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The sky will go totally dark for 4 minutes, starting at 1:59
p.m., giving people a once in a lifetime opportunity to view the
solar corona, the jacket of gasses that makes up the outer
atmosphere of the Sun.
The stunning "ring of fire" corona is only visible when the moon
covers the sun completely. In Chicago, people should have their
solar glasses ready so that they can watch the sky go dark at
midday when the moon covers 95% of the sun. But the glorious
corona will not be visible in Chicago because the darkness will
not be total.
Sarah VanVooren, director of events and conferences, says SIU
has been preparing for years to celebrate the 2024 solar eclipse
sky show with a four-day festival of events and activities,
including a special comic convention called Saluki-Con during
that weekend and the Crossroads Astronomy, Science and
Technology Expo in the Banterra Center.
Many events are free and they are family friendly.
For everything you need to know about the Southern Illinois
Crossroads Eclipse Festival, check the website eclipse.siu.edu/festival/.
Click the “visit” link to find campsites, accommodations and
even an option to sleep in a twin bed in an SIU residence hall.
On the day of the eclipse, SIU is partnering with the Adler
Planetarium in Chicago and NASA to host a giant viewing party in
Saluki Stadium. The guided viewing experience will feature
Michelle Nichols of the Adler Planetarium and a cast of hosts
and scientists. The stadium scoreboard and big screens will
provide dedicated solar telescope feeds of the eclipse from
across North America.
In 2017, Carbondale experienced a total solar eclipse, welcoming
crowds with a great experience.
Cloudy weather could diminish the view of the eclipse, but
depending on the level and thickness of the clouds, people may
get a brief glimpse of the eclipse in spite of cloudy skies.
People who can’t make it to an eclipse viewing on April 8 will
have to wait until August 2044 for the next solar eclipse that
is visible from the contiguous United States. For another total
solar eclipse that passes over Southern Illinois, the wait will
be 350 years.
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