Partial solar eclipse on Monday, Aug. 21

Excitement is building in anticipation of the total solar eclipse which will cross the United States in a narrow band extending from Oregon to South Carolina on August 21.

As viewed from the Okanagan, the event will be seen as a partial solar eclipse in which a dramatic 83 per cent of the Sun’s disk will become covered by the Moon.

From the Okanagan the first ‘bite’ out of the Sun will occur at 9:12am, building to greatest coverage around 10: 24 a.m. The Moon will then gradually move off the Sun, exiting at around 11:41 a.m., ending the event.

Members of the Okanagan Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASCOC) remind everyone not to look directly at the Sun without proper approved eye protection since serious eye damage can occur. An alternative is to project the image of the Sun through a pinhole in aluminum foil onto a white sheet of paper.

RASCOC members have invited the public to observe the eclipse from the Kelowna Curling Club.

Returnable approved solar eclipse glasses will be made available. The club will also set up a number of special solar telescopes to allow the public to observe dark sunspots on the Sun’s surface as well as bright red prominences around the edge, complementing the advancing eclipse.

The gathering will take place from about 9 a.m. to noon.