BY JENNIFER CHENG THE CANADIAN PRESS

Canadians plan to attend events to catch eclipse

Clayton Uyeda and his wife Jo will be on a ferry — en route from Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island to Tsawwassen on the mainland — when the partial solar eclipse in Canada begins in Victoria at 9:08 a.m. today.

“It’s more intimate,” says Uyeda, 59, a math, physics and astronomy teacher at Victoria High School. “I am expecting to have a real sense of connection with the heavens.”

As for his students, Uyeda hopes the eclipse will help them realize that they are part of something grander than their social status or image. He thinks teenagers could benefit from looking up instead of down at their handheld devices.

“Hopefully, (the eclipse) empowering,” Uyeda says.

Victoria will offer the best eclipse view in Canada, with 90 per cent of the sun blocked out.

However, unlike our cousins to the south, Canada won’t see a total solar eclipse, where the moon will completely cover the sun, blacking out the sky and turning day into night momentarily. It will only be seen along the so-called path of totality, which is a narrow band from Oregon to South Carolina.

Canada is still in for a treat with a partial eclipse, though. Imagine the sun as “a glowing cookie with a bite taken out of it,” says Matt West of the Saint John Astronomy Club, noting that the rare moment is “exciting” instead of “overwhelming’’ like totality.

Plus, viewing events are being held across Canada, from Ottawa’s Canada Aviation and Space Museum to Mcgill University to Victoria’s Mount Tolmie Park. No matter which party Canadians choose to attend, they should don eclipse glasses to prevent serious eye damage.