videos are made. N I hope to enjoy the rest of the videos as they come out. I hope the channel and its contents stay on KZbin forever. I hope y'all make nostalgic merch for it someday.

[@prongs4137]

(Also because I love Hank's narrative voice with the bgm)🤭😋

[@gourde7677]

Thank you for Journey to the Microcosmos, it's opened up a new way of wondering at the world for me! And I've shown it to many friends who thought the same. It's a precious thing you made :)

[@bricksloth6920]

Yes the letdown afterwards, the feeling of loss, knowing it's once in a lifetime. But then again I haven't yet processed how the eclipse has affected me. I feel changed by it.

[@Jboggs30]

Observation: "Dot" looks more like a "Splat". Dot, connotatively, seems to imply a somewhat smooth, round outline. "Dot" has spokes or spikes. But then, "Splat" isn't very cute or cuddly. Thanks for 4 yrs of Journey/Microcosmos! And all things Complexly. You, and John, and the whole company make the world better. And what more can be asked of a person?

[@michaelmicek]

Maybe it's just that she's pretty sharp.

[@geeksdo1tbetter]

Dot enjoys styling their fit in unexpected ways! You go, Dot!

[@joratto2833]

Too much Kiki. Not enough Bouba.

[@AnnikaOakinnA]

Even knowing intellectually that the temperature would drop and it would get dark, having read people's experiences and descriptions -- I was still genuinely shocked by the experience when it happened. Like you said, 99% eclipsed is still pretty bright! Dimmer, but like late afternoon, or moderately cloudy. And then totality is just... DARK. You can see, but it feels UNNATURAL. The light is just wrong! I feel like I have a newfound appreciation for how powerful the sun is -- and how much we rely on it to make our planet work.

[@livvy94]

I feel so lucky to be living the life that I'm living right now, and to be in the communities that I'm in. Everyone here is so freaking awesome

[@RinoaL]

Not only was it cloudy for me, but the day before I broke my solar charge controller, and my other panel turned out to not be able to output enough voltage for my BMS to make an energy graph anyway. Then I decided to not worry and take a picture only to learn my 1970s polaroid camera's battery connector broke. lol

[@dantelaw7759]

Damn, this could have been a chapter from the Anthropocene Reviewed. Beautifully said. Microcosmos was and IS a beautiful, wonderful thing, and will remain here enriching the world for many years to come. Thank you 💛

[@smallm3nac3]

We were in a park by one of the great lakes when it happened, and for that short period of time, we were all experiencing something new. I just remember someone yelling, "ONE HUNDRED PERCENT" and we all cheered as we watched in the dark.

[@Madamoizillion]

My partner and I flew to Indianapolis for the eclipse and watched it with the elephants at the zoo. The elephants didn't seem to do anything too different but I still got a possible answer to "What do elephants do during a solar eclipse?" But the lions started roaring as the light was dimming. It was so magical. It was longer and more intense than the 2017 eclipse???? I had my phone camera filming just to catch the crowd's reaction. It sounded like most of the people there, this was the first time they had seen one and being in a big group of people experiencing something extraordinary, many for whom this will be a once-in-a-lifetime event, is an indescribable feeling of human connection.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Elephants don't care. They're just going about their business.

[@haloweenparty10000]

Unlike almost any other show I've watched, I wanted to cry when I heard Journey to the Microcosmos will stop producing videos. In a similar sense to your (Hank) feeling responsible for its ending, I wished I had realized it was struggling financially because I would have become a Patreon. Of course, that begs the question why I didn't become a Patreon in the first place, whether or not the show was struggling, when I loved it so much. I guess I took it's existence for granted. Thank you Hank and the rest of the Microcosmos team for making such incredible videos and opening my eyes to a world around me that I didn't understand before, it changed my life.

[@jkitty542]

Perhaps this goes without saying, but thank you Hank.

[@jackwbishop]

I watched Vi Hart's video about the eclipse, and I had never considered before the existential terror of that gaping black hole in the sky -- just the total absence of light. It definitely must have some kind of unconscious element to it.

[@TKHaines]

I was going to be in Indy but changed plans to Greensburg instead. Had a great time watching the eclipse start, hit totality, and begin to end. And then I did a very human thing, while the eclipse wasn't completely over, I decided I had seen enough and left to go get eat.

[@vlogbrothers]

Oh for sure...I missed the last fifteen minutes of occlusion at least...

