INDOT: Plan ahead for best viewing of Aug. 21 solar eclipse

NASA.gov

NASA press release:
2017 Solar Eclipse – On Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, the U.S. will be treated to a total eclipse of the sun.

The eclipse will be visible -- weather permitting -- across all of North America. The entire continent will experience a partial eclipse lasting two to three hours. Anyone within a 70-milewide path that stretches through 14 states from Oregon to South Carolina will experience a total eclipse.

During those brief moments -- when the moon completely blocks the sun’s bright face for about two minutes -- day will turn into night, making visible the otherwise hidden solar corona, the sun’s outer atmosphere. Bright stars and planets will become visible as well.

Birds will fly to their nighttime roosts. Nocturnal insects such as cicadas and crickets will buzz and chirp. For NASA, the eclipse provides a unique opportunity to study the sun, Earth, moon and their interaction, because of the eclipse’s long path over land coast to coast.

​Eleven NASA and NOAA satellites, the International Space Station, more than 50 high-altitude balloons, and hundreds of ground-based assets will take advantage of this rare event over 90 minutes, sharing the science and the beauty of a total solar eclipse with all. Via live streams and a NASA TV broadcast, NASA will bring the Aug. 21 eclipse live to viewers everywhere in the world. 

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Indiana Department of Transportation

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Department of Transportation officials urge motorists to plan for traffic congestion expected to occur in southern Indiana before and after the total solar eclipse on August 21. Approximately 200 million people live within a day’s drive of the total eclipse path. Many will be on the road to get a closer view.

INDOT officials offer the following advice:

• Be prepared for traffic congestion before and after the August 21 eclipse.

 Interstate 69, U.S. 41, and U.S. 231 are expected to experience increased traffic in southbound lanes before the event as caravans of motorists head for Western Kentucky where the moon’s full eclipse of the sun can be viewed within a 70-mile-wide swath encompassing Hopkinsville, Paducah, and Madison, KY. After the event, transportation planners anticipate a “mass exodus” from total eclipse regions.  Expect heavier than normal northbound traffic on these routes.  
Interstate 65 will also see increased traffic going to—and returning from—total eclipse vantage points that begin at Bowling Green, KY and extend beyond Nashville, TN.  Again, southbound traffic is expected to rise before the solar eclipse. Northbound lanes will experience congestion after the eclipse.

• If you want to drive toward the eclipse path for better viewing, allow extra time.

 If skies are clear, August 21’s solar eclipse promises to be an unforgettable celestial phenomenon, the first that has been visible to all 48 contiguous states in several hundred years.  Beyond the total eclipse’s 70-mile-wide path—which arcs across 14 states from Oregon to South Carolina—a partial eclipse will provide a sky show that becomes more and more pronounced the closer spectators get to the sun’s full black-out. The partial eclipse can be well seen throughout Indiana, but traveling south improves the view. For example, Evansville is situated to experience a partial eclipse of 99 percent and Jeffersonville will see 96 percent. This mid-day event waxes and wanes over a period of several hours.

• Make plans now for overnight accommodations—overnight camping is prohibited at rest areas.
• If planning to view the eclipse, wear safety glasses. They are available on-line or from many popular retailers costing from $2 to $70; some are being given away by organizations.  DO NOT look at the partial eclipse without proper filtration.

•  Visit the NASA website at http://eclipse2017.nasa.gov.

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Do’s & Don'ts:

• Don’t take pictures while driving.
• Don’t wear eclipse glasses while driving.
• Don’t stop along the interstate or park on the shoulder.
• Do turn your headlights on during the eclipse event.