ALEXANDRA ROBERTSON
The 1019 Report
Parts of Vaudreuil-Soulanges will fall within the direct “path of totality” of the solar eclipse on April 8, a once-in-a-lifetime event that will turn the afternoon sky into night-time darkness.
But where are the best areas to see it?
According to Andrew Fazekas, a science columnist with National Geographic who is known as The Night Sky Guy, and is a St. Lazare resident, parts of St. Lazare to Les Cèdres will be ideal.
Much of Vaudreuil-Dorion and all of the island of Île Perrot fall within the path of totality as well.
“I would recommend scouting out some locations and finding a spot where you can park,” Fazekas said. “Folks in Hudson are outside of the path of totality. They would have to go through the southern part of St. Lazare.”
He also recommended open spaces in Les Cèdres, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield or Beauharnois.
The science writer and speaker who has spent decades offering his insights on all things found in the sky explained that the best spots are areas that fall within the “path of totality,” which refers to the shadow trail of the moon as it blocks the sun’s light during a total solar eclipse.
“The path itself is over 200 kilometres across,” Fazekas explained. “It stretches from where I am in the southern part of St. Lazare, to just over the border in Plattsburgh.”
“If you have a clear view of the sky in the afternoon where the sun is, you’ll be able to watch it. It’s not something that’s dependent on the lay of the land,” he said.
Fazekas noted that the further south you go, the longer you’ll be able to see the eclipse.
“From where we are in Vaudreuil-Soulanges, we are along the northern edge of the path,” he explained. “We will only get to see it last for about a minute.”
It may be important to do some research ahead of time, and Fazekas said that a website called Time and Date has detailed maps that will show you what you can see in your area.
“It visually shows you on a diagram of what the sun will look like during totality and will give you a breakdown of the exact timing of when the eclipse begins.”
The only other determining factor is Mother Nature. Right now, the expectation for cloud cover for the time of the eclipse – mid-afternoon on April 8 – is looking a little problematic.
“Historically, based on a century of forecasts for April 8th, it shows that it is 60- to 65-per-cent cloudy,” Fazekas said.
Checking the weather beforehand will make for better planning, he added.
If you want to look directly at the eclipse, Fazekas insists you use specialized sunglasses to protect your eyes from the rays. Regular sunglasses are not enough.
“Watching the entire show in a partial phase, where the moon is just gobbling up the sun, you must use glasses to look at it directly.”
These glasses have a special Mylar film, which looks like aluminum foil. They will shut out more than 99 per cent of the solar rays, making it safe to stare at the sun.
And if you can’t find those?
“An alternative way to view it is the projection method,” he said. “You can basically poke a hole into a piece of cardboard and then focus the sunlight that goes through that hole with a second piece of cardboard and focus the beam of light on that. That will show you the disk of the sun that’s being eclipsed.”
There are instructional videos online if you need the help.
How rare is a total solar eclipse?
“Any one spot on the Earth experiences this once every three centuries, on average,” Fazekas said. “The last time we had one in Montreal was back in 1932. The next one will almost be a century from now.”
Fazekas will be live streaming the eclipse on his website on April 8th. He also has graphics, maps and information to browse for the big day. Visit the https://thenightskyguy.com/ for more details.
Cutline:
The line highlighted by the red arrow on this map shows the northern limit of the path of totality of the eclipse.
Credit:
Courtesy of Time and Date