CLAYTON, Ind. — Things are looking up for Dan McGlaun.
Finally, after chasing an event around the world for more than half his life, it is coming right to where he lives.
"It's the most amazing thing you can see," McGlaun said. "And here it is coming to our house. My home. Indiana, which is where I live and spent my life."
The Clayton man has always enjoyed expanding his knowledge, learning, and "space things" and he admits he is a star-struck stargazer, who has developed a fascination with the biggest star there is in our solar system.
WATCH | Dan McGlaun talks about his excitement for the April 8 event
Dan McGlaun is what's called an umbraphile, a word rooted in a mixture of Latin and Greek, which translates to "lovers of the shadow."
An umbraphile is a person who chases eclipses.
McGlaun, 60, says it was a fluke when he started chasing eclipses when he was in his twenties.
"I loved astronomy," McGlaun said. "I had a bunch of airline miles. There was one in Mexico. Why not? So, I went and I got hooked."
Having seen his first, he wondered when he would see his next.
"I must see more of these," McGlaun said was his thought.
So far, McGlaun has seen 15 eclipses in totality and has traveled to the ends of the Earth to see them.
He says he's been to Zambia and to a small remote island in the Pacific Ocean.
He's been on plane flying over the North Pole, on a flight that took off for the sole purpose of intercepting the shadow and seeing it from the air.
Each viewing became an emotional and physiological experience he would never forget.
"It's just the most amazing thing you can see," McGlaun said. "It's so other-worldly. You're terrified. You're amazed. You're enlightened. It's spiritual. It's emotional."
For decades, McGlaun has delved into the science behind his passion.
The Purdue University grad has a degree in mathematics, but his expertise covers a wider range.
"Also electrical engineering, computer science. I can write code. I have a pilot's license. I do all kinds of things. But yes, math is my trade," McGlaun said.
And with all of that, McGlaun created a website chocked full of his own eclipse calculations from scratch for each town, fortunate enough to be in the path of totality, including his small Hendricks County town.
"I became interested eclipse-wise instantly. The early 90s," McGlaun said. " And I've lived here now in Clayton and Belleville since 2000. And so, I've know there would be an eclipse at my house for 24 years. And that's where I'm going to watch it."
McGlaun's expertise and calculations for the 2024 eclipse garnered such interest, he even made a presentation to the "American Astronomical Society" on the reasons his website, Eclipse2024.org, is a useful and critical tool.
The site's database features roughly 140,000 cities.
Each has a plethora of eclipse data for the specified location, including a resources page with an animation of the eclipse.
McGlaun has spent about 15 years working on the Eclipse2024.org website.
He has been called upon to deliver keynote speeches to reputable astronomical groups and organizations, including one focusing on the history of eclipse calculations.
McGlaun is hoping his website and Monday's historic event changes people, awakens their interest in the heavens, and opens their senses to everything he has seen happen when the moon blocks the sun.
"The shadows are distinct. And the temperatures drop," McGlaun said. "And the birds have gone to roost. The shadows, so distinct on the ground. Then, the last 30 seconds when the corona just bursts out. And then you have this impossible black disc that looks like somebody smeared these beautiful white cotton candy streamers and everybody's going nuts and the orange glow on the horizon. And the stars and planets come out. And you're just saturated."
McGlaun is already looking ahead to the next celestial solar event.
He says Disney World in Florida will be in the path of totality for the next eclipse in 2045.
Imagine what that will look like.
