Atlantic Canada to witness first total solar eclipse in decades today

By CityNews Halifax Staff

We’re anticipating some awestruck amateur astronomers here on the East Coast today, as the first total solar eclipse to move through our region in decades is happening today.

Some Maritimers will see quite a show later today as Saint Mary University’s astrophysicist Rob Thacker describes it, people in that path of totality will go from daylight to nighttime.

“The area in which that happens, it’s just literally a track as the shadow traces across the surface of the Earth and that track is only about 180 kilometres wide,” he tells CityNews Halifax.

“For us, with this eclipse, it runs pretty much through the centre to northeastern part of New Brunswick.”

Most of Nova Scotia will only see a partial eclipse with the only exception being Meat Cove in Cape Breton, which just squeaks into that path of totality.

SMU says about 94.3 per cent of the sun will be eclipsed here in Halifax.

The eclipse will begin at 3:27 p.m. and the maximum part of the eclipse in Halifax will be at 4:38 p.m.

The moon will have fully moved past the sun by about 5:44.

Experts say that to view the eclipse safely, you need ISO 12312-2 rated eclipse glasses.

Saint Mary’s will be hosting a live viewing event on campus this afternoon, and has a limited number of glasses there people can use.

The so-called “path of totality” will not return to the Maritimes again until 2079.