When the eclipse will peak in your community

CTV National News: Riskin on solar eclipse Science and technology commentator Dan Riskin breaks down everything would-be watchers of the total solar eclipse need to know.

The total solar eclipse will take over the skies on Monday, but the time of when that starts and how long the celestial event will last will vary slightly depending on where you are viewing it from in Ontario.

On April 8, the moon will cross the path of the sun and Earth. The partial eclipse is set to start at around 2 p.m. and end at around 4:30 p.m. in Ontario, but that time will change depending on location.

“Since the path of totality is going through southeastern Ontario, the earliest moment of totality will be in the southwestern part of Ontario at 3:12 p.m., and then by the time that it reaches the furthest part [in] southeastern Ontario, that’ll be at about 3:26 p.m.,” Daliah Bibas, researcher-programmer for astronomy and space sciences at the Ontario Science Centre, told CTV News Toronto in an interview.

Depending on where Ontarians are viewing it from, Bibas said, totality can last from under a minute to about four minutes long.

“In Toronto, totality is not going to happen,” Bibas said. “We are in 99 per cent coverage...so the highest amount of coverage we will see will also happen at 3:19 p.m.”

According to Bibas, Fort Erie is set to have the longest totality peak in the province, lasting about three minutes and 45 seconds.

Michael Reid, associate professor at the department of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Toronto, also pointed to Niagara Falls as being the closest to the centre of totality, where the peak will last for about three minutes and 31 seconds.

“I’ll give you a contrast, if you were in Oakville, for example, right on the very edge [on the path of totality], its a few seconds,” Reid said. “It’s a pretty big difference depending on how far you’re willing to go [and] fight through crowds.”

The reason why the timing changes depending on the location is due to where the city falls on the path of totality, both astronomers explained, where the darkest part of the shadow of the moon projects onto the Earth. Thankfully for Ontario, however, everyone will see part of it.

“All of Ontario is able to see a partial eclipse. The further south you go, the closer you’ll be to totality, with places like Hamilton, Niagara Falls, Fort Erie, Kingston, Burlington, being in the path of totality while places like Toronto and anywhere further north than that, even London, being really close to the path of totality but not exactly, those places will experience partial solar eclipses,” Bibas explained.

“Basically meaning that you will not see the corona of the sun, the outermost layer of the atmosphere.”

Here is when the eclipse will start, peak and end, depending on where you’re viewing it from in Ontario, according to timeanddate.com, which Bibas and Reid both pointed to as the most accurate data:

Those who are planning to view the solar eclipse on Monday must not observe it with their eyes alone, as it is extremely dangerous to do so.

“It’s great to go out and look at it but people should really be reminded, especially if they’re supervising kids of anyone who needs a bit of extra supervision, not to look directly at the sun without special glasses,” Reid said, adding they should also buy certified glasses intended for eclipse viewing as there may be dupes out there on the market.

“Be aware that someone may also try and sell them fake glasses, or they may suggest other unsafe methods like sunglasses or smoked glass – none of those are a good idea.”

The next total solar eclipse for the Toronto area will not come again for more than 100 years, until 2144. However, the next partial eclipse will sweep the skies on Jan. 14, 2029.