'Everybody is just in awe during totality': Eclipse presentations available

Three weeks before a rare total solar eclipse bathes the region in darkness, Windsorites are reflecting on eclipses past and are preparing for what will be the experience of a lifetime.

Tom Sobocan travelled to Kentucky in August 2017 to experience being in the zone of totality, where the sun is completely covered by the moon, during a total solar eclipse.

“Don't miss the experience on eclipse day,” said Sobocan who is a member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Windsor Branch. “It's just this awesome thing in the sky with a sky colour that you've never seen before. Everything goes quiet and everybody is just in awe during totality.”

Steve Pellarin, a University of Windsor astronomer, said totality will happen shortly after 3 p.m. on April 8, 2024.

The first rule of watching an eclipse? Be sure to wear ISO certified solar eclipse safety glasses.

“Especially when the sun is covered mostly it doesn't feel that you're hurting your eyes but there still could be damage going on so you want to be very careful about that,” said Pellarin.

Pellarin has a website that can help guide your experience including where to see it. The viewing experience will be different if you are in the City of Windsor.

“We're going to get a pretty complete eclipse,” Pellarin said. “It's going to be about 99 per cent, but there's a huge difference between what you see at 99 and what you see in the zone of totality.”

“It will get darker. The shadows around you will start to change. They'll have very sharp edges around them. Animals will react to this. There might be a bit of a breeze that comes up. There might be a drop in temperature,” said Pellarin of the experience of those who aren’t in the zone of totality.

He also warned that weather could play a factor, especially if it is cloudy.

“There are maps available online that you can find out weather forecasts for other areas and you might be willing to travel,” he said.

The time under the eclipse will vary depending on where you are.

“If you're down at the tip of Point Pelee you might get a couple of minutes of darkness under the completely covered sun,” he said.

Pellarin is doing presentations from now until early April to help explain what to expect during the moments leading up to and following the eclipse.