Achi news desk-
Millions of people in Canada’s eastern provinces will have the chance to see a rare total solar eclipse on Monday. But even if you’re in the West, you can watch it all live here.
The April 8 eclipse will take place over a wide swath of North America and during the short period when the moon completely covers the sun, day turns to night with a show of magnetic fluxes and loops dancing around the sun
Watch CTVNews.ca on Monday before the 2 pm EDT eclipse as we stream multiple live channels, dedicated to giving you many views to safely view the solar eclipse.
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 from the surface of our planet. This is called the “path of totality” and the daytime sky turns dark, similar to dusk or dawn.
In places along the path of totality, people will be able to see the sun’s corona, the star’s outer atmosphere, which is not normally visible due to solar brightness.
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 that moves quickly on the surface of our planet. That particular type of shadow is called an umbra.
For those watching from within the moon’s so-called path of totality, the sun’s rays will be completely blocked, plunging the surrounding landscape into darkness for a short time.
Observers outside that path will see a partial eclipse, as the moon will block part of the sun, creating a lighter shadow known as the penumbra.
Be sure to watch for about an hour before and after completely to see the moon in full transit in front of the sun. It is only safe to remove eye protection during the short time the sun is blocked.
Where will the eclipse be seen in Canada?
All of Canada’s eastern provinces will experience a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.
Depending on your location in Canada, the total eclipse will be visible for anywhere from just a few seconds to about three and a half minutes near the center of the path of totality. Those in cities just outside their path like London, Toronto, Ottawa, Laval, Quebec, Moncton, Charlottetown and St. John’s still a 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 pm local time for communities near the northern shore of Lake Erie in southwestern Ontario. Minutes later, it will be visible near Lake Ontario – but not in Toronto – and then south of Quebec. After 4:30pm Atlantic daylight time, central New Brunswick and then western PEI will see the full display before it appears over Newfoundland after 5:10 local time.
Canadian towns and cities with clear views include Port Dover, Niagara Falls, Hamilton, Belleville, Kingston, Cornwall, Sherbrooke, Saint-Georges, Fredericton and Miramichi. Parts of southern Montreal will be able to catch a glimpse of the phenomena, but probably not the northern part of the island. In Nova Scotia, only the northernmost tip of Cape Breton Island will see the total eclipse quickly around 4:40 pm local time, according to the website eclipse2024.org
What does a solar eclipse look like?
Robert Cockcroft, assistant professor in the physics and astronomy department at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont. He described 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 all around the horizon, rather than being completely dark.
“You’ll see a bit of a Pac-Man shape start to appear as the moon moves increasingly in front of the sun. The sun will start to look more and more like a crescent through your eclipse glasses,” Cockcroft said in video interview with CTVNews.ca. “It will get so dark in the sky that you will be able to 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 Aguila, Argentina, Monday, December 14, 2020. (AP Photo / Natacha Pisarenko)
What is the path of the solar eclipse?
According to NASA, the solar eclipse will start over the South Pacific, with its path reaching the Pacific coast of Mexico around 11:07 am Pacific Time before entering the United States in Texas.
Then his route takes her through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, a small part of Tennessee, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, a small part of Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
The path then enters Canada in Ontario and travels through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton, leaving the North American continent on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16 pm Newfoundland Time. A partial eclipse is due to 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
How long will the total eclipse last?
At most, four minutes 28 seconds in the middle of the path of total darkness over northern Mexico. As the shadow moves east, it will pick up speed. As a result, the duration of totality in the middle of the path will decrease from a maximum of three minutes 38 seconds on the Canadian side of Lake Erie to as little as two minutes 54 seconds in northeastern Newfoundland, according to Eclipse2024.org.
The length drops off the further you stray from the center line of the path.
Where are some of the best places to see the eclipse?
Some major cities and their metropolitan areas lay within or near the path of totality. Some of these include: Mazatlan and Torreon in Mexico; San Antonio, Austin, Waco, Fort Worth and Dallas in Texas; Little Rock in Arkansas; St. Louis in Missouri; Louisville in Kentucky; Indianapolis in Indiana; Dayton, Columbus, Toledo and Cleveland in Ohio; Detroit in Michigan; Erie in Pennsylvania; Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse in New York; and Hamilton, Toronto and Montreal in Canada.
How can I view the eclipse safely?
To avoid damaging your eyes, proper equipment is essential. Glasses with special dark lenses that are certified for solar viewing with the international standard ISO 12312-2 are the simplest and relatively cheap option online, 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 shown 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 DIY solar eclipse projector) with little more than a cardboard box, paper, scissors, aluminum foil, a pin and tape. These act as 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 won’t cut it.
Bill Archer, a mission specialist with the Canadian Space Agency, says there’s also good reason to look down during a solar eclipse to watch shadows transform like thousands of pinhole cameras.
Do not look at the sun directly. NASA says the only safe time to see the sun directly is during the short period of totality when the moon covers it fully.
Sunscreen is also recommended to protect your skin as you will be exposed to the sun.
Are solar eclipses rare?
Solar eclipses appear once or twice a year somewhere on the planet, according to NASA. Most locations typically wait between 400 and 1,000 years for a repeat performance.
However, total solar eclipses visited Nova Scotia in 1970 and again in 1972. And next month’s eclipse will also track across the northern tip of Cape Breton.
Since 1963, Canadians have witnessed a total of five solar eclipses, although the one in 2008 tracked across the upper reaches of the Arctic.
When is the next solar eclipse after 2024?
The most recent solar eclipse in Canada took place 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, with Manitoba getting 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 further away from the earth and blocks less of the sun, leaving a larger fiery ring. An approximate 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
