Co-written by Jakob Milani and Ronan Summers

For the second time in seven years, Southern Illinois experienced a solar eclipse in totality, and residents of the area shared excitement over the historic event.

Pam Underwood, a longtime resident of Herrin, Illinois, experienced her fourth eclipse in her 72 years. But she said this one felt different. 

“People are more enthusiastic about this one compared to 2017,” Underwood said. “I guess it’s because of the range of people that it’s reaching. I know this is the last one I will see, I don’t think I’ll be here. So this is special.”

The historic value lies in the fact that there have never been two solar eclipses in such a short span of time in the United States, and it will be the last solar eclipse for the lower 48 states until 2044.

It’s also a great opportunity for Southern Illinois as it has been in totality for the 2017 eclipse, as well as the 2024 eclipse.

Deborah Reech, a resident of Herrin, discussed how big this event is for the region, despite her missing the 2017 eclipse as she didn’t live in the area until just a few years ago. Now, at 50 years old, Reech says this event was special to everyone in the area.

“I’ve been fascinated by the people coming into the area,” Reech said. “There were people that came in from Germany. When we were coming out to our farm to see it, we passed license plates from Nebraska and Wisconsin and other states and I thought that was amazing.”

Noah Tolbert, a student at John A. Logan College in Carterville, Illinois, experienced his second ever eclipse. He said this experience is different simply because of how much news coverage there has been in the area.

“The 2017 eclipse was cool because everyone in the area just got together and celebrated,” Tolbert said. “For this one, a lot more people have come in from out of town. It has a lot to do with the news coverage in our area that we don’t usually get.”

Tolbert also said this eclipse helped bring people from all over the world together, which added a moment of peace to the occasion.

“It’s definitely an event that will stick with people for a long time,” Tolbert said. “But I think the biggest thing is the impact of it bringing everyone together and there were no major differences. Everyone was just here to have a good time and enjoy the event.”

For some, the eclipse in 2024 will be the last they ever see. For others, it was the first they will get to see. But in the end, Southern Illinois provided a place for people from all over the world to take in the beauty of space for just over four minutes, and experience something that many people may only see once in a lifetime.