INDIANAPOLIS — Hawaii is a popular vacation destination for many people. But, when the total solar eclipse takes place on April 8, an attorney from Hawaii wants to vacation in the Hoosier state.
"We're coming to Indiana," Newton Chu said. "I just like eclipses."
Chu's eclipse passion spans three decades.
"I saw my first eclipse in July 1991 from the summit of Mauna Kea here on the Big Island. After that, I was hooked," Chu said.
Newton remembers many details of his first eclipse.
"It was amazing to see that shadow come across the Pacific Ocean. All of a sudden, that shadow came across. The moon blocked out the sun and we went into total darkness. Just alot of 'oohs' and 'aahs.' It was dark for about four minutes. I got to take a picture of it. I got to video it. Just to experience it," Chu said.
"It's just one of those things of nature that's amazing. We're on this planet. We have a little moon, and we have one big, sun and the fact that the moon can obscure all the light that's emitted from the sun is just amazing," Chu said.
In 2017, Newton and his family traveled from Hawaii to Sun Valley, Idaho, to see another eclipse as part of a three-day vacation.
"From the top of one of the ski mountains, we were able to witness about a minute-and-a-half of totality," Chu said. "We were able to share that feeling, the excitement of the eclipse with other people which is special."
In December 2020, Chu wanted to take his family to South America to see the eclipse in Argentina or Chile. But, the COVID-19 pandemic forced him to cancel that trip.
"We were very disappointed because it was going to be a family vacation, plus the eclipse," Chu said.
Now, Chu plans to bring his family from Hawaii to Indiana. Chu plans to spend time with close friends in Indianapolis, see many of the sites in our city and watch the eclipse from Conner Prairie.
"This is an excuse to see my buddy and witness a phenomenal event of nature in a great city," Chu said. "To witness the eclipse with a good friend and other friends is always something really special."
Chu said people watching their first eclipse will love the experience.
"One of the things you'll find, it gets colder, it gets cooler. The winds change. Birds go quiet. Insects start chirping," Chu said. "For 3 1/2 minutes or so in Indianapolis, it's going to be night — total darkness. If you're on the highway, you'll have to put on your headlights."
Chu has a room in his home that he calls "the wall of wonder" filled with pictures of the Milky Way and all the observatories on top of Mauna Kea.
His son is an astrophysicist.
"He does all his research here on top of Mauna Kea and we have pictures of the night sky all over our house," Chu said.
From a passionate fan of seeing multiple eclipses, Chu has this message for us.
"We're just fortunate that we have the ability to witness something and understand why it's happening, you really ought to see it," Chu said. "Once you've seen total darkness, it's like, if I have the opportunity to do that again, I'm going to do it."