What Nunavut, Nunavik can expect from solar eclipse

Eyes will be pointed toward the sky on April 8 (with specialized glasses on, of course) when a rare total solar eclipse passes over some of Canada’s most populated regions.

While Nunavut and Nunavik won’t be in its direct path, some northern communities will get to witness a partial eclipse.

An eclipse happens when the moon passes between the Earth and sun, causing the shadow of the moon to pass across the Earth.

In a partial eclipse, the moon doesn’t completely cover the sun. An annular eclipse is when the moon is a little bit further away and lines up perfectly with the sun, so that the sun encircles the moon like a ring of light.

But the most exciting type is a total solar eclipse where the moon completely covers the sun, said Pauline Barmby, a professor of physics and astronomy at Western University in London, Ont.

Eclipses can happen as often as every 18 months, but a total eclipse appears “only every 300 or 400 years” at a given place on the Earth’s surface, she said.

“They’re pretty unusual occurrences.”

Monday’s total solar eclipse will be visible along a path that crosses North America, starting in the northern part of Mexico, moving across the U.S. through the middle of Lake Erie, passing over Niagara Falls, Kingston, Ont. and Montreal, before heading through New Brunswick, western Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland.

For a few minutes as the eclipse passes overhead, day will turn to night while the shadow of the moon blocks out the sun’s rays.

Major Ontario cities like London, Toronto and Ottawa as well as Quebec City will see between 98 to 99 per cent of the full eclipse, while Niagara Falls, Kingston and Montreal will see 100 per cent of the eclipse.

Iqaluit will see about 42 per cent of the eclipse, while Kuujjuaq will see about 60 per cent.

Online maps depict what the spectacle will look like from the vantage point of specific regions.

“If you think about the rays of light coming from the sun towards the moon, there’s going to be a narrow, cone-shaped shadow behind the moon. That’s, that’s the darkest part and that’s what’s in total eclipse,” Barmby said.

But there’s also some shadow on the side of the moon, called the penumbra.

“If you’re in the penumbra, not the darkest shadow part, you see a partial eclipse,” she said.

“What that means is the moon never completely covers the sun, but it covers part of it.”

Regardless of whether you’ll be witnessing a total or partial eclipse, Barmby advises taking precautions when looking at the sky.

One way to catch the eclipse is through special glasses with a safety standard of ISO 12312, which guarantees the glasses are truly protective and not fakes.

Direct sunlight in the eye can burn the retina, which doesn’t have pain sensors. That means it’s easy to unknowingly suffer permanent ocular damage.

It’s also possible to project the sun onto another surface by using a kitchen colander or cheese grater with small holes, or building a pinhole camera. Let the sun shine through it and that will project the image of the eclipse onto the ground, Barmby said.

While safety precautions are recommended, Barmby stressed the sun is not any more dangerous during an eclipse than it is normally.

“You shouldn’t hide in your basement and be afraid to look at the sky, but just don’t stare at the sun,” she said.

Once set with proper eyewear and a spot to view the eclipse, viewers can keep their fingers crossed for good weather on April 8.

“That is part of the life of an astronomer, looking at the sky and crossing your fingers,” Barmby said.

People in the North should keep their pinhole cameras handy, though, as a much stronger partial eclipse, about 92 per cent in Iqaluit, will happen just as the sun rises on March 29, 2025.