Solar eclipse Monday
How and where to safely view it...
As far as most things go, 75 per cent’s not bad.
Unless you plan to travel south for the Aug. 21 solar eclipse, that’s pretty much the most coverage Canadians can expect.
What does that mean for those here in Niagara? Will the sky still blacken in an apocalyptic manner as described by Annie Dillard in her classic essay Total Eclipse?
Unfortunately, no — Canadians won’t be so lucky.
As Dillard put it, “seeing a partial eclipse bears the same relation to seeing a total eclipse as kissing a man does to marrying him.”
She isn’t wrong, says Jeanette Goemans, president of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada’s Niagara Centre.
In fact, the sky probably won’t dim at all, says Goemans.
That doesn’t mean Niagara won’t still have a bit of a show though.
Goemans says we will see a partial solar eclipse lasting between approximately 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., if weather permits.
She says the moon’s coverage of the sun will increase gradually between those times and there will be “significant” coverage between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., peaking at 74 to 76 per cent briefly close to 2:30 p.m.
To get the complete total eclipse experience, you’ll need to be in the path of totality — a relatively thin strip across North America where the total eclipse will be visible.
Good luck getting there though — traffic is expected to be so congested along the path of totality that Oregon governor Kate Brown authorized the National Guard to deploy soldiers to help deal with it.
And then there’s the issue of finding a hotel, which is getting tougher by the minute. What even is a solar eclipse? It’s when the moon covers the sun as a result of the earth, moon and sun aligning. It’s only possible during new moon cycles, when the moon moves between the earth and the sun.
What’s the difference between a total, partial or annual solar eclipse?
Quite a bit, according to the definition of eclipses on Nasa’s website.
A total eclipse is just what it sounds like — when the moon covers the sun’s light entirely. Total eclipses are only visible from spots where the alignment of the earth, moon and sun is perfectly straight.
A partial eclipse — also much the same as it sounds — is when the moon covers the sun but doesn’t entirely interrupt it, leaving a crescent of visible sunlight. This is the type of eclipse visible in Canada on Aug. 21.
The third type is called an annual eclipse and occurs when the moon is furthest from Earth. In these eclipses the moon appears smaller than the sun, creating a bright ring of light around the darkened centre.
This basically means the Aug. 21 eclipse isn’t as rare as some are making it out to be, with solar eclipses happening fairly regularly around the globe. If you’re seeing a partial eclipse, there will be a path of totality somewhere else on the globe.
Goemans says total eclipses happen around twice a year in different locations.
“As far as partial eclipses, they ’re not super frequent in a given location, but as far as the world they’re not infrequent,” says Goemans
The rarity of this eclipse comes is because this is the first since 1918 to cross the United States from the Pacific to the Atlantic.
“For us, only getting 75 per cent is sort of less of a big deal than if you were to go down to the States and actually get into the path of totality.”
Goemans says the next total eclipse in North America will be in April of 2024, when the line of totality will pass through north Fort Erie, providing those us of in Niagara with a much better opportunity to see the eclipse.
Goemans says as far as viewing the eclipse, just step out your door.
“Because of the time of day the sun is going to be pretty high in the sky anyway. So we don’t have to worry about a horizon.”
She says as long as it’s clear, it won’t matter much where you are.
The weather is currently expected to be mainly sunny with patches of clouds.
Members of the RASC Niagara Centre will also have their telescopes out in Joe McCaffery Sports Park, 61 Vansickle Rd., St. Catharines, for a free event from 1 to 4 p.m. on the Monday of the eclipse, with special filters to view it safely.
The telescopes will be available to the public and they will have solar eclipse glasses available to use for a small donation to the centre.
Admission to the event is free and open to all Niagara residents and visitors.
For more information about the astronomy club or Monday’s event, visit astronomyniagara.com. hdavidson@postmedia.com Twitter: @Harley_Standard