On Monday, April 8th, all of central Indiana was graced by being in the path of a total solar eclipse. To celebrate this event, schools shut down and people took the day off work so that everyone could venture outside with their solar eclipse glasses to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event.
Indiana was predicted to host around 500,000 people to watch the eclipse. I was lucky enough to go to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to watch the eclipse.
Even getting to IMS early, the garages and parking lots were filled with the houses surrounding the stadium offering parking on their lawns for $20. The line to get in was long, with the sun beating down on everyone who patiently awaited their chance to get through security and into the venue.
Once security was passed, workers and volunteers passed out solar eclipse glasses and the stadium opened up to many different concession trucks with long lines trailing behind them.
In the early hours of the day, a station following the solar eclipse was being projected on all of the large screens littered around the track, while some of the Indy 500 racers made loops around the track to celebrate the eclipse.
As the time for the eclipse got closer, racers stopped making laps around the track, and all the people in the stands migrated down to the track to wait to witness the eclipse. The 50 minutes before the eclipse was filled with the hustle and bustle of tens of thousands of people trying to get a perfect spot to view the eclipse while talking to their friends and family.
Finally, at around 3:06 PM, the sky darkened, the temperature dropped, the stadium lights flicked on, and the tens of thousands of loud voices turned into one collective gasp and whisper of awe at the eclipse. There was a 360 degree sunset on the horizon while cameras clicked away– some people even getting emotional at the sight and hugging their friends and relatives.
In the end, the solar eclipse viewing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a day full of excitement and emotion revolving around a sight that will not soon be forgotten.
