Canada Will See A Partial 'Ring Of Fire' Solar Eclipse This Weekend & Here's How To Watch
Keep your eyes on the skies! 🤩
A partial solar eclipse. Right: A person looks at the sky with eclipse glasses.
Look up! A partial "ring of fire" solar eclipse will be visible across Canada in October, and it should be a spectacular show.
Almost all of North America will be treated to a dramatic display over the weekend as a partial solar eclipse will take place.
Throughout the day on October 14, 2023, the sun, moon, and Earth will line up to produce a solar eclipse.
According to NASA, because the moon will be farther away from Earth, it will appear smaller than the sun and won't completely cover the star when it passes in front of it, creating a "ring of fire" effect.
While parts of the U.S. will have a great view of the ring of fire, viewers in Canada will get the chance to see a partial eclipse, with the sun appearing dented or crescent-shaped.
It looks like Western Canada will be the best place to see the 2023 eclipse. According to The Weather Network, Vancouver will have the best sight, where viewers will be able to see about 80% of the sun covered by the moon, the greatest amount in the country.
In contrast, in southern Quebec near the U.S. border, obscuration will be around 19%, according to Espace pour la vie Montreal.
The eclipse will take place on Saturday at around 11 a.m. ET, or 8 a.m. PT, according to TWN. However, the exact start and end times of the eclipse will vary depending on where you're located.
Here are the start, end, and peak times of the eclipse in several major cities across Canada, according to the outlet:
- Vancouver - start 8:08 a.m., peak 9:20 a.m., end 10:38 a.m. PT
- Whitehorse - start 8:38 a.m., peak 9:23 a.m., end 10:31 a.m. PT
- Calgary - start 9:14 a.m., peak 10:26 a.m., end 11:45 a.m. MT
- Edmonton - start 9:17 a.m., peak 10:28 a.m., end 11:44 a.m. MT
- Yellowknife - start 9:31 a.m., peak 10:33 a.m., end 11:38 a.m. MT
- Regina - start 9:20 a.m., peak 10:34 a.m., end 11:53 a.m. CST
- Winnipeg - start 10:28 a.m., peak 11:42 a.m., end 1:00 p.m. CDT
- Toronto - start 11:55 a.m., peak 1:09 p.m., end 2:25 p.m. ET
- Quebec City - start 12:19 p.m., peak 1:20 p.m., end 2:21 p.m. ET
- Iqaluit - start 12:37 p.m., peak 1:11 p.m., end 1:45 p.m. ET
- Moncton - start 1:39 p.m., peak 2:32 p.m., end 3:24 p.m. AT
- Charlottetown - start 1:45 p.m., peak 2:35 p.m., end 3:24 p.m. AT
- Halifax - start 1:43 p.m., peak 2:36 p.m., end 3:29 p.m. AT
- St. John's - start 2:54 p.m., peak 3:21 p.m., end 3:48 p.m. NT
You can search for your community on Time and Date to get information on when to see the show. NASA will also have a broadcast of the event starting at 11:30 a.m. ET on Saturday.
If you're planning on watching it in the sky, be sure to use proper eye protection — you can use eclipse glasses, a handheld solar viewer or view the eclipse indirectly by creating a pinhole projector.
Sun care, such as sunscreen, a hat, and protective clothing, is also recommended for those planning on watching the eclipse.
If you miss out on this eclipse, you don't need to worry too much — the next solar eclipse (known as the Great North American Total Eclipse) visible from Canada will take place on April 8, 2024.
Happy viewing!
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.