Ah, Victoria Day weekend. The time when we Canadians celebrate the true meaning of the season – the anniversary of Queen Victoria going to the garden centre, opening up her cottage and relaxing with Prince Albert on the deck with the two-fours.
Wait, that’s not it?
Well, whatever you doing this weekend, make sure to check out the skies on Sunday night this beautifully clear and summer-like weekend for the first annular solar eclipse to encounter North America since 1994.
On Sunday, the moon will eclipse the sun, creating an annular (ring-like) appearance. This effect will be seen most clearly over Asia, the north Pacific and western North America. People in Vancouver will see the eclipse peak at around 6:15 PM local time. Unfortunately for people in the Toronto area, the three –hour time difference means that the eclipse will peak here around 9:15 PM – in other words, after the sun has set.
Don’t be discouraged, though. Ontarians should still be able to catch the show from 8:19 PM to 8:40 PM EDT. Because the sun sets at 8:40, you will need to have a clear view of the western horizon to catch most of it. Cottagers on Lake Huron, or the eastern shores of Georgian Bay, rejoice!
Words of caution: DO NOT look directly at the sun with your naked eyes. You can permanently damage them. And for the love of your eyesight, DO NOT look at the sun though binoculars or a telescope. If you’re going to watch the eclipse, watch it through specially prepared eclipse glasses with darkened lenses.
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Double Treat for Canadian Astronomy Enthusiasts – Global News
‘Ring of Fire’ solar eclipse to dazzle U.S., East Asia Sunday – Digital Journal.
Image via Wikipedia provided by sancho_panza, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.
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