Tips for viewing a total solar eclipse from a Montreal astronomer

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If you’re not chasing a solar eclipse, the one that will briefly cast darkness over much of Montreal and southern Quebec on Monday could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Marc Jobim, an astronomer at the Montreal Planetarium and an experienced solar eclipse tracker, has witnessed 10 total solar eclipses around the world over the past 25 years and knows the details of this experience well. He explained that the experience was incredibly unique and triggered “something deep within me.”

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“You really put yourself in an environment where your surroundings change, and it’s a supernatural thing,” he said. “It works on very primitive behaviors.”

Montreal hasn’t seen a total solar eclipse since 1932, and won’t see one until 2205. If you want to make the most of this experience, consider the following tips.

Make sure you’re on the path to wholeness

In totality, the moon completely blocks the sun, darkening the sky for a short period of time. In Montreal, roads cross the island. To make sure you don’t step over the edge, move further south.

“This is important because if you’re not on the path to perfection, you’re missing out on the peak of the phenomenon. In fact, you’re missing out on the show,” Jobim said. “A partial solar eclipse is not 99.9 percent of the total solar eclipse experience when you’re outside the path of a total solar eclipse, even if it’s 99.9 percent. You’re so far from it. It’s really like night and day. There is a world of difference between the two, so the effort to travel the extra kilometer to get inside the path of totality is worth it.”

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Learn more about the Path of Wholeness here.

There’s more to the experience than watching the moon cover the sun

Jobim says to enjoy the whole experience, not just the act of the moon blocking the sun, because there’s actually a lot more going on.

“During totality, we fall into deep twilight. It’s not total darkness, and we’re not in the middle of the night,” he said. “The sky gets quite dark, but not completely dark. Along the horizon, as far as you can see in 360 degrees, you can see the colors of the setting sun. But not just where the sun sets in the west, all around you. It is located in.”

Here is a list of not-so-obvious things to watch out for before and during totality.

Make sure your solar eclipse glasses are certified

Jobim cautioned that there is no way to know if glasses purchased through online retailers such as eBay or Amazon are genuine, so be sure to buy from a trusted source.

“People are trying to stay safe in a lot of ways, and that’s part of the problem. Some of the eclipse glasses you find on the interwebs, you don’t really know the manufacturer, and you don’t know if they’re really safe. We don’t even know,” he said, adding that the problem was detected during the 2017 solar eclipse.

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Whitelisted suppliers can be found at: eclipse.aas.org/eye-safety/viewers-filters.

You can get your hands on glasses on the day of the solar eclipse, as several events around the city also give out free glasses.

Don’t have solar eclipse glasses?Let’s make a pinhole camera

You don’t actually need eclipse glasses to experience a solar eclipse. It is only necessary if you want to observe the moon moving above the sun in partial phases. (Glasses must be removed during totality.)

If you don’t have glasses and want to see local stages, you can make a pinhole camera by cutting holes in a cardboard box, or use a colander, cheese grater, or anything with a few small holes to capture the image. can be projected. on the surface.

Click here to learn more about solar eclipse glasses.

keep your cell phone in your pocket

Don’t look at your phone during a solar eclipse. The brightness of the screen affects your vision, making it difficult to adapt to darkness when totality occurs.

“Actually enjoy this event,” said astronomer Nicholas Cowan, associate professor in McGill University’s Department of Physics and Earth and Planetary Sciences. “Rest assured that any photos you take with your iPhone will be no better than any photos taken by a professional photographer…and they will post them on the Internet for you to view later.

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“So instead of trying to take pictures, actually enjoy the show.”

Be careful with artificial lighting

Mr Cowan warned that street lights, which are turned on using sensors rather than timers, could ruin the view of the eclipse and the overall experience during the eclipse.

“Just know that if you’re in a big park or something and the street lights start coming on, that’s bad,” he said. “So make sure you’re not facing the direction of the sun at that time of day.”

bring extra layers

Just like at sunset, when the moon blocks the sun, temperatures drop, Cowan explained.

“So bring me another one,” he said. “Make sure you have tackle, a jacket, and a windbreaker to wear, otherwise you’ll just be shivering during a fun time.”

Watch events in groups

Solar eclipses occur in the sky, so of course you can see them from anywhere, but it may be more fun to experience it in a group.

“It’s great just to go outside, put on your glasses in your backyard, and look up at the sky, but it’s even more fun when you do it with other people,” said Tracy Webb, associate professor in the Department of Physics and the Trottier Institute for Space Studies. To tell. McGill. “This is truly a community event.”

Many events held around the city will have experts available to answer your questions.

“It gives you a countdown and gives you real-time information about what’s happening at that moment,” Jobim said. “Additional information will be available during the event.”

kthomas@postmedia.com

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