Central Indiana Communities Already Preparing For The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse
The solar eclipse of April 8, 2024, will be total in a narrow path from Mexico to the Canadian maritimes and partial to the northwest and southeast. Yellow curves indicate how much of the Sun is covered by the Moon outside the path of totality. The difference between a total solar eclipse and a partial one is literally the difference between night and day, so get yourself into the path of totality if you can. Image created by Michael Zeiler, GreatAmericanEclipse.com.
By Max Lewis
CBS4 News, Indianapolis
CARMEL — It’s still more than a year away but right now, central Indiana is getting ready for the path of a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.
The last total solar eclipse in the U.S. was in August of 2017. Places in states like Nebraska, Oregon, Missouri and South Carolina experienced a bump in tourism that August and had parties to see the eclipse.
Local communities in central Indiana are already starting the planning process to prepare for a similar influx of eclipse chasers.
On Monday evening, Feb. 27, the Carmel Clay School Board unanimously voted to change their spring break next year so that students won’t return until the day after the eclipse to avoid the expected crowds.
Keith Turner is the planetarium director at Carmel Clay Schools and traveled to Kentucky to see it firsthand back in 2017.
“It’s just so otherworldly,” Turner said. “As you get near totality the temperature drops 10 to 20 degrees, birds and bugs are confused, it gets really dark.“
Turner showed us what Hoosiers will see next April when the eclipse path goes straight through Indiana.
He said the crowds it’s expected to bring with it are almost as amazing as the eclipse itself.
“We are expecting in the greater Indianapolis area, including Carmel, 500 thousand to two million extra people,” Turner said.
That number of people overwhelmed many communities in 2017, including the one Turner traveled to.
“Even though there were signs put up that said ‘don’t stop on the interstate for the eclipse’ people just pulled off on the interstate and stopped,” Turner said.
That’s why preparations are underway right now and changes are already being made.
“We are covering every detail from do lights need to stay on when it’s the total eclipse to how many glasses do we need to order,” Sarah Buckner with Visit Hamilton County said.
Visit Hamilton County has formed an organizing committee for the event. Since the eclipse falls on a Monday, they’re hoping tourists will make a weekend out of it and pack local hotels.
They’re already scouting sites for watch parties.
“Places like Conner Prairie, Grand Park, Ruoff Music Center,” Buckner said.
Turner is just hoping that on April 8, 2024, the weather will look a lot different than it did on Monday.
“If you want to see it live, with your own eyeballs, this will be on your last chance through Central Indiana,” Turner said.
The next total solar eclipse to come through the Hoosier state will not be until 2153.
Visit Indy and Bloomington’s tourism bureau told FOX 59 they’re starting discussions and planning for this event as well.
Turner said the big thing that you’re going to need is eclipse glasses as it is dangerous to look at the eclipse until the sun is completely behind the moon.
Back in 2017, the glasses became hard to find so officials suggested getting a pair sooner rather than later.
You can find more information about Hamilton County’s planning here.
More information about the eclipse’s path can be found here.