University Calendar

Celestial Event: Total Solar Eclipse

Total Eclipse Timetable
Eclipse Begins 1:52:12.8 PM ET	Totality Begins 3:07:31.9 PM ET	Duration of Totality 3 min 44 sec (at Ball State)	Totality Ends 3:11:16.3 PM ET	Eclipse Ends 4:24:15.9 PM ET

NOTE: The exact times for totality will vary by location. The times above are listed for the Bell Tower on the campus of Ball State University as obtained from eclipsewise.com.

On Monday, April 8, 2024, Muncie, Indiana, will be given a once in a lifetime opportunity when the path of the total solar eclipse passes over our community. This is the first total solar eclipse to visit Muncie since 957CE! For 3 minutes and 44 seconds, Ball State University will be plunged into deep twilight as the Moon hides the Sun from our sky.

Once those mere minutes have passed, it will be another 75 years before a similar experience can be seen again without traveling far. Even then, a total solar eclipse in 2099 will only come as close as Fort Wayne.

The planetarium will be closed the day of the solar eclipse; we encourage people to use the tools and the information learned during previous planetarium events at their favorite outdoor viewing site. Before the day of the eclipse, make sure to experience one or more of the planetarium's special events and read through the text below to prepare yourself for this important day.

TimeandDate.com

VisitMuncie.org

How to Watch From Muncie

You need proper eye protection to safely watch solar eclipses. NEVER look directly at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed Sun without appropriate eye wear. The planetarium has a limited supply of eclipse glasses available. Glasses are FREE to planetarium show guests with a suggested cash donation of $1. No glasses will be distributed the day of the eclipse from the planetarium.

Total Solar Eclipse - Monday, April 8, 2024

The solar eclipse will begin at roughly 1:52pm ET, when the Moon starts to block out the southwest side of the Sun (at the 5 o'clock mark). You will need protective solar glasses to view the Sun directly during all partial phases of the solar eclipse.

Remember...

Always inspect your device before use; if torn, scratched, or otherwise damaged, do not use it.
Put certified solar glasses on before looking at the Sun. Remove after you’ve looked away.
Always supervise children using solar viewers.
Eclipse glasses should be worn over eyeglasses.
Seek expert advice before using a solar filter with a camera, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device. Specialized solar filters must be attached to the front of any telescope, binoculars, camera lens, or other optics as concentrated solar rays will burn through solar filters.

The Moon will continue to block out more of the Sun until totality, when the Sun's disk is fully blocked by the Moon and the Sun's outer atmosphere is visible. Totality at Ball State begins just before 3:08pm (exact times depend on your longitude and latitude).

For totality...

Totality is when you can safely view the eclipse without any eye protection because the entire face of the Sun will be completely blocked by the Moon allowing you to see the outer atmosphere of the Sun, the corona (photographed below).
Right before totality, the diamond-ring effect will be visible as the last bit of bright light shines around the Moon. It is recommended that you wait for this to end and for there to be no light visible through your eclipse glasses before looking at totality without eclipse glasses. While you do not want to take your glasses off too soon, do not miss out on viewing totality without the glasses as you will not be able to see the corona otherwise.
You may see some people removing their eclipse glasses during the diamond-ring effect, before the eclipse fully reaches totality, this is not recommended by the official guide from NASA.
Totality will last roughly 3 minutes and 44 seconds at Ball State, with it ending shortly after 3:11pm ET. Put your eclipse glasses back on before totality ends to protect your eyes. If you start to see the diamond-ring effect, or any bright light from the Sun, it is past the recommended time to put your glasses back on and you should look away immediately.

The composite image below captures close to what the human eye sees during the totality portion of a total solar eclipse. Wisps of light surround the obscured Sun. These are visible portions of the Sun's outer atmosphere, the corona, shaped by the Sun's intense magnetic field. (Image credit: NASA/S. Habbal, M. Druckmüller and P. Aniol)

The solar eclipse will continue in its partial phases after totality until the entire event ends around 4:24pm ET. Again, you will need protective solar glasses to view the Sun directly during all partial phases of the solar eclipse.

What is a Solar Eclipse?

