Totality Rad Roadtrip 4/8/24

A total solar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Moon and Earth all line up perfectly, the Sun casting a shadow on the Earth. While this phenomenon happens pretty frequently worldwide, being in the path of total darkness is rare.

If someone is close to the path of totality, it only lasts for a couple minutes even then.

With just 93% coverage of the sun in Murfreesboro, a group decided to seize this rare opportunity to view a solar eclipse in totality.

On April 8th, 2024, North America experienced its first total solar eclipse since 2017 when it ran right through the southern states. Lucky enough to be in the path of totality, MTSU hosted a watch party for the last one. From this sparked inspiration to make an experience out of this year's solar event.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-v1ks4UfLY

Just under four hours away, Evansville, Indiana is one of the closest cities to Tennessee where it got completely dark Monday afternoon.

With proper eye protection including eclipse glasses and welding equipment, this group made sure to sit back and take in the eclipse as it went by.

Being in the path of totality, Evansville and surrounding highways experienced record traffic after the eclipse. While it may have taken three hours to get there, it was a different story coming back, taking over four hours to get back to Murfreesboro.

The next total solar eclipse in North America is scheduled for 2033, reaching northern Alaska and Russia. Seeing that one in totality may prove to be a bigger feat, though undoubtedly some will make the trip.

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