Solar eclipse: what to expect while watching in Calgary

It's not every day that the regular patterns of the celestial objects in our sky get disrupted, but on April 8, people across Canada will be able to witness just that. 

Albertans will experience a partial solar eclipse on Monday, as the moon, on its path between earth and the sun, blocks out a chunk of the latter. 

Parts of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and P.E.I. will be in the eclipse's path of totality, where the moon will briefly block out the sun completely. 

And even though those in the west won't get a glimpse from these coveted vantage points, Jeroen Stil, associate professor of astronomy at the University of Calgary, said viewing the phenomenon is still worthwhile. 

"We don't get so many eclipses, you know, they don't happen every year, at least at any particular place in the world," said Stil. "So it's exciting to have one and to share it with people who are interested."

Stil said the eclipse will last for around two hours, beginning at 11:48 a.m. At 12:43, the moon will cover the largest portion of the sun, around one-third's worth. 

"I like to compare it [to] a big chocolate chip cookie that somebody took a bite out of," said Stil.  

"The very first part of the eclipse … you will not see much because it's a tiny little dent in the sun that will slowly grow bigger.

"It's like first a small nibble out of the cookie and then an ever bigger bite … So you'll see the dark silhouette of the moon in front of the sun and it's quite a spectacular thing to see." 

Stil stressed the importance of using the proper equipment during the entirety of the event  — specialized eclipse glasses that will protect your eyes from the sun's powerful rays. 

If you don't have eclipse glasses, Stil suggests punching a small hole in a thick piece of paper, and holding a white piece of paper opposite the hole from the sun. There, on the piece of paper, a safe image of the sun will appear through the hole. 

Stil said he is planning to take part in a free drop-in eclipse viewing event put on by the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory (RAO) at the University of Calgary campus on Monday. 

A spokesperson for the event said the RAO will be set up on Green Space 20, near the Taylor Institute.

They added they will have a limited number of eclipse glasses to give out to Calgarians on a first-come first-serve basis, and dedicated solar telescopes to give watchers a magnified view of the eclipse.