In Illinois, This College Town Won’t Be Eclipsed By August’s Celestial Event

Jim Blair walks Saluki dogs past a solar eclipse exhibit on the campus of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. With approximately 2 minutes 40 seconds of totality the area in Southern Illinois will experience the longest duration of totality during the eclipse on August 21.

A town of 26,000 will more than double in size as the Great American Eclipse takes place in August. From the local state university to longtime bakery, people are getting ready for it to get dark.

(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)