Canadians describe taking in total solar eclipse

As a total solar eclipse made its way across On‐ tario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada on Monday, on‐ lookers watched in awe, flooding social media with photos and images of the once-in-a-lifetime event.

Thousands eagerly gath‐ ered at various destinations along the path of totality, eager to witness the moon's passage between the sun and the earth.

Spectators in southwest‐ ern Ontario, the first in Cana‐ da to witness the eclipse, watched from parks and sta‐ diums, and workers left their desks to catch a glimpse of the event from outside their offices.

In Hamilton and Niagara Falls, cheers erupted from the crowds as the clouds briefly parted, revealing the eclipse and causing a mo‐ mentary drop in temper‐ ature.

In Toronto, some took to social media to express their disappointment as cloudy skies prevented a full view of the eclipse.

Still, streetlights went on as the city went momentarily dark and the moon blocked 90 per cent of the sun.

Meanwhile, in Quebec, ex‐ pected to have the best weather in North America for visibility, spectators were not disappointed, describing the event as "one of the coolest moments" of their lives.

In P.E.I., everything came to a halt as thousands watched from beaches and parks, with drivers pulling over to witness the darkness of totality hitting the western part of the province just after 4:30 p.m.

The next total eclipse visi‐ ble in Canada won't be for another 20 years, according to the Canadian Space Agency, and will mainly be visible in the Northwest Terri‐ tories and Alberta.

What to do with your eclipse glasses

Since 2008, Astronomers Without Borders has been accepting donated glasses and distributing them to peo‐ ple in North and South Amer‐ ica, Asia and Africa who may not otherwise have a way to view eclipses safely.

The organization has part‐ nered with the eyewear brand Warby Parker, which will be collecting used solar viewers at their retail loca‐ tions until April 30.

Google searches

'eyes hurt' spike

Not unlike the aftermath of past eclipses, Google Trends data shows that searches for terms like "eyes hurt" and "why do my eyes hurt" saw a significant spike on Monday, coinciding with the time the moon started to pass between the Earth and the sun.

But doctors say damage from the eclipse isn't likely to cause pain or discomfort in your eyes, because the retina doesn't have any pain nerves.

A 2023 article from the American Academy of Oph‐ thalmology says that instead, you would notice visual symptoms within four to six hours, with some not seeing any symptoms for 12 hours.

Symptoms may include blurry vision, a headache, a blind spot in your central vi‐ sion in one or both eyes, in‐ creased sensitivity to light, distorted vision or changes in the way you see colour. for