Editor’s note: Country Today contributor Larry Scheckel sent us this account of seeing the total eclipse just after the event but, unfortunately, our pagination schedule meant it couldn’t make the paper until today.
“Oh, my God, that is so cool,” gushed a teenage boy next to our telescope set up. He was one of nine high school fellows from Purdue, Indiana that caravaned in two cars for two hours to view this once in a lifetime event. These lads were not playing hooky. All Indiana schools were closed for the day to witness the eclipse.
Ann and I avoided the bigger cities of southcentral Indiana, and selected the small town of Ellettsville, some 65 miles southwest of Indianapolis and 13 miles west of Bloomington. Our Solar Eclipse Timer App ($1.99) guaranteed us a total eclipse max of 4 minutes and 3 seconds.
Nearing town, we ignored the Fairgrounds sign, “Solar Eclipse Parking $40,” and turned into the Lifeway Baptist Church parking lot, with the “Free Parking” lawn sign. We like free. Senior Pastor Steve and Associate Pastor Doug made us feel welcome.
We set up our 6-inch Celestron telescope. Soon other eclipse peepers arrived; a pharmacist from Colorado, a realtor and his family from Two Rivers, Wisconsin, and a city planning engineer from Chicago. We were early and had a two-hour wait, with time to eat a sandwich and converse with others.
The grand spectacle started at 1:49 p.m. EDT, the Moon moving in front of the Sun. With our filtered telescope and Solar Eclipse glasses, it appeared the Moon had taken a bite out of the lower righthand corner of the Sun.
Gradually, more of the Sun was covered by the Moon. It got darker. Shadows were sharper. The streetlights out on the highway came on. There was a noticeable drop in temperature. Totality at 3:03 pm. Oohs and aahs from the 30 plus assemblage. What a thrill! We took a few photos.
Four minutes of complete darkness, then it was over, as if dawn happened in a few seconds. The streetlights turned off. Folks headed for cars. The nine sophomores and juniors from Purdue headed back north. It was a delight to talk to them. We dissembled the telescope, packed it away, and turned the car toward Kentucky.
These eclipses, both lunar and solar, seem like an accident of nature. The Sun is 400 times farther away from us compared to the Moon and about 400 times bigger. But, both Sun and Moon are about the same size in the sky, subtending about a half-degree.
This was not our first total solar eclipse. We observed the 1979 solar eclipse, setting up on an irrigation dike west of Winnipeg, Canada, and witnessed the 2017 solar eclipse in Nebraska. It never gets old. One is never sure of viewing conditions. Clouds can wipe out the experience. We have alternate plans. In 2017, we motored west out of Nebraska and tooled around Colorado for several days. For 2024, we headed down into Kentucky to visit the Creation Museum and Noah’s Ark.
Some sage said, “Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.” South of Rockford, Illinois, we encountered the Illinois prairie, and I think of John Deere (1804-1886) who developed the self-scouring steel plow that could break up the tough prairie sod.
We passed Paw-Paw, Illinois, named after the Potawatomi Indians who lived there until chased off by land-hungry whites. Farther south, the corn crop is up, sufficient to discern rows. Winter wheat is 6-8 inches tall. Trees are leafed out. Dandelions are out and red bud trees show off their lavender-purple flowers.
The countryside and small towns hosts Lutheran, Methodist, and Baptist Churches. We’re sure there’s some Catholics around, but we don’t see them. Marathon and Circle K gas stations predominate. Quik Trip has not reached this far south.
It rained all day on our trip from Tomah to central Indiana. Monday, total solar eclipse day, was gorgeous. Today, Tuesday, it’s cloudy, with rain threatening. God has been good to us.
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