USI is hosting Solarpalooza, a free 2-day event to view the total solar eclipse for students, staff and the Evansville community April 7-8, 2024.
Evansville will have a direct view of the complete solar eclipse.
According to NASA, the eclipse will be partially visible around 12:45 p.m. and reach totality at 2:02 p.m. in Evansville. The eclipse will remain in totality for over three minutes. The solar eclipse will pass over 13 states, starting in the southwest and traveling across the country.
According to the USI Solarpalooza webpage, Solarpalooza starts at 7 p.m. April 7, 2024, with a talk from retired NASA astronaut Joan Higginbotham in the Screaming Eagles Arena. Her presentation, “Breaking Barriers: An Astronaut’s Inspiring & Winding Road to Space,” will discuss her journey of boarding the STS-116 space shuttle mission to the International Space Station.
Solarpalooza will feature music on The Quad, a food truck festival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and presentations from students and staff.
USI is also providing educational resources and lesson materials for secondary school teachers.
USI’s Solarpalooza web page provides information about the importance of eye safety during the solar eclipse, requirements for solar eclipse glasses and places to purchase them.
According to the American Astronomical Society, solar eclipse glasses must meet the requirements of the International Organization for Standardization 12312-2 model. USI is offering solar eclipse glasses for the first 10,000 attendees to sign up.
USI expects around 500,000 people to travel to Indiana to view the solar eclipse, according to 14News.
The 2017 solar eclipse in Evansville had a 99.04% totality, according to the Tristate Homepage. The 2024 eclipse will be the only visible eclipse in the United States until 2044.
To register for solar eclipse glasses and other developing information, attendees can visit USI’s webpage on Solarpalooza.