People looking forward to the total solar eclipse next year will get a preview of sorts on Saturday, when an annular eclipse happens overhead. In an annular eclipse, the moon only partially obscures the sun, creating a “ring of fire effect.”

You can gather with fellow eclipse enthusiasts at Saluki Stadium from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to watch. The eclipse will begin at 10:33 a.m. and end at 1:30 p.m., with peak viewing at 11:59 a.m.

SIU will make eclipse viewing glasses available at no charge, and no registration or tickets are required to attend the event, according to the university.

After the event, a watch party for the Saluki football game against Murray State will be held starting at 2 p.m.

More information on Saturday’s event can be found on the SIU eclipse website.

Of course, the big draw, with tens of thousands of people expected to come to Carbondale, is the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.

On SIU’s eclipse webpage, a countdown to the 2024 eclipse accompanies information on Carbondale being the intersection for both the 2017 and 2024 eclipses, and the events and research that they’re doing along the way.

Events range from expos, media projects and workshops, all leading up to a watch party at the stadium.

On April 5, a concert called Into the Darkness: Celebrating the Eclipse with Music, will be held at the Shryock Auditorium. A Crossroad Eclipse Research Workshop will be held all day at the Student Center with the date yet to be determined.

Salukicon will be hosting Eclipse Con on April 6 and 7, 2024 in the student center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Another concert will be held on April 7 on Washington Street in downtown Carbondale, with the time to be determined.

The Crossroads Astronomy, Science and Technology Expo will take place on April 7 and 8 in the Banterra Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Crossroads Art and Craft Fair will be on April 7 and 8 on the north lawn of the Banterra Center from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

A live podcast will be held live at the Shryock Auditorium called Eclipse Eve Live: Sky Observers Hangout with Michelle Nichols from the Adler Planetarium in Chicago from 7-10 p.m.

It all ends with the finale of Eclipse Day at the stadium from 12-2:30 p.m.

Professor Corrine Brevik, a member of the Eclipse Steering Committee, said the school should expect the same amount of people to come for the eclipse that came in 2017, somewhere around 30,000 people.

“I’m in charge of the subcommittee that’s dealing with like educational outreach,” Brevik said. “There’s all the events related to the Eclipse for the public; and then on a separate chunk, we have grants where we’re actually doing research related to the Eclipse.”

Brevik said the solar eclipse event at the stadium will be guided by professionals explaining things as it’s happening.

“You can watch the eclipse from anywhere in southern Illinois,” Brevik said. “We’ll have guest speakers who will be talking about various things we’ll be running.”

There are also film projects being done with Karla Berry, a professor in the College of Arts and Media, with her students.

Some of the students’ projects consist of a film with eclipse chasers, a game show, an animated project and other various multimedia projects.

“We’ve got some schools up in Chicago, for example, if you just go outside, you won’t see the total solar eclipse. How do we give them that same experience as if they could come here?” Brevik said. “A lot of the filming that Karla Berry’s students are doing will be delivered to the schools, because they can then watch and get background on the eclipse and learn about eclipses, but it will also be available to the public.”

Students Alyssa Kreuger and Gavin Melton are working on the eclipse chasers film.

“We’re going to meet up with a bunch of eclipse chasers and just have them tell us about their lifestyle,” Kruger said. “There’s a lot of money that goes into eclipse chasing and, I mean you have to understand the science of it.”

Berry said she and her students will be working with NASA EDGE, a TV program NASA runs. A few people from NASA EDGE came to SIU a few weeks ago to check that technical equipment was in order.

“They’ll be back here on for the October 14 partial eclipse again just to do tests and run-throughs,” Berry said. “Make sure they have everything figured out for when they come back in April for the big show.”

Brevik said SIU is basing its plans on what was learned from the previous total eclipse.

“We’re definitely making changes, but it’s also a different path of totality,” Brevik said. “We have the advantage where we’re the one area that got a trial run and now we get to do it again.”

Information on eclipse events hosted by Southern Illinois University can be found on the eclipse website: eclipse.siu.edu

Jamilah Lewis can be reached at [email protected]. To stay up to date with all your southern Illinois news, follow the Daily Egyptian on Facebook and Twitter.

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