INDIANAPOLIS—On April 8, crowds across North America watched in awe when the moon briefly blocked the sun's rays, spreading a shadow across a 115-mile-wide area of planet Earth.
As totality neared, a silence descended over the thousand or so individuals assembled at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Moments later, the quiet was broken by cheers, children yelling, gasps of awe, and yells of "Awesome!""
The solar eclipse of 2024 was the last to be observed in North America in 20 years. The total eclipse, which lasted about 3 1/2 minutes, left an indelible effect on all who witnessed it.
A complete or annular eclipse is an uncommon occurrence. The last time one was seen from Central Indiana was almost 800 years ago. This astronomical aberration sent cities from San Antonio to Montreal into crisis mode, with officials bracing for unprecedented numbers of visitors and congested roadways.
Despite the logistical challenges, large audiences assembled for what many saw as a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Some people come to see the event only for the adventure.
“I have no idea what to expect,” Raina Skeels, 38, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, told The Epoch Times.
She came to Indianapolis with her husband, Curtis, for her first eclipse viewing.
“We were looking for a place to camp, and we saw they had entertainment and food here [at the Indiana State Fairgrounds],” Ms. Skeels said.
Brittany Arnett, 41, of Indianapolis, came hoping to make a memory with her 12-year-old daughter.
“I saw a partial eclipse years ago when I was in school,” she said.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Ms. Arnett told The Epoch Times, noting that the last time that she saw an eclipse, it was a partial eclipse and that she was in grade school at the time.
“I wanted to have that experience with my daughter.”
Others came hoping to fulfill a lifelong ambition or repeat their near-magical encounter with the 2017 eclipse that traversed the United States from Oregon to South Carolina.
“I want to be in the shadow,” Adrian Montalvo, 35, of Chicago, told The Epoch Times.
He said he had seen two partial eclipses, but standing in the shadow of a total eclipse would fulfill a childhood dream.
“It was a very emotional experience,” Jerry Lech, 80, of Carey, North Carolina, told The Epoch Times, speaking of the 2017 event.
He and his wife, Pat, traveled to Indiana to repeat the experience.
Mr. Ming, 70, a native of China who now lives in rural Kentucky, called the experience of viewing the eclipse in 2017 “a wondrous event.”
“You move heaven and earth to see that event,” he said. “When you experience it, you feel a little bit different. You feel the sun’s power. Once the moon blocks the sun, you feel cooler, you feel more precarious. You understand that your situation is not so safe because your existence could be affected by an event in the universe.”
During the eclipse, the moon crossed between the sun and Earth, casting a shadow over a small portion of the globe. The umbra, the darkest part of the shadow, swept over the Earth, forming a 115-mile wide swath known as the zone of totality.
During totality, the corona, a ring of silver light around the ebony disk of the moon, emerged and was visible to the naked eye. The temperature dropped significantly, and not-quite-total darkness fell.
A solar prominence, which is a red plasma and magnetic field that extends from the sun's surface, was dimly visible at the sun's southern pole. Dave Robbins, 72, of Ypsilanti, Michigan, was able to picture the phenomena using a telescope.
The eclipse is only partially total on both sides of that route, allowing a bit of the sun to be seen. This forms a partial shadow known as the penumbra.
The total eclipse was visible on Mexico's west coast beginning at 9:07 a.m. EDT and arrived on the northeast coast of Canada around 3:45 p.m. In between, it went through 11 states and the cities of San Antonio and Dallas; Little Rock, Arkansas; Indianapolis; Cleveland; and Buffalo, Syracuse, and Plattsburgh, New York.
Jennifer Martinez, 52, a middle school science teacher from Woodstock, Illinois, was struck speechless by the incident.
“I’ve been nerding out about this for seven years now,” she told The Epoch Times. “I told my family that I had to be here.
“It’s just the most amazing moment. I don’t know how to describe the feeling. It was just an incredible feat the universe put on for us today. … I’m breathless.”
Some students from Purdue University were intrigued by the phenomenon itself.
“I think one of my favorite parts was seeing what looked like a simultaneous sunrise and sunset on the sides,” student Bella Reid, 20, told The Epoch Times. “It’s just like bits of sunlight still out there.”
Avery Mantyla, 22, said, “I liked the chill of it coming. You could feel the air getting cold before totality, which is wild—the impact it has.”
Peter Timpane, 19, said, “It was just an absolutely fantastic experience.”
The entire eclipse was only visible from a restricted route, but the majority of North Americans were able to see a partial eclipse.
Heather Quarles of Newberry, Florida, took her 10-year-old son, Chael, out of school in the early afternoon so he could view the eclipse. The school had declared that all outside activities in the afternoon would be canceled.
