Achi news desk-
Millions of people in Canada will have the opportunity to see a rare total solar eclipse today. You can watch it all live here.
The eclipse will occur over a large area of North America, and during the brief period when the moon completely covers the sun, day turns to night with a show of magnetic streamers and loops dancing around the sun.
Tune into CTVNews.ca today for tonight’s eclipse at 2:00 PM as we stream multiple live channels dedicated to giving you multiple vantage points to view the eclipse safely.
Here’s everything you need to know to experience the rare celestial event.
What is a total solar eclipse?
In a total solar eclipse, the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, completely covering the surface of the Sun along a small path of our planet’s surface. This is called the “path of totality” and the daytime sky becomes dark, similar to sunset or dawn.
At locations along the path of totality, people will be able to view the Sun’s corona, the star’s outer atmosphere, which is not normally visible due to the brightness of the Sun.
What happens during a total solar eclipse?
The moon will be in a direct line between the sun and the earth, creating a dark shadow, moving quickly across our planet. A certain type of shadow is called an umber.
For those watching from the moon’s supposed path of totality, the sun’s rays will be completely blocked, plunging the surrounding landscape into darkness for a short time.
Observers outside this path will see a partial eclipse, as the Moon will block part of the Sun, creating a lighter shadow known as a penumbra.
Be sure to watch about an hour before and after everything to see the moon in full transit in front of the sun. It is safe to remove the eye protection only for the short time the sun is blocked.
Where will the eclipse be visible in Canada?
All provinces in eastern Canada will experience a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.
Depending on your location in Canada, the total eclipse will be visible anywhere from just a few seconds to about three and a half minutes near the center of the path of totality. Cities outside its path such as London, Toronto, Ottawa, Laval, Quebec, Moncton, Charlottetown and Saint John still have reason to look up.
What time is the solar eclipse?
According to NASA calculations, the total eclipse will begin to peak in Canada in the minutes before 3:15 p.m. local time for communities near the north shore of Lake Erie in southwestern Ontario. Minutes later, it will be visible near Lake Ontario — but not in Toronto — and then to the south QUEBEC After 4:30 PM ADT, central New Brunswick and then western PEI will see the full display before it appears over Newfoundland after 5:10 AM local time.
Canadian towns and cities with clear views include Fort Dover, Niagara Falls, Hamilton, Belleville, Kingston, Cornwall, Sherbrooke, St. George, Fredericton and Miramichi. Parts of southern Montreal will be able to catch a glimpse of the phenomena, but apparently not in the northern part of the island. In Nova Scotia, only the northernmost tip of Cape Breton Island will quickly see the full eclipse around 4:40 p.m. local time, according to the website eclipse2024.org
What does a solar eclipse look like?
Robert Cockroft, assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont. Describe the experience of seeing a total solar eclipse in Nashville on August 21, 2017.
He said it was more like a sunrise, or a sunset with colors around the horizon, instead of being completely dark.
“You’ll see a little Pac-Man shape starting to appear as the moon gradually moves more and more in front of the sun. The sun will start to appear more and more like a crescent moon through your eclipse glasses,” Cockcroft said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca. “It will be so dark in the sky that you can see … Venus and Jupiter on either side of the sun and you will be able to see some of the brightest stars in the sky.”
The moon covers the sun during a solar eclipse in Piedra del Águila, Argentina, Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
What is the path of the solar eclipse?
According to NASA, the solar eclipse will begin over the South Pacific Ocean, with its path reaching the Pacific coast of Mexico around 11:07 a.m. Pacific Time before entering the United States in Texas.
Its path takes it through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, a tiny part of Tennessee, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, a tiny part of Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
The path then enters Canada in Ontario and passes through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Breton, exiting mainland North America on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16 p.m. Newfoundland time. A partial eclipse should be visible to people in all 48 contiguous US states.
- This is when you can see the eclipse in Ontario and Quebec
- This is when you can see the eclipse in New Brunswick
The solar eclipse will begin over the South Pacific Ocean and exit mainland North America on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
How long will the total eclipse last?
At most, four minutes and 28 seconds in the center of the path of total darkness over northern Mexico. As the shadow moves east, it will pick up speed. As a result, the total duration at the center of the path will decrease from a maximum of three minutes and 38 seconds on the Canadian side of Lake Erie to two minutes and 54 seconds in northeastern Newfoundland, according to Eclipse2024.org.
The duration decreases as you move away from the center line of the trail.
Where are some of the best places to see the eclipse?
Some of the major cities and their metropolises are in or near the path of totality. Some include: Mazatlán and Torreon in Mexico; San Antonio, Austin, Waco, Fort Worth and Dallas in Texas; Little Rock, Arkansas; St. Louis in Missouri; Louisville in Kentucky; Indianapolis in Indiana; Dayton, Columbus, Toledo and Cleveland in Ohio; Detroit in Michigan; Irish in Pennsylvania; Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse in New York; and Hamilton, Toronto and Montreal in Canada.
How can I view the eclipse safely?
To prevent damage to your eyes, proper equipment is essential. Glasses with special tinted lenses certified for solar viewing to the international standard ISO 12312-2 are the simplest and relatively inexpensive option on the Internet, including from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. NASA and the American Astronomical Society also offer recommendations. Similar filters are also available for cameras and smartphones.
A pair of NASA-approved solar eclipse glasses are on display in Montreal, Tuesday, April 2, 2024. The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes
If you can’t get glasses, the Canadian Space Agency provides instructions for making a do-it-yourself eclipse projector) with little more than a cardboard box, paper, scissors, aluminum foil, a pin and tape. These work like pinhole cameras and will show you a small projection of the eclipse inside the box. Welding helmets with shade 12 or higher are also safe, according to NASA. No matter how dark, sunglasses just won’t cut it.
Bill Archer, a mission specialist at the Canadian space agency, says there’s also good reason to look down during a solar eclipse to watch the shifting shadows like thousands of pinhole cameras.
Do not look directly at the sun. NASA says the only safe time to view the Sun directly is during the short phase of totality when the Moon completely covers it.
Sunscreen is also recommended to protect your skin as you will be exposed to the sun.
Are solar eclipses rare?
A solar eclipse occurs once or twice a year somewhere on Earth, according to NASA. Most locations typically wait between 400 and 1,000 years for a repeat appearance.
In contrast, Nova Scotia was visited by total solar eclipses in 1970 and again in 1972. And next month’s eclipse will also pass over the northern tip of Cape Breton.
Since 1963, Canadians have witnessed five total solar eclipses, although the one from 2008 tracked across the upper reaches of the Arctic.
When is the next solar eclipse after 2024?
The last total solar eclipse in Canada occurred in August 2008, but was only visible in the far north of the country. Before that, Canadians were last treated to a total solar eclipse in February 1979, when Manitoba got the most spectacular view. After this April, the next Canadian total solar eclipse will occur in August 2044 over parts of Alberta, BC and the territories. Atlantic Canada will have its next chance in May 2079.
An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is farther from Earth and blocks less of the Sun, leaving a larger hot ring. An annular solar eclipse in May 1994 was visible in Ontario and Nova Scotia. The next annular solar eclipse will occur over Canada in June 2048.
With files from The Canadian Press and Reuters