Eclipses happen when one object in space passes through the shadow of another object in space. During a solar eclipse, the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth in just the right way that it blocks all or part of the Sun for select viewers on the Earth. Solar eclipses can be broken up into different types. Read more about them below.

Total Solar Eclipse

A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon covers the entire disk of the Sun in the sky. People can see a total solar eclipse in the center of the Moon’s shadow when it hits Earth. A total solar eclipse is the only type of solar eclipse where viewers can watch without eclipse glasses when the Moon is completely blocking the Sun (what is known as totality). Weather permitting, people in the path of a total solar eclipse can see the Sun’s corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun, during totality.

Annular Solar Eclipse

An annular solar eclipse happens when the Moon is lined up between the Sun and Earth, but it is farther away from Earth than usual, making it appear smaller than the Sun in the sky. Therefore, it does not block the entire disk of the Sun, but creates what looks like a ring around the Moon.

Partial Solar Eclipse

A partial solar eclipse happens when only part of the Sun appears to be covered by the Moon. For a given time and place, during a total or annular solar eclipse, people outside the Moon's inner shadow see a partial solar eclipse.

All the types of solar eclipses defined above are dependent on the viewers location on Earth. Viewers in the Moon's shadow have the chance to see partial phases during all solar eclipse types, making all eclipses dynamic and evolving.

Learn more about the science behind eclipses from the American Astronomical Society's 2024 Eclipse website.

Timeline of Eclipses In & Around Muncie

June 3, 2505: Muncie’s next total solar eclipse after the 2024 total eclipse.
September 14, 2099: Next nearby total solar eclipse after 2024 occurs in Fort Wayne and other nearby cities.
July 23, 2093: Muncie’s next annular eclipse.
April 8, 2024: Muncie’s first total solar eclipse in over a thousand years.
October 14, 2023: The second annular solar eclipse worldwide of the 2020s and the only one of the decade where the path of annularity goes through the United States. For Muncie, about 42% of the Sun will be covered.
August 21, 2017: The “Great American Eclipse”. It was the first solar eclipse visible across the entire United States since 1918 and the first total solar eclipse seen anywhere in the mainland United States since 1979. For Muncie, about 91% of the Sun was covered.
August 7, 1869: The last total solar eclipse to touch the soil of Indiana. The Hoosier college towns of Bloomington, Greencastle, Terre Haute, and Evansville all enjoyed totality, but Muncie only saw about 98% of the Sun covered.
September 14, 1205: The last total solar eclipse seen from parts of Indianapolis. The path of totality also cut through seven other state capitals to varying degrees: St. Paul, Madison, Springfield, Nashville, Frankfort, Atlanta, and Columbia. For Muncie, however, only about 98.5% of the Sun was covered.
December 26, 1125: The third annular eclipse seen from Muncie in the second millennium.
July 29, 957: The last total solar eclipse seen from Muncie. For the United States, it was a coast-to-coast eclipse that placed much of northern Indiana in the path of totality, including Muncie. For Muncie, totality lasted for 2 minutes and 44 seconds.

Calendar Information

Calendars: Charles W. Brown Planetarium, Physics and Astronomy, College of Sciences and Humanities, Teachers College, Student Life

Start: April 8, 2024 1:52 p.m.
End: April 8, 2024 4:25 p.m.

A total solar eclipse will occur during the day on April 8, 2024 and will only be visible by only some of the world, including Muncie, IN (weather permitting, with proper eye protection)! The solar eclipse will begin on Monday, April 8, 2024 at approximately 1:52:13 p.m.*, when the Moon starts to block out the southwest side of the Sun (at the 5 o'clock mark).

The Moon will continue to block out more of the Sun until totality, when the Sun is fully blocked by the Moon. Totality in Muncie begins at 3:07:32 p.m. You can safely view this portion of the eclipse, and this short portion alone, without any eye protection because the entire face of the Sun will be completely blocked by the Moon. Here at Ball State University, totality will last 3 minutes and 44 seconds, with it ending at 3:11:16 p.m. The partial solar eclipse will continue until the entire event ends at 4:24:16 p.m. *Exact start and end times will vary by location.

To learn more about this solar eclipse and others, keep watching our website and social media pages, and visit the links below: