CARBONDALE, Ill. — Saluki Stadium at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale is the place to be for the Great American Eclipse.
More than 13,000 people were at the stadium on Monday to view the total solar eclipse. Those who don't have tickets are setting up tents, lawn chairs and picnic blankets to view the eclipse around the campus and city.
It is the second eclipse that had passed through Carbondale in the past seven years, the first being in 2017. Campus officials started planning this event in 2015 to prepare for a couple of minutes of totality.
"It goes by so quick, really just take in that eclipse. You can see planets at any time. It's a phenomenon, it's so rare, that there are going to be changes like a 360 sunset," NASA's Travis Wholrub said during a morning press conference. "How can you ever see that? It's just a unique opportunity to take in something that you haven't seen before."
Scientists and researchers also flocked to Carbondale to get the full experience of the total solar eclipse in Carbondale.
"We don't know everything about this. This isn't just a go outside and 'Ooh isn't that great kind of phenomenon,'" Alder Planetarium's Michelle Nicols said. "There are scientists who are taking these 4 minutes to be able to seriously study the corona itself. This is rare. These opportunities don't happen that often."
According to NASA, the moon will begin to cover the sun in Carbondonal at 12:42 p.m. Totality won't begin until approximately 1:59 p.m.
The maximum totality will be at 2:01 p.m. and last until 2:03 p.m., with a total duration of totality of four minutes and eight seconds, NASA said.