The
Visual Image Photography photo above shows the sun rising over Carlyle Lake in Carlyle, Illinois at the IHSA Bass Fishing State Finals. The sun has been a hot topic in Illinois (no pun intended), and especially Southern Illinois, with the impending solar eclipse set to occur on August 21, 2017.
Carbondale, 70 miles south of Carlyle, is the epicenter of the solar eclipse, as it is one of the closest cities to the point of greatest duration for the 2017 solar eclipse. People are flocking to Carbondale from around the world for a chance to experience the solar eclipse for the maximum amount of time.
Read the Belleville News Democrat's story
here to see how the eclipse is impacting Southern Illinois schools, while the IHSA's Scott Johnson has compiled some facts on IHSA schools related to the solar eclipse below:
- The total eclipse will pass over 53 IHSA member schools over the course of seven minutes.
- Dupo High School will be the first to experience totality at 1:17:46 p.m. and Hardin County will be the last, ending at 1:24:50 p.m.
- Most IHSA high schools south of I-64 will see a total eclipse. The exceptions are schools very close to I-64: East St. Louis, SIUE Charter, Belleville East and Althoff, Mascoutah, Okawville, Nashville, Woodlawn, Waltonville, Hamilton County, Carmi-White County, and Norris City-Omaha-Enfield.
- Also missing out on totality is the school at the very southern tip of Illinois: Cairo, which is 0.7 miles outside the path.
- Closest to centerline of totality: Goreville, 1.7 miles. Chester and Pope County are also very close. If Kaskaskia High School were still in existence it would be the closest at 0.7 miles.
- Longest period of totality: Goreville, 2 minutes, 40.2 seconds. Shortest period of totality: Governor French Academy, no more than 15 seconds (it's hard to estimate exactly).
- A city divided: Belleville has four high schools. West and Governor French Academy will see a very brief total eclipse. East and Althoff Catholic will not see a total eclipse.
- Every high school in Illinois (and the U.S.) will see a partial eclipse.
