People across much of central and eastern Canada will have the chance to witness a rare total solar eclipse April 8.
The rarity of the event has eclipse enthusiasts booking hotel rooms in premium viewing areas like Niagara Falls, Hamilton, and Kingston in Ontario, and Montreal and Sherbrooke in Quebec.
Viewing a total eclipse can be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many.
The celestial event occurring April 8 is expected to be the most seen eclipse in history with an estimated 44 million people having the opportunity to witness the phenomenon in person. Another couple hundred million live within 320 kilometres of the path of totality, guaranteeing some of the biggest North American eclipse crowds ever.
The eclipse’s “path of totality” will pass through some areas in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland on the afternoon of April 8. Millions throughout the U.S. and Mexico will also have the chance to watch the event.
The path of totality refers to places people will see the sun entirely blotted out by the moon. While it passes, there will be a few minutes of total darkness, CSA said. The longest period of darkness—up to four minutes, 28 seconds—can be observed in Mexico, although Niagara Falls viewers will also have a long viewing period of more than three minutes.
How to Watch the Eclipse From Afar
Those living outside the totality zone can still witness the celestial show on their screen of choice.The stream will feature live shots of the eclipse from Ontario, southern Quebec, and central New Brunswick and will include shots captured by NASA at stations between northern Mexico and Maine.
What is a Total Solar Eclipse?
A total solar eclipse occurs when there is perfect alignment between the sun, the moon, and the earth, Mr. Hernandez said. The moon must be in the new moon phase and its diameter must be large enough to cover the diameter of the sun.“The distance from the earth to the moon varies from time to time, so sometimes it appears smaller, sometimes it appears a little bit bigger, but when it’s big enough, it’s able to truly eclipse the sun,” he said.
“People who are located in this path of totality will have the opportunity to observe a truly moving and very extraordinary phenomena, namely a drop in temperature, night arriving in broad daylight, stars and planets that appear during totality, the solar corona which we see magnificently. So all these are magical moments that do not exist when we are outside this zone of totality.”
The zone of partiality extends more than 3,000 kilometres on each side of the total eclipse. Those in this zone will see a crescent of the sun, Mr. Hernandez said. Its size will depend on how closely they are located to the totality zone.
Those living even slightly out of the totality zone will miss out on at least 50 percent of the show compared to those within it, he said.
“The big difference is that from the moment we have totality, we see several things happening. The first phenomenon is night in broad daylight. It’s almost as if we had turned off the light locally. It’s really surprising,” he said.
“The fact that all around, on the horizon, we have the impression that there is a permanent sunrise happening, but it never manages to rise. And then the sun in question cannot rise, but the sun is at its zenith. In fact it is high in the sky, obscured by the moon and it is not rising on the horizon. It gives this impression which is really very, very strong.”
Reactions to a Total Eclipse
A total eclipse, according to Mr. Hernandez, is one of the most impressive natural phenomena a person can experience. Not only will the temperature drop and a nighttime sky appear when the sun is masked, but people’s behaviour will change too, he said.“People will shout, scream, or cry at the moment of totality. This is not something that one can really sense in partiality,” he said.
“We have the impression of being part of something much bigger than ourselves by observing a phenomenon like that. There are very few other astronomical phenomena that rival that, except perhaps the Northern Lights when they are very intense and very colourful.”
While Mr. Hernandez ranks a total eclipse as being “on the same level as the Northern Lights,” he pointed out the rarity of the phenomenon. While there are approximately two to five solar eclipses per year, few total eclipses occur in areas that aren’t remote.
Eclipse Safety
Viewing the rare celestial show April 8 may be exciting, but it can also be dangerous without a protective filter.When people look up at the sun normally, the intense brightness triggers pain that causes them to look away quickly before it can cause damage, said Dr. Philip Hooper, president of the Canadian Ophthalmological Society.
But as the moon starts to block the sun in the period leading up to the total eclipse “there is significant light energy that’s coming from the sun, but we don’t appreciate pain. And so you can look at it long enough to do damage to the eye,” said Mr. Hooper, who is also an associate professor of ophthalmology at Western University in London, Ont.
When you’re looking directly at the sun, intense visible light and infrared radiation are focused on the centre of the retina in the back of the eye.
“It’s basically like taking a magnifying glass in the sun on a normal day and focusing that light on a piece of paper. It can get hot enough to burn the paper,” Mr. Hooper said.
The sun has the same effect, because your eye concentrates that energy into a small area of the retina.
“The temperature of the cells in that area can actually get high enough that the fluid in the cells actually boils and it damages the cells permanently,” he said.
The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada is advising all viewers to purchase glasses designed for viewing solar eclipses.
“Sunglasses (even multiple pairs), smoked glass and space blankets are not safe substitutes,” the RASC said on its website.
