What you need to know ahead of the solar eclipse set to dim Thunder Bay's skies on Monday

Monday is a big day for skywatchers across Canada, including those in Thunder Bay, Ont.

The day will see a solar eclipse pass above much of the country. While the spectacle of a total solar eclipse is reserved for eastern and southern parts of the Canada, Thunder Bay will still be treated to a partial solar eclipse, with about 75 per cent of the sun expected to be covered by the moon.

"We're just going to see sort of like a bite taken out of the sun," said Emily Kerton, senior manager of outreach and Indigenous initiatives with Science North. "We'll still have a little bit of dimness and it is still really exciting to look at it and see that.

"But it's not going to be the same experience as a total solar eclipse."

Science North is planning a event for Monday afternoon at Boulevard Lake, allowing people to safely view the eclipse directly.

"You wouldn't look at the sun directly on a regular day and so it's exactly the same when there's an eclipse," Kerton said. "Often people feel more comfortable trying to look at the sun when it's got a little bit of shade on it from the moon passing in front of it. But it is extremely dangerous to look at it, so you never ever look at it directly without any kind of eye protection."

The Northwestern Health Unit reminded people that staring at a partial eclipse without eye protection "can do serious damage to your vision."

During the eclipse, the solar radiation being emitted from the sun can cause "eclipse blindness," or retinal burns, the health unit says.

"This eye injury is caused because tissues inside the eye are heated to an extreme level — all without feeling pain. Blurred vision and loss of eyesight (immediate or delayed) is also possible and can take 12 to 48 hours to appear."

There are a few options for safe eclipse viewing, Kerton said, including eclipse glasses. Science North will have pairs available for purchase during the Boulevard Lake event at a cost of $5 each.

There has been some concern about counterfeit eclipse glasses, which won't provide protection. Kerton said the American Astronomical Society website has a list of safe suppliers of the glasses.

Another option are pinhole cameras, which people can make themselves; there are instructions on the Canadian Space Agency website.

The cameras, Kerton said, are "basically just like a box with a pinhole in it, and when you hold it up to the sun, the sun's reflection will go through the hole and resolve on an opposite side of the box."

"You'll be able to see the reflection of the sun with the bite out of it, which will be the moon crossing in front of the sun."