Partial solar eclipses will be visible in Northwest Indiana skies in October, April
Northwest Indiana residents will have two opportunities to view a partial solar eclipse in the next seven months. The second event, which will block out nearly all sunlight over the region in April, will be the last eclipse visible in North America until 2045.
On October 14, a solar eclipse will be visible in much of North, Central and South America. The moon’s orbit around the earth is elliptical, so the distance between the two bodies varies. Because the moon will pass between the earth and sun while further from the earth, the result will be an annular eclipse, with a ring of light visible around the moon’s shadow. The full annular eclipse will be visible in a corridor running from Oregon to Texas.
Northwest Indiana will experience a 50% eclipse starting at 10:37 a.m. and lasting around two and a half hours. Jessica Warner, a physics and astronomy lecturer at Indiana University Northwest, said that the effect will be subtle.
“You’re not really going to notice that much unless you’re looking for it,” she told the Post-Tribune.
Anyone using using specially made eclipse viewers will see the sun appear to take on a crescent shape as the moon’s shadow blocks out a portion of it. The effect can also be viewed through a homemade pinhole projector or even some common household objects.
“If you have a wicker chair or something that has little holes in it and you look at the shadow of the chair, you’ll see the little holes start to appear crescent shaped,” Warner explained.
Experts caution against viewing an eclipse without eye protection. NASA’s website warns that “viewing any part of the bright Sun through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics will instantly cause severe eye injury,”
On April 8, 2024, the region will see a more dramatic solar spectacle. A total solar eclipse, with the moon blocking out all direct sunlight, will sweep across the United States from Texas to Maine. Much of central Indiana, including Indianapolis and Bloomington, will be in the path of totality.
Northwest Indiana will see 95% of the effect. The eclipse will first become visible at 12:51 pm. and last until 3:22 p.m., reaching its peak at 2:07 p.m. As the sunlight dims, the planet Venus might become visible in the daytime sky, Warner said.
“You might notice a slight temperature drop as the shadow moves further in front of the sun. That definitely happens if you’re in the path of totality,” she said. “It may happen somewhat during the 95% coverage as well.”
The last solar eclipse visible in the United States occurred on August 21, 2017, with the path of totality crossing 14 states from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast. Dubbed the “Great American Eclipse,” it was the first such spectacle visible in the continental United States in nearly four decades and the first solar eclipse to hit both of the country’s coasts since 1918. After April 8, the contiguous United States will not see another solar eclipse until August 12, 2045.
