I never expected to be where I am today.
As a space correspondent, I've spent the better part of the last decade bouncing back and forth about moving to Florida to live on the Space Coast, where I could attend all the rocket launches and put myself in the middle of a lot of space news. It is happening. But unfortunately, for a number of reasons, both personal and professional, I remain content where I am.
In 2017, shortly after moving to my current residence, I traveled to Fulton, Missouri to witness my first collection Solar eclipse. It had taken a four-hour drive to get there the night before, and given the popularity of the event, the accommodation I was able to book was well below five-star. However, I was there to witness an incredibly magnificent celestial event, so it didn't matter that the tub blocked the bathroom door from closing.
Related: Here are the most amazing photos and videos of the 2017 solar eclipse
The total solar eclipse that day was amazing. I took some mostly passable photos and became filled with excitement for the next solar eclipse that would occur in seven years. I wondered as I drove home that evening whether I would eventually need to travel for the 2024 eclipse. I knew I would either have to travel farther next time (hopefully from Florida), or I wouldn't have to travel at all.
I just moved to beautiful Bloomington, Indiana, and whether I expected it at the time or not, I'm still here seven years later, sitting directly in the path of the total solar eclipse on April 8.
On that day, the moon will pass directly in front of the sun, casting its shadow on Earth, creating approximately four and a half minutes of total eclipse for viewers on its way across North America. Bloomington, like hundreds of small cities and towns along the path of totality, was bracing for an onslaught of skywatchers on the big day. Bloomington is a true college town, home to nearly 80,000 people, nearly half of whom are Indiana University (IU) students. And all 80,000 of us are preparing ourselves.
Local officials estimate that as many as 300,000 visitors may travel to Bloomington to view the eclipse, and this city doesn't even see those kind of numbers for Little 500. The city has Advise People are filling up their gas tanks early, avoiding unnecessary travel and preparing for potential cell phone outages due to additional congestion. You might think a blizzard is coming.
In this case, planning to view the eclipse from Bloomington, or anywhere along the path of totality in the Midwestern United States, comes with a very big risk. Historical cloud coverage in the area for April 8 doesn't paint a promising picture of sun seeing that day, and that fact has me worried.
Now, partly cloudy, or even mostly cloudy, doesn't worry me as much as the prospect of completely cloudy skies. Luckily, Even with moderate cloud coverThe eclipse is not a complete wash. There are some big names coming along with 300,000 other visitors to Bloomington to see the eclipse. spacethanks to the event organized by IU.
The Hoosier Cosmic Celebration is a giant eclipse viewing party in Bloomington, hosted by the university at IU Memorial Football Stadium. Retired NASA astronaut May Jemison He was booked to speak, as was science fiction's biggest captain, William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk in the original film.Star Trek“ series. Shatner also became the oldest person to travel to space when he was It was launched on a Blue Origin suborbital flight On October 13, 2021, as part of this day's celebrations, IU arranged for Blue original The new Shepard space capsule will be brought to the stadium and will offer ticket holders the opportunity to experience a space simulation.
Following the totality of the eclipse, singer, songwriter and actress Janelle Monáe is scheduled to perform a concert capping off the excitement of the day. In addition to the most amazing eclipse party ever, Monáe has her own unique connection to space. Monáe starred in the movie”Hidden figures“, depicts NASA Mathematician and engineer Mary W. Jackson.
Shatner recently celebrated his 93rd birthday and is as active as ever. He spoke with Space.com and other local media in Indiana ahead of IU's cosmic celebration, and said that come rain or shine, we're bound to experience something wonderful. “It could also be a clear, bright, beautiful, warm spring day, and we'll all enjoy the benefits of Hoosier weather. What happens if it's cloudy? I don't know. It's like looking into a hole.” Barkan says: “What are we going to do about this thing?” “Nothing can be done. Nothing can be done,” he told reporters.
the darkness. Oh, the sun will be eclipsed. This alone is a tremendous event. As you know, it happens every year. the [moon] It blocks the Sun's path every year, but only affects a narrow portion of the Earth. So, the next storm over Indiana will be 100 years from now. We'd all be dead. I may not be, but you guys will be dead next time. So it's an event. But when you think about the mystery of your contemplation of what is happening in the sky, it is enormous.
William Shatner
“For me, the magic of eclipses, and the extraordinary events that occurred in celestial bodies to cause this eclipse, should make us think about the mystery of existence, our existence, the existence of everything else, and how it unifies everything,” Shatner said.
His part of the celebration is scheduled to take place immediately before its completion. He hasn't put together everything he plans to say yet, but he expects it will last about 15 minutes, leading up to the moment of totality, when darkness descends across the sky. “My last words, I'm sure, will be: 'And now the eclipse will happen!'” Shatner said.
So, no matter what happens, clouds or no clouds, I will stay put. Bloomington has been my home longer than any other place I've lived in my adult life, and the fact that a total eclipse passes directly over my house is a celestial alignment I can't take for granted. If you're not going to college, get there. An eclipse like this won't pass over the United States for another 20 years, so this one is not to be missed. I have a feeling it's going to be an unforgettable day.
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