The eclipse is coming!
IUK Observatory holds monthly open houses for stargazers
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A small group of stargazers assembled on May 21 to take a look at Venus at the Indiana University Kokomo Observatory, but it was the impending arrival of a total eclipse that had the room buzzing.
Kokomo and all of central Indiana are in the path of a total solar eclipse, which will take place on April 8, 2024. When it happens, the area within the 115-mile totality of the eclipse will go as dark as night. Birds will fall silent and begin to roost. And as it approaches totality, the shadows of leaves in the trees will change shape to mimic the occlusion of the sun.
IUK Physics Professor Patrick Motl led the discussion at the observatory open house, explaining with obvious excitement how the eclipse will appear locally. Kokomo sits literally at the very edge of the totality. In fact, the city is bisected by it. Motl explained that people living in the northwest part of the city will miss the total eclipse, while those in the southeast will experience it for about 35 seconds.
“First contact will start at 1:51 p.m. in Kokomo, and the totality will begin at 3:08 p.m. and 16 seconds,” said Motl. “Those 16 seconds matter because the totality in Kokomo ends 35 seconds later.”
In Indiana, Motl proposed that Bloomington will be a prime place for viewing the eclipse as the city sits near the center of the totality. The total eclipse will last four minutes and two seconds there.
The timing and duration of the eclipse is causing some scheduling problems for schools who want their students to experience the phenomenon. Motl explained that the eclipse will take place right about the time that schools are releasing their students for the day. And then there is the problem of location.
“Some schools are going to be in the path of totality; some schools are just out of the path of totality,” said Motl. “Superintendents are sort of trying to figure out what they're going to do.”
What is certain is that IUK will be watching the eclipse as it happens and will livestream images captured by the observatory’s telescope.
“We’re just crossing our fingers for clear skies,” said Motl.
Indiana isn’t the only place that will experience the total eclipse. The path of the eclipse runs from Mexico to Maine, and if the past is any indication, people in communities all along that path should prepare for an influx of skywatchers.
Places like Hillsboro, Tex., Russellville, Ark., and Cape Girardeau, Mo., will have prime views of the eclipse, which will draw thousands of people to those towns. In Indiana, Vincennes is located squarely on the center line of the totality and will experience four minutes and five seconds of darkness.
“I think a lot of people don't necessarily appreciate how many eclipse viewers there are,” said Motl. “Take just one case study from the 2017 eclipse, Columbia, SC, was well placed as the Eclipse went out into the Atlantic Ocean. It was the last place in contact with the eclipse as it went across the United States.
“Ordinarily, Columbia’s population is 130,020. On the day of the eclipse, it was 530,000. And the economic impact was estimated at $48 million. If it looks like the weather is going to be good, central Indiana is going to have a lot of people. It’s going to be a lot of traffic, bumper to bumper.
“There are a lot of people in Chicago, a lot of people in Michigan, or a lot of people from all over who are going to travel to what looks like the best spot on the path of totality.”
Motl explained that Earth experiences about two eclipses per year on average. They vary greatly by location and type. Total eclipses, such as the one on April 8, happen about once every 18 months, and the path could take place anywhere. The last total eclipse to cross North America took place in 2017.
Other eclipses can be annular, where the moon’s distance from the Earth is at or near its greatest. It’s occlusion cannot block the sun entirely, causing a “ring of fire” to be visible about the moon. A partial solar eclipse happens when the Earth, moon, and sun are not in full syzygy, or alignment. Only part of the sun is blocked.
The final eclipse type is called a hybrid. Because of the curvature of the Earth, sometimes an eclipse changes from annular to total as the moon’s shadow moves across the planet.
The next annular eclipse will take place on Oct. 14. It will cross North America from Oregon to Texas. The next total eclipse to cross North America after April 8, 2024, won’t take place until Aug. 23, 2044.
If eclipses, stargazing, meteor showers, and other astronomical events interest you, IU Kokomo hosts an observatory open house each month during the school year. It also hosts a Space Explorers Club, designed to get young people in grades K-12 involved in and excited about astronomy. Joining is as easy as attending the observatory open houses.
According to Motl, kids who participate in just one open house will receive a diffraction lens, which splits light up across the visible spectrum, creating a kaleidoscope effect.
“It's a little nudge to try to encourage people who are interested in science to get involved,” said Motl. “They can just show up. They don't have to sign up for anything or register for anything.”
Those attending five open houses will receive a “forever” star chart, which shows the position of the stars and constellations at any point in time. Space Explorers Club members who attend 10 open houses will receive an actual telescope that can be set on a tabletop. Motl said the telescope is powerful enough to clearly see the rings of Saturn.
Each open house includes a special program on astronomy. For instance, the March 2023 open house featured a talk about finding planets in other solar systems. In February, the topic was comets and supernovae.
There is no cost to join the IUK Space Explorers Club. The university holds 10 open houses a year, typically on the second Sunday evening of each month, August through May. The date does move in May to avoid Mother’s Day.
The next open house will take place in August. IU Kokomo will publicize the event at https://newsroom.iuk.edu/index.html. The Kokomo Lantern also will include each open house announcement in “What’s Happening This Week?” which appears each Sunday at www.kokomolantern.com.