[@nymeria941]

I’ve got to be honest, despite watching a lot of the various nerd fighter shows, I didn’t even know about Microcosmos until KZbin recommended the farewell video to me. 😢 so while I’m sad to be coming in at the very end, I’m so grateful y’all made it because I am so delighted to start making my way through all the videos. Thanks for your relentless curiosity and sharing your enthusiasm for how weird and cool the world is 💜

[@batulkarim1482]

Still mildly disappointed I didn’t get to witness a solar eclipse

[@vlogbrothers]

Well I only got to see it for three and a half minutes, which is almost worse!!

[@jbaby362]

​@@vlogbrothersI think that's where I would end up too; just a small taste. Will have to book one of the flights that follows the totality

[@MarkThePage]

I've heard, and am living, that seeing an eclipse will actually make you want to see another eclipse MORE.

[@shakedownsanctuary]

@@MarkThePage yuuup, i went to canada to see this one, now i'm seriously considering going to iceland to see the next one. i rarely even leave my house. i think i might be an eclipse guy now lol.

[@deborahlawrence680]

@@vlogbrothersIceland 2026?

[@TheStumpyBrigade]

On a larger scale (and smaller scale than an eclipse), it sometimes feels like the world as it is now is inevitable but the truth is that it was made by human choices. That means all the cruelty, inequality, and sadness are the result of choices people have made. But that also means that we can all choose to try and make things better for everyone! Wonderful insight as always Hank!

[@sayntfuu]

It's almost like you are backing up into faith there.

[@vlogbrothers]

And yet somehow I am not!

[@sayntfuu]

@@vlogbrothers You'll get there eventually.

[@awaredeshmukh3202]

​@@vlogbrothers and even still it's an overwhelming and indescribable experience!!

[@mikalgibbs715]

You felt anger. I felt sadness, delayed by almost an entire day of contemplation and wonder. I cried on and off for about an hour on Tuesday, and a couple times when I tried to describe it to loved ones. I may never be able to recreate it, and it’s near impossible to beat.

[@WhataMensch]

Yeah hank and John rock. DFTBA and will you please make a video talking about your thoughts on the situation in the middle east as it will soon affect us all

[@IDFpartyboi972]

Eclipse is cool but I want to hear about your thoughts on what is happening with the occupation

[@Gwynbleidd503]

+

[@nicoleleseney4783]

Thank you and please pass on my thanks to your team as well for Journey to the Microcosmos. I learned a lot from it and I'll keep subscribed even when it ends so I can go back and watch those vids again several times. I know it can be hard to push people to pay attention to outskirt facts and I think you all did a great job of it. Thank you!

[@IDFpartyboi972]

Eclipse is amazing and I want you to talk about the Mid East and what his happening there more though.

[@WhataMensch]

Do you think he has an opinion?DFTBA and express it Hank!

[@TacticusPrime]

You mean John? It seems more like a thing that John would write something about.

[@marytereolivencia3119]

As a microbiologist I loved journey to the microcosmos. I get to see the tiny world within us and around us on a daily basis. It’s sad to see it end but thank you for creating it even if it was for a short time. I’m sure people like me will keep discovering it and watching the tiny world within our planet.

[@caringanddaring4006]

I'm getting ready to finish up my master's program, and I've been having a lot of feelings about it coming to an end. Thank you for this video, it helped a lot

[@ChadwickHorn]

I drove up to Indianapolis from Kentucky and so glad I did. The day before and the day after, the weather was crap. The day of... you couldn't really have asked for better. This is like my 18th eclipse, and they get more and more magical the more I see them. I'll be going to Spain in 2026 for the next one.

[@untappedinkwell]

What a miracle it is that we all get to be here doing impossible things together. DFTBA, y'all.

[@rosejuliette9180]

the idea that one of the most tallented and successful public educators of our time feels like a failure makes me feel very skeptical about if failure is a real thing or just a feeling we are determined to have from time to time.

[@SweaterThreadPersonal]

I really like the description of the eclipse as inevitable, because of its subtle implication that humans can’t somehow mess up the eclipse, and that’s a type of optimism that I really needed today!

[@GTaichou]

I had a really similar experience. This is my first experience of totality. Even though logically I knew what to expect, it just felt *wrong* and just really confusing. Like REALLY confusing. Like I think I actually slipped into a freeze reaction, I literally just could not process any thoughts. Head empty staring. Going and just being a tourist after felt so weird. EDIT: But the crowd experience was so nice. It was like going to a convention but it was EVERYONE. Truly a shared human experience. Felt like a huge community, and I really needed that. It gave me a lot of joy.

