At its peak moments in Ottawa, 98.9 per cent of the sun will be hidden behind the moon. However, Brockville, Kingston, Cornwall and Montreal will have a 100 per cent eclipse.
Dave Chisholm has waited a lifetime for April 8, 2024.
He’s over the moon about the opportunity to see the mid-afternoon daylight transformed into a twilight-like spectacle. It’s a chance to see a total solar eclipse, a celestial phenomenon involving the symmetry of earth, sun and moon.
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“It’s very rare,” says Chisholm, president of the Ottawa Chapter of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. “The moon and the sun have to align perfectly for it to happen.”
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The entire process of the moon gradually moving past the sun, casting a shadow on Earth, will take two hours and 21 minutes. At its peak moments in Ottawa, between 3:25 p.m. and 3:27 p.m., 98.9 per cent of the sun will be hidden behind the moon.
However, in Brockville, Kingston, Cornwall, Montreal and other spots along the St. Lawrence Seaway, which are in the “path of totality,” it will be a 100 per cent eclipse.
The vastness of space and the science of orbiting planets can be overwhelming to grasp — for example, the sun is 147.67 million kilometres from earth — even for those who study and teach astrophysics and cosmology.
“It’s absolutely fascinating,” Carleton University theoretical particle physics professor Yue Zhang said. “(The solar eclipse) is like a miracle.”
Total solar eclipses don’t happen often.
The last such magic moment witnessed near Ottawa came in 1979. None of us will be around for the next one in these parts, in 2205. But, if you’re still kicking 120 years from now, you might be lucky to catch another glimpse of a total eclipse in Toronto.
So, what exactly is a total solar eclipse?
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A full eclipse occurs when the moon and sun are in complete direct line of each other from a specific location on earth.
“The size of the circle of the moon is basically the same size as the sun,” Chisholm said. “So, it will completely block the sun.”
While the earth orbits the sun and the moon orbits the earth, an eclipse occurs because the moon’s path is not a perfect circle and intersects with the ecliptic path of the sun.
“It’s called a node,” Zhang said. “The students are very excited about it happening.”
In Ottawa, the process will begin at 2:11 p.m., with the skies becoming more and more shaded towards the peak between 3:25 and 3:27 p.m.
Contrary to widely held belief, we will not be thrust into absolute blackness.
At prime eclipse time, the moon will appear as a giant black hole in the sky, ringed by a crown of light — the sun’s corona — shining behind it.
“It’s not totally dark, because the sun will be shining out around the (edges of the) moon,” Chisholm said. “So it’s still lighting up. It gets darker, but not ever totally black. Sort of like a dusk. The animals will react to it.”
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After that, the sun will start re-appearing, piece by piece, until 4:35 p.m., when the edge of the moon completely leaves the edge of the sun.
Annular (or partial) solar eclipses are more common. The last notable one in Ottawa came last Oct. 14. On Aug. 21, 2017, parts of North America also experienced a 60-70 per cent eclipse. That event was particularly noteworthy when former U.S. president Donald Trump was photographed staring directly at it against all safety advice.
Why will the moon appear larger than normal?
On April 7, the moon will make its closest approach to Earth during the month, at a distance of some 360,000 kilometres. (Due to the fact the moon doesn’t travel in a perfect circle, it can be, at times, as far as 400,000 kilometres away).
Additionally, the sun is also currently experiencing a period of hyper-activity. Those armed with state-of-the-art telescopes will be able can see solar flares from the corona.
What path will the eclipse take?
It will begin in the Pacific Ocean and be on display throughout much of North America as the day goes on.
The eclipse will migrate into Texas from Mexico and follow a northeasterly arc up through the United States. In Canada, the eclipse will first appear in southern Ontario, continuing on a path that will take it slightly south of Toronto and along a path over Kingston, Brockville and Cornwall. The path of totality will straddle Canada and the U.S., over the St. Lawrence River.
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It will continue on to Quebec and the East Coast.
Where is the best place to see the eclipse?
Ideal spots are as close as an hour away from downtown Ottawa.
Kingston will experience the total eclipse between 3:22 and 3:25, followed by Brockville between 3:23 and 3:26. It moves on to Cornwall from 3:24 to 3:27.
In Kingston, a viewing party has been planned for Kingston’s Fort Henry. Brockville’s Blockhouse Island and Cornwall’s Lamoureux and Guindon Parks are also seen as prime locations to see it all unfold.
Chisholm plans to take in the show in Kingston and he encourages anyone planning on checking it out not to wait until the last minute.
“Most of the astronomers in Ottawa won’t be in Ottawa,” he said. “And you don’t want to go down on the day of the eclipse. If you do, you’re going to miss it. The traffic is going to be too heavy.”
All of the above, is, of course, conditional on having clear skies.
If you look at the past, it’s not promising. The history of April 8 weather shows that cloudy conditions have existed 75 per cent of the time in Ottawa and 65 per cent in Kingston.
The astronomy community will employ “eclipse chasers,” keeping everyone abreast of where skies are brightest.
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“Some people chase tornadoes, others chase eclipses,” Chisholm joked. “A couple of astronomers from here are going down to the United States.”
At Carleton University, the show will take place atop the Physics building, with telescopes set up for students to use.
What eye protection is necessary?
The only time when it is safe to stare directly at an eclipse is in the peak moment when the moon is covering the sun.
For the other two-plus hours, the eyes must be covered or the eclipse must be seen through a filter.
The risk is burning the back of your eyes.
“Staring at the sun without protection may cause damage to your retina (the tissue at the back of your eye) called solar retinopathy,” Canadian Association of Optometrists president Dr. Martin Spiro said in a statement released in October. “This damage can occur without any sensation of pain.”
