'It could be a spectacular sight,' stargazer says

Avid sky gazers and other curiosity seekers are readying themselves for a rare event: a total eclipse of the sun, expected Aug. 1, that will be visible along a narrow path that stretches through the Kitikmeot and High Arctic regions of Nunavut.

A partial eclipse of the sun will be visible across a wider area stretching from parts of the Kivalliq to Baffin Island.

"It could be a spectacular sight," said Alan Dyer, an editor of Sky News, a Canadian magazine devoted to astronomy.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the earth and the sun, casting its shadow on the earth and blocking our view of the sun.

For one or two minutes, the sun's light is blocked entirely, turning daylight into temporary darkness.

The last total solar eclipse visible from Canada occurred in February of 1979. After the Aug. 1 event, the next total solar eclipse to be visible from Canada won't occur until April 8, 2024.

Dyer, with a group of astronomy enthusiasts, will head for Cambridge Bay July 29 to make sure they arrive on time for the Aug. 1 spectacle.

Though this eclipse will be visible from parts of China and Russia, the only place in Canada where people will be able to see it is in Nunavut.

The zone of "total eclipse" starts just east of Cambridge Bay, then extends in a narrow path over Victoria Island, then north over Prince of Wales, Somerset, Devon and Ellesemere islands.

Dyer expects it to produce a rare and beautiful sight, since it will occur very early in the morning just after sunrise, when the sun still hangs low in the horizon.

Here's a list of some Nunavut communities from which at least a partial eclipse will be visible, with the estimated time and percentage of the sun that will be covered:

• Cambridge Bay: 3:24 a.m. Mountain Time, 99.9 per cent;
• Cape Dorset: 5:08 a.m. Eastern Time, 78 per cent;
• Iqaluit: 5:05 a.m. Eastern Time, 77 per cent;
• Resolute: 4:25 Eastern Time, 99.7 per cent;
• Rankin Inlet: 4:33 Eastern Time, 51 per cent.

In Grise Fiord, people will be able to see 100 per cent of the sun covered by the moon's shadow, at around the same time in the morning that it's visible in Resolute.

But Dyer says people should keep one thing in mind: don't look directly at the sun, because you could do permanent damage to your eyes.

He says the best way to view the eclipse is through a welder's goggle or by using a simple pin-hole projection device.

For more information on how to view the eclipse safely, go to www.skynews.ca.