Tales of the heavens going dark and roosters crowing half past 4 have been just as stated for students for the past few decades, merely tales. The afternoon of August 21 brought new experiences for many across the nation and a special treat to astronomy classes.
Many science classes viewed the highly anticipated solar eclipse outdoors during periods six and seven. Others tuned into NASA’s live programming which gained its largest internet crowd in history. The 2017 space spectacle gained attraction from a commemorative Google doodle to various ad campaigns such as Chiquita bananas and Oreos.

Protective glasses were necessary when viewing the eclipse to prevent retinal damage because the eyes’ pupils do not contract as they would in normal sunlight. These glasses filter out many more sun rays than the typical sunglasses.

“When I first used the glasses I couldn’t see anything, so I figured that I would hardly see the eclipse, but I did very clearly,” senior Mychailo Miller said.

Since the Fishers Public Library was not in possession of enough eyewear for everyone necessary, most students were unable to see the 90% coverage of the sun.

“It was important to see the eclipse because people would have looked to see the sun once they got outside whether or not they had glasses,” Miller said.

Nevertheless, this cosmic anomaly will take place once more on April 8, 2024. This time around the eclipse will be total in central Indiana, including Fishers.