Mike Wolanin | The Republic Columbus Area Visitors Center Director of Marketing Erin Hawkins, left, and Jody Coffman, director of communications and events for the City of Columbus, pose with eclipse glasses at the Columbus Area Visitors Center.
Free solar eclipse safety sunglasses are now available in the gift shop at the Columbus Area Visitors Center, 506 Fifth St. in downtown Columbus. Plus, they soon will be available at places such as the Bartholomew County Public Library at 536 Fifth St. in Columbus.
The glasses are available on a first-come, first-served basis until supplies last. People may the request one pair per member of their household, according to Erin Hawkins, the center’s director of marketing.
The visitors center opens at 10 a.m. today.
The total solar eclipse is expected to last slightly less than four minutes in Bartholomew County at about 3 p.m. on Monday, April 8.
In Columbus, the first phases of the eclipse are expected to start that day at 1:50:09 p.m., while totality — the brief period of total darkness — is expected to start at 3:05:57 p.m. and last around 3 minutes, 44 seconds, according to Eclipse2024.org.
Experts nationwide have issued a series of warnings since January cautioning people not to look at the eclipse without approved, protective eyewear.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, blocking out the sun and creating a brief period of total darkness as the moon’s shadow falls on the Earth’s surface.
Columbus is located within a narrow band called “the path of totality,” which is the geographic path along which the moon’s shadow passes during a solar eclipse, according to NASA.
Here is the library eclipse glasses distribution schedule, with 750 pairs available each of the following days:
- Friday, March 29: 2 to 5 p.m.
- Saturday, March 30: 2 to 5 p.m.
- Monday, April 1: 4 to 7 p.m.
- Tuesday, April 2: 9 a.m. to noon.
Hawkins mentioned that all school-aged students in Bartholomew County will receive glasses at school the week of April 1. This includes students in the Flatrock Haw Creek School Corporation, and those in private schools and also home schoolers. Home school distribution will happen at Lucabe Coffee Company’s two locations in Columbus.
Also, she said that most event organizers in Bartholomew County will also have free glasses for distribution.
The visitors center’s growing listings of area eclipse-related events, from concerts to movies to viewing parties, can be found here: https://columbus.in.us/eclipse.
