THUNDER BAY – Millions of North Americans are expected to stop what they’re doing on Monday afternoon and stare skyward.
For the first time in 38 years the contiguous United States will be treated to a total solar eclipse, an astronomical rarity that will begin in Oregon and wind its way across the continent to South Carolina. In Thunder Bay and weather permitting, curiosity seekers will be able to enjoy a partial eclipse, with about 75 per cent of the sun dotted out from the sky.
Brendon Roy, president of the Thunder Bay Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, says he’ll be heading to Nebraska to catch the full scope of the eclipse, but said those remaining north of the border will still see something pretty spectacular.
“This is the most significant event for a solar eclipse seen from Thunder Bay since 1979. From Thunder Bay, we’ll see 74 per cent of the sun covered up by the moon’s disk,” Roy said.
“So if you have solar glasses or proper equipment to look at the sun, you’ll see three-quarters of the sun bit out by the moon. It’s just going to be a crescent sun.”
Roy said the sky will darken a bit, which could allow residents of the area an added astronomical bonus.
“With the proper glasses you’ll not only be able to see the eclipsed sun, but the planets Venus and possibly the planet Jupiter in the daytime sky as well, which is not very common,” Roy said.
Throughout history, eclipses have been held sacred, the world’s earliest civilizations regarding them as mystical events only the heavens could explain.
According to timeanddate.com, the Vietnamese believed solar eclipses were caused by a giant frog devouring the sun. The ancient Chinese through it was a celestial dragon, while the Greeks saw them as signs their gods were angered.
Those fears have not completely disappeared, many seeing eclipses as evil omens that “bring death, destruction and disasters,” or endanger pregnant women.
“You’re experiencing something that is fairly rare and it has had a significant importance. This was a bad omen for many societies. If you were looking to overthrow your king because he was a bad leader, this would be the time to do it, especially if you could predict it,” Roy said.
Monday’s eclipses is expected to begin locally at about 12:52 p.m. The peak will be at about 2:32 p.m. and the entire event will be over by 3:30 p.m.
Roy said the best place to view the eclipse is somewhere absent of trees and houses and pointed specifically to Hillcrest Park.
He cautioned the public not to look at the eclipses without proper eye protection. Do-it-yourself contraptions are not safe, Roy said.
“Because the sun is being covered up so much, your eye doesn’t quite react to it as it normally would when you see a bright object. It takes a couple of extra seconds for your eye to react and in that amount of time you can do serious damage to your eye,” Roy said.
The best way to get the proper equipment at this late hour is to pick up a science magazine, like Sky News magazine, that have solar filters designed for solar eclipse viewing.
