Many Canadians looking to the sky Wednesday will enjoy a partial view of a solar eclipse, while the moon completely blocks the sun in parts of Europe and the Arctic. “We will see a little sliver of it taken off,” science and technology expert Dan Riskin told CP24 this morning. “I think this is just a really exciting day for people in Iceland, people in England, people in Spain. A lot of people have travelled to go there to see this.” Here’s what Canadians need to know. Will Canada see the solar eclipse in 2026? Yes, but Canada is outside the path of totality. NASA estimates about 53 per cent of the sun will be covered at maximum eclipse in St. John’s, compared with 31 per cent in Halifax, 18 per cent in Montreal, and eight per cent in Toronto. Some cities will be outside the viewing area, including Vancouver. What time is the solar eclipse? The timing depends on where you are in Canada, with the eclipse moving generally from west to east. Here are the approximate start, maximum and end times for several Canadian cities, according to NASA. All times are local. Do I need solar eclipse glasses? Yes. Anyone watching the eclipse directly needs solar eclipse glasses for the entire event. The Canadian Space Agency says looking directly at the sun, without appropriate protection, can lead to serious problems such as partial or complete loss of eyesight. Regular sunglasses, regardless of how dark, aren’t sufficient. Where will people see a total solar eclipse? A total solar eclipse will be visible from a relatively narrow path crossing Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, the Atlantic Ocean, Spain and a small part of Portugal. “An eclipse is just basically the moon moving into the position between the Earth and the sun, so that it’s blocking its light,” said Megan Glover, a lab technician at the University of Prince Edward Island’s physics department. “Basically, you’re in the moon’s shadow, because the sun is shining on the other side of it, and if you’re in the total eclipse, you’re in the darkest part of the shadow, and you can’t see any of that sun around it.” Outside that path of totality, a partial eclipse will be visible across most of Canada, parts of the northern United States, much of Europe and northwestern Africa. How long until the next solar eclipse in Canada? Another solar eclipse will be partially visible in eastern Canada on Aug. 2, 2027, but Canadians will have to wait longer to experience totality. The CSA says the next total solar eclipse visible in Canada will take place on Aug. 22, 2044.
