On Monday, a rare astronomical event occurred. The total solar eclipse was able to be seen by millions across the world. No other total eclipse will be visible until 2044.

The moon’s position between earth and sun cast a shadow across North America that traveled from east to west. Many people watched the eclipse in different places.

I spent my day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with around 50,000 others. We arrived around 9 a.m. right as it opened. Immediately the area started to fill up with people.

“I was invited by one of my friends and thought it would be cool, and they have places to sit which is better than being at home,” junior Stella Taylor said.

While many people were able to watch the solar eclipse from their houses, many felt the IMS was a great experience. People who usually come to the race were able to go on the track and experience things they would not be able to during race season.

“I was most looking forward to watching the solar eclipse and it was a cool experience for me,” Taylor said.

It was a cool experience for people to be able to watch the astronomical experience. While it was gradually getting darker, people went out on the track to be able to experience the moon covering the sun and the darkness during the day. Although it was around 3 p.m., the temperature dropped 15 degrees.

While there, we were able to experience multiple opportunities others would not be able to get. I had the opportunity to see numerous public figures including Ed Carpenter, driver and owner in the IndyCar series.

“I’m excited, I mean I am a race car driver first and foremost so I get to do four laps today while everyone here is getting ready to do the eclipse and I get to go drive my IndyCar,” Carpenter said.

Carpenter racing around the track made it more interesting for fans traveling in for the eclipse. People were able to watch the eclipse and experience almost part of the Indy 500 with Carpenter driving around the track.

“From my standpoint it’s a great opportunity for us as the IndyCar series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, there’s a ton of people here today for the first time for something totally different than racing which was a perfect opportunity for us for demonstration and hopefully create more race fans for Indianapolis,” Carpenter said.

Many people out of state or even out of country came to Indianapolis just to experience the totality. This could have a possible impact on the crowd at the Indy 500 this year.