2023-10-14 15:58:18
A partial solar eclipse, called an annular solar eclipse, will be visible in Canada this Saturday. Residents of southwestern British Columbia are best placed to view this eclipse in the morning, but the Moon will also, more discreetly, cover the Sun in the east in the early afternoon.
In Quebec, the eclipse will be visible between 12:11 p.m. and 2:23 p.m., indicates the Astronomical Society of the Planetarium of Montreal (SAPM) on its website.
In Montreal, the Sun will be eclipsed by a maximum of 17% during the maximum of the eclipse at 1:17 p.m. However, elsewhere in Canada the maximum could be 79%, it is specified.
In Toronto, the maximum of the eclipse will take place at 1:10 p.m., when 27% of the star will be covered.
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The degree to which the Sun is obscured varies greatly depending on where you are.
Photo : NASA (Graeme Bruce, Allison Cake/CBC)
Even though most of the sun will be covered this weekend, don’t expect to notice a real decrease in daylight. This also means not looking directly at the Sun without proper protection.
You should always observe the Sun carefully and make sure the method you use is safe, says Paul Delaney, professor emeritus in the department of physics and astronomy at York University in Toronto. The projected image is undoubtedly the best way: it involves projecting an image of the Sun from a telescope onto a piece of paper or another medium.
There are also online viewing options if you don’t have eye protection or the sky is overcast.
NASA will stream the eclipse from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. EST on its YouTube channel.
What is an annular eclipse?
During an annular eclipse, the Moon is a little further from Earth than during a total eclipse, and so its diameter appears, from our point of view, slightly smaller than that of the Sun — which produces this orange ring.
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A total annular eclipse.
Photo: Canadian Space Agency
While solar eclipses of any type occur on average twice a year somewhere on Earth, annular eclipses are rarer, Professor Delaney says.
The Moon must be further from Earth than usual and be correctly aligned with the Sun for the annular eclipse to occur. This combination occurs on average once every two to three years.
The Sun is about 400 times larger than the Moon, but is also 400 times farther away, which is why the two stars appear similar in size from Earth.
The next total solar eclipse will be visible in Canada on April 8. The shadow band of the maximum of the eclipse will then sweep across Mexico, the United States and eastern Canada. This time, it will be Canadians in parts of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador who will have the best view.
With information from The Canadian Press, AFP and CBC.
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