This Saturday, October 14th, the Sun, Moon and Earth will align over America to provide an extraordinary spectacle: a solar eclipse.
It occurs when the moon travels between the sun and the earth.
According to astrophysicist Robert Lamontagne, although the moon is much smaller than the sun, it is also much closer to us, giving the illusion that they are the same size. That is why the moon can completely or partially hide our star.
In British Columbia we will experience a partial solar eclipse as only some of the sunlight will be blocked by the moon. This astronomical phenomenon was expected to begin around 8:10 a.m. and end around 10:35 a.m.
In Vancouver, about 82% of the sun’s surface will be hidden at the peak of the eclipse around 9:20 a.m.
In other regions, the solar eclipse will be annular. This happens when the moon is furthest from Earth as it passes in front of the sun. It therefore appears slightly smaller than the star and always leaves a visible ring of light.
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An annular solar eclipse will be visible across parts of America on October 14, 2023.
Photo: Canadian Space Agency
To see this ring, you have to be in the middle of a narrow strip 200 km wide that crosses the United States, then the Yucatán Peninsula, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, the coast of Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and finally Brazil .
For those who want to observe the solar eclipse, the classic recommendation applies not to look at the sun unprotected, even if there are clouds on Saturday morning.
No need to worry, even if clouds are forecast, the effects of the eclipse will still be visible.
The best way to take advantage of this phenomenon is to get glasses or lenses specifically designed for observing solar eclipses. They are available in most planetariums.
If you miss Saturday’s solar eclipse, there will be another partial solar eclipse in British Columbia on Monday, April 8, 2024. However, this will be total in southeastern Canada (Hamilton, Montreal, Sherbrooke, Fredericton).