How to make Monday’s total eclipse a stellar experience

Monday’s solar eclipse, which will see the moon pass in front of the sun over the course of roughly two hours, has been hailed as a once-in-a-lifetime event.

In Ottawa-Gatineau, for a few minutes around 3:25 p.m., roughly 99 per cent of the sun will be obscured.

Further to the south in what’s called the “path of totality,” places including Kingston and Cornwall will be shrouded in full darkness.

With parties taking place, schools shutting down and even pet owners being urged to take precautions, it’s definitely no ordinary day in eastern Ontario.

Here’s what you need to know to make the whole experience a stellar one.

Where to experience total darkness

In eastern Ontario, the path of totality hugs the St. Lawrence River and Highway 401, including the communities of Kingston, Cornwall, Morrisburg, Brockville and Gananoque.

With potentially hundreds of thousands of eclipse-watchers arriving Monday, Kingston is throwing a big party at Grass Creek Park from 1 to 4 p.m.

The celebration will include food vendors, a beer tent and a cover band performing Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety. There will also be “eclipse ambassadors” from Queen’s University on hand to guide people through the experience.

Those same ambassadors will also be on hand at a variety of other sites in the city including Lake Ontario Park, the Invista Centre, and several community centres and schools. 

The Fort Henry National Historic Site is also holding its own event, although it’s sold out.

In Cornwall, there will be a viewing party at Lamoureux Park Monday afternoon with live music, food trucks and a drum circle.

Closer to Morrisburg, Upper Canada Village is welcoming people to take in the eclipse at the Battle of Crysler’s Farm National Historic Site between 1 and 4:30 p.m. Parking passes have already sold out.

Gananoque will host a viewing party at Joel Stone Park, while the festivities in Brockville will take place at Blockhouse Island.

A map of the Great Lakes area with a red band over the Canada-U.S. border. A blue line cuts through the red band.
The path of totality through eastern Ontario, southern Quebec and Upstate New York. The blue line shows the centre of the path where the eclipse will last about three and a half minutes. (eclipse2024.org)

What to do in Ottawa

While the city isn’t planning any festivities for Monday, there are other organized events taking place.

The Canada Aviation and Space Museum is offering eclipse-related programming throughout the day including workshops on making pinhole viewers. 

Staff will also let people view the eclipse through solar-filtered binoculars and magnified solar projectors. The museum will also stream the eclipse live in its theatre.

The Canadian Museum of Nature will host a viewing on its plaza, while also streaming the eclipse indoors.

Carleton University’s physics department is hosting a series of talks Monday afternoon on the nature of the cosmos. Registration ahead of time is recommended.

Getting around

With people travelling long distances to catch the celestial spectacle, communities in the path of totality are preparing for major traffic disruptions.

A map of a city with several roads in different colours.
This map sets out the road closures and lane reductions in Kingston during Monday’s eclipse. (City of Kingston)

In Kingston, that means full or partial road closures in the city centre including a long stretch of King Street between Mowat Avenue and Barrie Street to allow for emergency hospital access. The city is also warning of “dynamic” road closures throughout the day.

The federally owned LaSalle Causeway is closed for the foreseeable future after a construction incident on March 30.

Kingston Transit is free April 8, with service pausing around the time of the eclipse.

Many communities in the path of totality are urging residents to either view the eclipse from home to reduce traffic, or to walk, bike or take transit to viewing parties.

Some events may also have shuttles running to and from their sites. Check their websites for more information.

In Ottawa, the vast majority of city services will operate as usual, although there will be a few minor disruptions.

A girl holds solar eclipse glasses over the lens on her phone to take a picture of the sun in the sky during a partial eclipse.
In addition to protecting your eyes from the sun’s rays, eclipse glasses can also keep your phone’s camera safe. (Dave Chidley/The Canadian Press)

Protecting your eyes

Anyone planning to view the sun directly on April 8 needs to wear special eclipse glasses, as regular sunglasses do not offer enough protection.

At this point, the best option may be to buy your own glasses. Many institutions that had been offering pairs for free, including both the Ottawa Public Library and the Kingston Frontenac Public Library, have now run out.

Some of the viewing events and parties note that glasses will be available on site, either for free or for purchase. 

If you can’t get proper eye protection in time for Monday, you can still view the eclipse indirectly by building your own pinhole projector out of cardboard and aluminum foil.

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