Carmel HS Planetarium director: Be safe, enjoy total solar eclipse
CARMEL, Ind. (WISH) — Carmel High School Planetarium has been educating people on what to expect during the total solar eclipse on April 8.
Much of central Indiana will be in the path of totality for the astrological event, and planetarium director Keith Turner wants as many people to enjoy it as possible. “We want people to be safe and educate them how to protect their eyes, like with solar eclipse shades, but we also want them to enjoy totality.”
Turner says people can safely enjoy watching the eclipse, but, years ago, misinformation kept people indoors.
“In 1976, in October, there was a total solar eclipse that went through Australia and somebody had put out bad information to news outlets, and they actually told people that you need to stay inside,” Turner said. “So, it was a clear day and it was a total solar eclipse that went through Melbourne, Australia, and 2 million people stayed inside.”
Turner says people can safely look at the sun when it is fully obscured by the moon, but, if they want to watch it as the moon moves in, they will need special eclipse glasses. “There’s kind of a misconception that the sun is never safe to look at, but, during totality, like we’re going to have here in central Indiana, we can look at the sun.”
Carmel and Indianapolis can expect to see more than 3 minutes of total darkness, with areas to the south getting more and the north getting slightly less.
The planetarium has 68 unidirectional seats. It regularly hosts the high school’s astronomy classes and other schools’ students. It also has monthly, public shows, and tickets are made available online. The Feb. 8 public show is sold-out. Upcoming shows will be posted on X.
The director says the planetarium has changed students’ lives as they learn about lesser-known career paths.
Jackson Moffett, a Carmel High School junior, said, “Ever since I came here for a field trip in elementary school, I’ve always loved this room. I love viewing the stars. I love being in this room. I felt like I wanted to do this when I grew up, teaching astronomy. It was a really changing experience because it looked so magical.”