Although some believe next Monday is another day off of school, it is much more than just that. Indianapolis will be able to witness a total solar eclipse at 3:05 PM. Science teacher Mrs. Dawn Gilmore created a slideshow with detailed descriptions of how the eclipse will be.
In the slideshow, Gilmore said “Total eclipses are not rare in how often they occur. They occur every year or two somewhere on the earth’s surface. But the width of totality is relatively small at around 100 miles. So, they are literally a once in a lifetime event.”
The eclipse will begin to occur around 2PM. Similar to when we had a partial eclipse in 2017 the moon will partially cover the sun and create flashes of light and shadows. At 3:03 the moon will continue to move across the sun and cover it fully, leaving little shines of light called Baily’s Beads.
Baily’s Beads are rays from the sun streaming through the valleys. At 3:05 there will be one bright spot at the edge of the moon’s shadow. Once the ring disappears, the sky will be dark and the moon will completely cover the sun for about three to five minutes. It is anticipated that over 100,000 people will be visiting Indianapolis to view the solar eclipse with their own eyes.
Senior Neely Greene, said “I am very excited about the solar eclipse. I remember watching the partial eclipse in 6th grade and thinking it was so cool. From what I have heard the total eclipse will be even better and such an awesome life experience.”
Science teacher, Mr. Elliot Herschberger Grey said “It is very important that you keep your protective glasses on until the eclipse reaches totality. That will last only about three to five minutes. If weather permits it will get super dark and animals could be confused and based on where you are, you may be able to see them or hear them.”
Although Cathedral will not be together in person on the 8th, science teachers will be teaching about the eclipse all week during class. Religion teachers will be handing out protective glasses to all students on Thursday and Friday. If students post pictures on any social media with the hashtag #CHSeclipse24 students will be entered into a contest to win a gift card prize. To learn more about the total Solar eclipse, Mrs. Gilmore created a slideshow presentation Solar eclipse 2024.
