Canadians across the country will be donning special glasses and looking to the sky to take in a partial solar eclipse today.
Unlike the U.S., Canada won鈥檛 see a total solar eclipse, where the moon completely covers the sun, blacking out the sky and turning day into night momentarily.
But Canadians are still in for a celestial show and viewing events are planned across the country, ranging from gatherings at the University of British Columbia to Irving Nature Park in Saint John, N.B.
Jennifer West of the University of Toronto鈥檚 Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics explains that a partial eclipse looks like a 鈥渉uge bite taken out of the sun.鈥�
Victoria is expected to get the best view of the rare celestial event, with 90 per cent of the sun blocked out above the British Columbia capital. The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada says Toronto will enjoy 70 per cent coverage, Calgary 77 per cent and Vancouver 86 per cent.
No matter where Canadians take in the event, they鈥檙e being cautioned to wear eclipse glasses to prevent serious eye damage.
Maggie Bockus, a retired school teacher in Saint John, N.B., said she expects watching the eclipse will make her feel 鈥渉umble.鈥�
鈥淵ou think what you are doing is so important and then you look up and see the sun and the moon,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou are less than a grain of salt鈥gainst this backdrop of majesty and power.鈥�
At Science World in Vancouver, a free event is being hosted on the grass outside the centre where eclipse glasses will be provided and volunteers from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada will have solar telescopes, which have a filter that allows viewers to safely look at the sun.
The eclipse is expected to begin in Vancouver at around 9:40 a.m. local time, peak at 10:20 a.m., and the shadow should pass at 11:20 a.m., said Kat Kelly, a science facilitator at the centre.
鈥淚t creates a really eerie, kind of twilight effect,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t can actually affect birds and animals. They find it kind of strange. Things get very quiet. It鈥檚 just a really, really beautiful sight.鈥�
At the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, Vancouver鈥檚 astronomy museum, the centre鈥檚 astronomer, Derek Kief, said he鈥檚 looking forward to seeing night features in the daytime.
鈥淚鈥檓 hoping to be able to see Venus, definitely, but also to be able to see Mars and potentially even some of the stars,鈥� he said.
But Jaymie Matthews, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of British Columbia, was skeptical that planets would be visible in Vancouver during the eclipse.
Matthews said he鈥檚 looking forward to seeing people鈥檚 reactions to the eclipse. The university is inviting visitors to join professors and students to observe the event with eclipse viewers and telescopes, while a live stream of the total eclipse will be presented inside the Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre.
In Toronto, the Dunlap Institute will be hosting a watching party at the Canadian National Exhibition, where about 20 astronomers will be at hand with solar telescopes and eclipse glasses.
The City of Toronto is clearing its outdoor pools for half an hour during the peak of the eclipse 鈥� between 2:15 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. local time 鈥� due to low sunlight levels.
Windsor, Ont., is also closing its six outdoor pools because of the eclipse. The city鈥檚 aquatics manager says it鈥檚 a precautionary move due to the fact swimmers would be unlikely to resist looking up at the sky, even without protective eyewear.
The Canadian Press
