Grab those solar glasses, eastern Canada: You’re in for a partial solar eclipse on Saturday morning.
If you hope to catch it, you’ll have to wake up early, as the eclipse begins just before sunrise — and be in the right place.
Solar eclipses occur as the moon passes in front of the sun. But sometimes it doesn’t cover it entirely, or just kind of swings by it, giving us a partial solar eclipse. Or, we can get an annular solar eclipse, where the moon sits in the middle of the sun’s disk, creating a “ring of fire.”
“You have to be in the right place at the right time with the right equipment,” said Elaina Hyde, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy and the director of the Allan I. Carswell Observatory at York University in Toronto.
The right place, it turns out, is in eastern Canada, particularly northern Quebec and Atlantic Canada.
In Iqaluit, the sun will be 92 per cent covered, while in Happy Valley Goose Bay, N.L., the sun will be covered by roughly 89 per cent. And in Sept-Îles, Que., the sun will be 89 per cent covered.
Meanwhile, in Corner Brook, N.L.; Summerside, P.E.I.; Saint John; and Halifax, the sun will be covered by more than 80 per cent.
But for those in eastern Ontario and southern Quebec, the sun will be covered anywhere from roughly eight to 45 per cent.
It will not be visible in Toronto.
It’s also important to note that a solar eclipse takes hours. For example, in Corner Brook, sunrise begins at 7:05 a.m. where the sun will already be partially covered by the moon. The maximum eclipse occurs at 7:54 a.m. before it begins to move into partiality again, which ends at 8:52 a.m.
How to watch safely
It’s important to note that even a partial solar eclipse is extremely dangerous to watch without proper protection. Looking at the sun directly could cause permanent damage to your eyes.
“Please, safety first,” Hyde said. “When observing the sun, use solar viewing glasses or a pinhole camera or a pasta strainer from your kitchen. Don’t use your naked eye.”
If you just take a pasta strainer outside during the partial eclipse and hold it in front of you, the sun will go through the holes to show a crescent sun on the ground.
The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada’s Victor Abraham demonstrates how to make a pinhole projector — one way to safely watch the eclipse on April 8. He says to use a long box for the best projection.
And if you’re using eclipse glasses from last year, ensure that there are no scratches on them. Even a little scratch could allow sunlight into your eye and cause damage.
To find out where you can see the partial solar eclipse from where you are, you can visit TimeandDate.com’s interactive map and search for your location.
The site will also host a livestream for those who aren’t in its path, as will the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
While this eclipse may not seem as big a deal as a total solar eclipse, it’s still fun to watch the moon slowly slide across the face of the sun.
“We do get, every year, some chances [at a solar eclipse], but to be in the right place at the right time with the right equipment is quite difficult,” Hyde said.
“So if you have the chance to view even a partial solar eclipse, it can be well worth the effort. And it’s not so hard.”
