'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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Chants of 'shame on you' greet guests arriving for the annual White House correspondents' dinner
An election-year roast of U.S. President Joe Biden before journalists, celebrities and politicians at the annual White House correspondents' dinner Saturday.
What is a 'halal mortgage'? Does it make housing more accessible?
The 2024 federal budget announced on April 16 included plans to introduce “halal mortgages” as a way to increase access to home ownership.
Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after return to New York from upstate prison
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
'We are declaring our readiness': No decision made yet as Poland declares it's ready to host nuclear weapons
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
Central Alberta queer groups react to request from Red Deer-South to reinstate Jennifer Johnson to UCP caucus
A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.