Imagine being engulfed in darkness, the evils arising from the underworld. Thankfully, on August 22, 2017 the world was okay when the solar eclipse ran it’s course. Starting in the south eastern part of the United States and heading north west, this phenomenon was looked forward to by many Americans but only a few got to experience the total darkness. Places not covered in darkness only experienced a partial eclipse. This means that only a piece was noticeable in places not in line with the eclipse’s course such as California. Even then, the sky looked like day but it felt as if it were cloudy, gloomy weather. The only way to able to see the eclipse from California is to use special glasses that protect the eye from damage. How does it work? Typically, they are 100,000 times darker than sunglasses and are made of black polymer, a flexible resin infused with carbon particles. This blocks out all UV rays and nearly all visible light.

It seems everyone was trying to get in on the solar eclipse’s rarity. Companies such as Chiquita, Dunkin’ Donuts, Krispy Kreme, and even Denny’s are using the eclipse to promote themselves. Chiquita uses the eclipse and markets the bananas as the “banana sun.” Dunkin’ Donuts shows how to see the sun without special glasses. Dunkin’ Donuts uses their “munchkin boxes” and foil to create this contraption to see the sun without damaging your eyes. Krispy Kreme promotes themselves with the limited edition total eclipse chocolate donuts which are actually really good as I’ve tried them myself. Not so surprising, Denny uses the eclipse to promote $4 all you can eat pancakes calling them mooncakes.

With it’s rarity, it’s no wonder everyone was trying to get in on this natural phenomenon.