There are different types of eclipse glasses on the market — ranging everywhere from $2 cardboard models to the $30 wraparound plastic type — but they are in short supply.
The CAO and the Canadian Space Agency are advising everyone to be vigilant in what they purchase.
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Any eyewear must pass the international standard ISO 12312-2.
Sunglasses, no matter how expensive, do not provide enough coverage. Cameras and telescopes without proper solar filters are not safe, either.
Chisholm cautions that some older telescopes contain an eyepiece with the word “sun” on it. It is not safe to point it directly at the sun.
“That’s very dangerous,” he said. “The intense sunlight comes in and heats up that piece of plastic and it melts and cracks and it can blind someone instantly.”
Spiro pointed out that adults pay special attention to make their children aware.
“Children, being naturally curious, may need extra supervision during eclipses,” he said.
Can you make a homemade device to see the eclipse?
Yes. All you need to make a “pinhole projector” is an empty cereal box, a piece of white paper and a piece of tin foil.
Chisholm will be visiting schools during the next few weeks, illustrating how students can build their own.
First, you cut off half of the top end of the box and insert the paper at the bottom of the box. Cover the remaining piece of the top of the box with tin foil and make a tiny hole in the tin foil.
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To see the eclipse safely, point the box towards the ground in the opposite direction of the sun.
“It’s not super high tech and the image of the sun is very, very small but you can actually see a picture and can see the moon moving across the sun,” Chisholm said. “It’s a safe way to look at the sun because you are looking at a reflection.”
Why are school boards making April 8 a PA day?
The biggest issue is the timing of the eclipse over Ottawa.
It will occur at the same time as children normally walk or take the bus home from school.
The concern is that students might not heed previous advice to not look up.
Accordingly, the Ottawa Catholic School Board, the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est and the Conseil des écoles publiques du l’Est de l’Ontario are closing their doors. They’ve made April 8 a PA Day, moving it from the previous April 26 date.
“Looking directly at the sun during an eclipse can cause damage to one’s eyes,” the OCSB said in a statement.
The Ottawa Carleton District School Board also opted to close schools, reinforcing the message that normal school dismissal times come during the “window” of the eclipse and that staring at the sun without proper eye protection could result in permanent eye damage. The Board doesn’t have a PA Day that can be moved. The OCDSB Toddler Preschool and EarlyOn Child and Family Centres will operate as usual on April 8.
kwarren@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/Citizenkwarren
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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The body of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei — who died after being set on fire by her partner in Kenya — was received Friday by family and anti-femicide crusaders, ahead of her burial a day later.
Cheptegei’s family met with dozens of activists Friday who had marched to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s morgue in the western city of Eldoret while chanting anti-femicide slogans.
She is the fourth female athlete to have been killed by her partner in Kenya in yet another case of gender-based violence in recent years.
Viola Cheptoo, the founder of Tirop Angels – an organization that was formed in honor of athlete Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death in 2021, said stakeholders need to ensure this is the last death of an athlete due to gender-based violence.
“We are here to say that enough is enough, we are tired of burying our sisters due to GBV,” she said.
It was a somber mood at the morgue as athletes and family members viewed Cheptegei’s body which sustained 80% of burns after she was doused with gasoline by her partner Dickson Ndiema. Ndiema sustained 30% burns on his body and later succumbed.
Ndiema and Cheptegei were said to have quarreled over a piece of land that the athlete bought in Kenya, according to a report filed by the local chief.
Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack. She finished in 44th place.
Cheptegei’s father, Joseph, said that the body will make a brief stop at their home in the Endebess area before proceeding to Bukwo in eastern Uganda for a night vigil and burial on Saturday.
“We are in the final part of giving my daughter the last respect,” a visibly distraught Joseph said.
He told reporters last week that Ndiema was stalking and threatening Cheptegei and the family had informed police.
Kenya’s high rates of violence against women have prompted marches by ordinary citizens in towns and cities this year.
Four in 10 women or an estimated 41% of dating or married Kenyan women have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent partner, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together.
Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the jar, which smashed into pieces.
Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son — the youngest of three — is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash, “please let that not be my child” was the first thought that raced through his head.
The jar has been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years. It was one of the only containers of its size and from that period still complete when it was discovered.
The Bronze Age jar is one of many artifacts exhibited out in the open, part of the Hecht Museum’s vision of letting visitors explore history without glass barriers, said Inbal Rivlin, the director of the museum, which is associated with Haifa University in northern Israel.
It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and dates back to between 2200 and 1500 B.C.
Rivlin and the museum decided to turn the moment, which captured international attention, into a teaching moment, inviting the Geller family back for a special visit and hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.
Rivlin added that the incident provided a welcome distraction from the ongoing war in Gaza. “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world,“ said Rivlin.
Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.
Experts used 3D technology, hi-resolution videos, and special glue to painstakingly reconstruct the large jar.
Less than two weeks after it broke, the jar went back on display at the museum. The gluing process left small hairline cracks, and a few pieces are missing, but the jar’s impressive size remains.
The only noticeable difference in the exhibit was a new sign reading “please don’t touch.”
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province.
Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.”
Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public.
“So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview.
B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.
Scapillati said the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government.
Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement that they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers “have the trust of the communities they serve,” and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies.
Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, said they’ve been calling for such a committee for decades.
“This move demonstrates the government is listening,” said Fox. “I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are.”
Fox said the partnership came from “a place of long frustration” as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is “no longer tolerating this kind of approach.”
“I think that the conservation officer service and the B.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it,” said Fox.
Fox said there’s a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through.
“I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, ” said Fox.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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