RICHMOND, Ind. — With the total solar eclipse just hours away, a physics professor at Indiana University East (IUE) is getting ready for a busy day and sharing tips to make the most of your eclipse experience.
In Richmond, Indiana, crowds are preparing to watch the moon move in front of the sun, causing the area to fall into darkness for several minutes. It's a once-in-a-lifetime event that has millions of Americans traveling to the path of totality for a glimpse of it.
Dr. Wes Tobin, an assistant professor of physics at IUE, is ready for totality to creep across the university's campus Monday afternoon.
He'll be guiding people through their eclipse experience, particularly with helping people know when they can take their eclipse glasses off to see totality, and when they need to go back on.
While there has been concern over cloud cover in Richmond spoiling the experience—which seems to be the case for many areas spanning the path of totality—Tobin said the wispy cirrus clouds expected this afternoon will add to the view.
"When you look through eclipse glasses at the sun, you see this amazingly round object. It almost seems like the moon is starting to take little bites out of it as it goes by," Tobin said. "But it really doesn't change moment to moment unless you're looking through a telescope. So having some slight cloud cover move across the face of it actually helps you realize that it's a real thing that you're really looking at...With cirrus clouds, it livens it up. You just wanna keep on looking."
During totality, viewers can remove their glasses and see the corona—also known as the sun's atmosphere, which is only visible during an eclipse. Tobin said there is the potential to see streamers, which are jets of the atmosphere streaming away "like the sun's hair standing on end."
While there has been a surge in information on how to safely take photos of the eclipse, Tobin said the best way to view it is to put your phone away.
“Just experience it. Be there for the moment," he said. "Some people have called this kind of an event a soul-changing or soul-searching experience, and it’s good to just be human. You don’t have to be a scientist, you don’t have to be a photographer. Just experience it and be there in the moment."
The university will have telescopes available for people to use and a solar walk event for anyone looking to enjoy the outdoors before or after the eclipse.
In West Michigan, about 94% of the sun's face will be covered by 3:11 p.m. There are a variety of viewing parties and eclipse activities being held. To find one near you, click here. See a full list of where you can buy eclipse glasses here.
13 ON YOUR SIDE will be providing special eclipse coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. You can watch on air or stream on Roku, Amazon Fire TV or Apple TV. Meteorologist Samantha Jacques will be live from Richmond to give us a look at totality.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Watch 13 ON YOUR SIDE for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and on your phone.