INDIANAPOLIS — If you're looking for a place to view this weekend's partial solar eclipse, Butler University will be an option – if the weather cooperates.
Brian Murphy, a physics and astronomy professor and director of the Holcomb Observatory & Planetarium, said they are keeping their fingers crossed.
"lf the sun is visible Saturday, we will be open for telescope viewing of the partial solar eclipse (with solar filters on the telescopes and eclipse glasses on our eyes of course)," Murphy said in a message to 13News.
In the Indianapolis area, the partial solar eclipse will begin at 11:39 a.m. and reach its peak at 1:02 p.m. Murphy explained there's likely to be a 50% decrease in the amount of diffuse light filtering through the clouds Saturday.
For people in the southwestern part of the country, Murphy said there will be a narrow path where it will be an annular solar eclipse. He said the word doesn't mean annual, but comes from the Latin word "anulus," which means ring. With the moon a bit further from the Earth than usual, it will appear smaller than the sun, not completely covering when centered on it and thus forming a ring, he said.
Murphy called it a "very special" type of partial solar eclipse, but "nowhere near as spectacular as a total solar eclipse."
The Holcomb Observatory & Planetarium, the state's largest observatory, is located at 4600 Sunset Avenue, Indianapolis.
