LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Great American Eclipse will cross over North America - passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada - on Monday, April 8, 2024.
On this day, millions of Americans will experience up to 4 minutes and 27 seconds of darkness in the middle of the day.
Louisville is only a short distance away from the path of totality, but parts of southern Indiana are directly in the path and will have a marvelous view.
UofL astronomy professor Gerry Williger said it can be described as a concert -- a show for millions of Americans. It's the celestial dance of the moon passing between the Earth and the Sun. The choreography will be intricate.
"The sun is 400 times bigger than the moon, but 400 times farther away, so they just match," Williger said. "The moon is constantly dipping above or below going above or below the sun. And every once in a while they cross. And it's rare."
RELATED: These Kentucky, southern Indiana schools will be closed for the upcoming total solar eclipse
Path of totality
The path of totality stretches from Mexico to Newfoundland, with Indiana in between.
The totality path crosses Indiana from Evansville up through Bloomington and Indianapolis.
What to expect
Williger said the path of totality is where you get the fun stuff.
"You'll see the moon cover the sun more and more and more," he said. "What eventually happens is when the moon exactly covers the sun, you'll see the shadow coming about 2,000 miles an hour, silently, but you'll see this darkness coming. Then you'll see the sky will be about 100,000 times fainter than with the sun."
The temperature will also drop around 20 degrees, birds and insects will go quiet, and Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn will be visible.
Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) and many other local districts won't be in session, allowing all students the opportunity to see the light of day give way to temporary darkness.
With a little bit of planning, students and families that stay in Louisville will still get quite the show.
It will be 99.3% totality in Louisville. Williger recommends viewing from a space with no streetlights or floodlights. Louisvillians that stay home will see a very thin sliver of the sun and very funny shadows on the street or on the ground going through leaves. A neat experience even if you are not in 100% totality.
This won't happen again so close to Louisville in any of our lifetimes. The last total solar eclipse in Louisville was 1869. The next one in Kentucky will be in 2153.
If you are looking to pick up some solar eclipse glasses, please click here.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.