[@queenbey6678]

I didn't know that show/channel existed. Now I'm going to go binge.

[@celestialapparitions]

I'm so sad that microcosmos is ending but I feel grateful that I was even here to see it in the first place!💙 Thanks to everyone who helped make them possible. those videos are so comforting to me and I'll surely be rewatching them all again and again

[@hargisss]

The nice thing is Journey to the Microcosmos will still exist and be relevant for years to come... unlike youtube videos about speculative scientific theories or AI news. Thanks for all the hard work, it's a total success 🙂

[@Ru_bles]

Hank i fall asleep to the microcosmos videos all the time. They're so beautiful, and they remind me to love our world.

[@Icehawk55082]

Anyone else just want to fix Hank's collar? :)

[@sirsmokeefortwence25]

I never even heard of Journey to the Microcosmos! Bummer!

[@pamelajchristianphd8794]

KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK ON ALL FRONTS, Hank! (and, yes, I am shouting... :-) ... Failure only comes from not trying and, thankfully, feelings aren't fact (though, tell that to my passionate brain) ... I empathize 100% on EVERYTHING you just said. Your vision, and that of all you engage with, is inspiring and SO helpful to the rest of us trying to launch ideas/content into the world. :-) Peace with you and yours, my fellow human "doing".

[@felix56p]

hank has a very interesting skill where he can make me invested in any topic

[@AlexDings]

I was born in 1992 and am from Germany. We had a total solar eclipse in August 1999. So I got to see that when I was six (closing on seven) years old, and I must have filed that memory as something that everyone experiences sooner rather than later. I didn't realize at all that a science guy like Hank might never have experienced an eclipse at 43 years of age! As a kid it was of course mind-blowing, but I don't remember being spooked at all, I found it fascinating and amazing. I didn't actually get to see the sun, it was cloudy (my dad is a hobby astronomer and we drove around frantically in our car, but had no luck), but the sudden shadows and coolness were awe-inspiring enough.

[@aliciawadsworth6245]

I’m an electron microscopist and have been thinking for a while that the Complexly team should start doing SOMETHING on microscopy. I watch SciShow/PBS Eons/ a ton of other stuff from you guys on KZbin AND technical videos on microscopy procedures from DENS, JEOL, ProtoChip, FEI. I had no idea about Journey to the Microcosmos. Never heard of it. The algorithm screwed you guys over hugely here. That should have been a slam dunk recommendation for my feed. I’m so sorry to hear that it’s going away, but I’m excited to watch through the ones that already exist.

[@JeffinBville]

I’m 66. I've seen my share of partial solar eclipses and full/partial lunar eclipses but never a total solar. So I drove 170 miles down into Indiana (howdy, folks!), found an abandoned church parking lot in the middle of *nowhere* and holy cannoli! I'm sure the farm half a mile away heard me screaming, HOLY SH*T! over and over again at totality. The sight of it is still in my head. And, I did wave toward Indy to say 'Hello'!

[@albertqhumperdinck]

The last few seconds of totality were SO poignant, and heartbreaking, I felt this sharp contrast between my intellect telling me, you have to stop looking now, get those glasses, if you dont stop looking right now things are going to be very bad, but also SO DESPERATELY NOT WANTING TO STOP LOOKING. I think it was the most real life mythological thing I will probably ever experience.

[@ivytarablair]

now i have to have a good cry that Microcosmos is ending :( One of my favorite channels ever, I still use my microcosmos microscope, James' book sits next to my bed so I can enjoy it... thank you so much for helping this channel exist Hank, it has been a delight from start to finish and worth it on every level - a success as science, as art, as entertainment, a look into a novel world i otherwise would never have taken a look at, even as a science nerd :) THANKS, MICROCOSMOS TEAM - you made the world a better place for 4 years :) and that's the best thing humans can do with their time

[@untappedinkwell]

If you missed the eclipse or want to re-visit the feelings of that day, might I recommend the NASA livestream? Complete with streams from multiple telescopes throughout the path of totality, plenty of scientists sharing their perspectives, a member of NSYNC, an Indy 500 winner, Snoopy the Dog, AND streams from the ISS and the jets that were chasing the moon's shadow, it really does have everything! kzbin.info/www/bejne/aH6tipKmqbaKZ9E