A partial eclipse of the sun will occur in Bloomington on Saturday, Oct. 14. The College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Astronomy will host an eclipse watch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Kirkwood Observatory, weather permitting.  

While cities across the western U.S. will see an annular eclipse, nearly half the sun’s disk will be covered by the moon in Bloomington. This event also gives the community a chance to learn about eclipses and how to view them before Bloomington experiences a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.

Visitors to Kirkwood Observatory on Oct. 14 will be able to:

• Learn how to view eclipses safely.
• See the eclipse through telescopes and Sun Spotters, exploring the sun’s prominences, sunspots and filaments.
• View a live stream of the solar eclipse.
• Take pictures of the eclipse with their cell phones.
• Watch the effects of the eclipse on our weather.
• Tour the historic 12-inch Kirkwood telescope.
• Create eclipse art.
• Ask questions about the big event in April.
• Pick up an eclipse viewer for safe solar viewing.
• Make a pinhole camera for watching solar eclipses.
• Find eclipse apps for mobile devices.

In case of rain, the event will be canceled. A more limited set of activities will take place in case of cloudy weather.

The event is supported by the Department of Astronomy, Department of Physics, the College of Arts and Sciences, the IU Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering, the IU School of Optometry, and the Indiana Geological and Water Survey.