On April 8, 2024, the Sun, Earth and Moon will be perfectly aligned to create the next total solar eclipse visible from Canada. With the shadow of the Moon following a narrow path in the eastern half of the country that day, decide what to expect and where to go for the best view of this spectacular celestial event. We were treated to a spectacular spectacle on August 21, 2017. A total solar eclipse – called The Great American Eclipse – was visible along a trail that stretches across the United States from Oregon to South Carolina. At that time, a team from The Weather Network traveled to a point along the entire eclipse route to broadcast the entire event live to the audience back home. Here is the solar corona, the intensely hot atmosphere of the Sun, visible only at this moment of totality as the Moon completely blocks the Sun. This image was taken on August 21, 2017, Total Solar Eclipse, from Silver Point, Tennessee, during the Weather Network Livestream hosted by Mark Robinson, George Kourounis and Scott Sutherland. However, sky watchers across Canada who went out to see it for themselves could not see the same view. Instead, only a partial eclipse was visible. This is because the Moon blocked only 90 percent of the Sun when viewed from the west and about 50-70 percent of the Sun for viewers in the east. In two years from now, however, millions of Canadians are in for a treat! During the next total solar eclipse visible from this part of the world, on April 8, 2024, the shadow of the Moon will mark a path from Mexico to New Earth. As shown above, the path of the whole passes through the northern shores of Lake Erie, the Niagara Peninsula, southeastern Ontario, southern Quebec, central New Brunswick, the western half of Prince Edward Island, and the central New Earth. From anywhere on this path, as long as the skies are clear enough, sky observers will be able to see the Moon completely blocking the Sun for up to 3 minutes and 40 seconds. During this period, there is an opportunity (if you are careful) to take a look at the sun crown! Viewers outside this 180-kilometer-wide trail will only see a partial eclipse. The farther you are from the path of wholeness, the less the Moon will cover the Sun to your advantage. However, those who live in populated areas just off the path of totality in these areas are within walking distance to reach it. The trail of the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 passes just south of the greater Toronto area and the northern end of the trail passes directly through Montreal. Credit: Xavier M. Javier / Google / Scott Sutherland As shown in the image above, the eclipse trail completely loses the city of Toronto. However, those living in the area can still see the total eclipse heading west to Burlington, Hamilton or the Niagara Peninsula or heading east to Coburg. In Montreal, the southern half of the city is within the path of wholeness, but the northern half is just outside it. Thus, for some, just moving under the block could significantly improve their view. Weather will be an essential factor in determining who will see the eclipse. Even an hour of cloudy skies can ruin the show. Predicting what the sky will be like 2 years from now is impossible. However, looking at the past can give us an idea of how things might be. This cloud climatic map shows the average cloud conditions in early April, during the 37 years from 1979-2016. Credit: Brian Brettschneider, used with permission Climatologist Brian Brettschneider published the above map just one day after the solar eclipse on August 21, 2017. It is not intended to be an accurate weather forecast map. It just shows what the weather was like in early April. Across southern Ontario and Quebec, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, there is usually about 60-70 per cent cloud cover. For New Brunswick and Newfoundland, it’s more like 70-80 percent cloud. This is not good news for Canadians who want to see the eclipse. However, we will have much more accurate forecasts in the days just before the eclipse.
HOW TO PREPARE
It’s still two years away, so there’s plenty of time to get ready. One thing you can do early on for this eclipse is to make sure you have proper eye protection, such as Mylar eclipse glasses. They are usually just thin Mylar “lenses” with a cardboard frame – simple but very safe and effective. If you still have what you got for the 2017 eclipse, do a thorough inspection by looking for any scratches or holes in the Mylar. If you see light passing through them when you are not looking directly at the Sun, throw them away and get a new pair. Telescope and camera companies sell special filters to place them on the tip of your telescope or on top of the camera lens. One thing to avoid is the use of welding glass, as only very specific types are adequately evaluated for safe viewing of the Sun. Another thing you can do is plan where you will go to see the eclipse. It will take place on Monday and there is a good chance the highways will be busy that day, with people driving to their own preferred point of view. Therefore, plan your location and route very well in advance. Also, keep an eye out for updates on the event, next year, and especially the weeks and days just before the eclipse.
