The IU Astronomy Club employed their year-long total solar eclipse preparations in Dunn Meadow on April 8th as the Moon darkened Bloomington skies passing between the Earth and Sun. Expecting students, locals, and travelers, the club utilized the rare cosmic event as an opportunity to educate visitors on the cosmos.

In the path of complete totality, masses wandered outside to experience over four minutes of darkness, a moment club President, Izzy Flores, has been training for since July of 2023. The club’s preparations spanned across creating handmade solar viewers, organizing Science Fest, live-streaming from a solar telescope, and even conducting “test-runs” with the partial solar eclipse on October 14th.

Club members paired with the IU Astronomy department to arrange volunteers across campus the day of, providing informative opportunities in Dunn Meadow, the Cox Arboretum, and Memorial Stadium for the Hoosier Cosmic Celebration. Each location was equipped with sun spotters, eclipse models, telescopes, and educational activities.

In Dunn Meadow, Flores set up a solar-filtered telescope and lectured on sun spots, solar maximums, and why there is increased solar activity in the atmosphere. To encourage retention of the cosmic facts, a multi-colored trivia wheel spun for hours and rewarded participants with astronomy related prizes.

At the Cox Arboretum, the Astronomy Department partnered with the IU Luddy School and the Indiana Geological and Water Survey (IGWS) to encourage research opportunities during the rare, sudden onset of darkness. The Luddy School promoted a smartphone app reporting on bird behavior during the eclipse and the IGWS surveyed the effects on geologic formations. To support both projects, the Astronomy Department collected eclipse light data for observation on the eclipse’s various effects on nature.

The Hoosier Cosmic Celebration at Memorial Stadium hosted a concert event featuring Janelle Monáe, William Shatner, Mae Jemison, and the Marching Hundred. Attendees also got an up-close look at the Blue Origin space capsule at the south field goal line and partook in space simulations.

Across Bloomington, the celestial event filled lives with a new appreciation and understanding of astronomy. Whether it was protecting eyes tilted towards the sun or through the spin of a trivia wheel, the IU Astronomy club’s long-awaited efforts were, at last, worthwhile.