Let’s get ready for the Total Solar Eclipse, a once-in-a-lifetime event that’s right around the corner! The excitement is building, and there’s so much to anticipate. With an abundance of amazing resources available, we’ve organized this post to ensure that you and your students will be fully prepared to enjoy this thrilling experience!

WEBINAR: TEACHING ABOUT THE SOLAR ECLIPSE

Let’s begin with a dynamic webinar that aired on March 12, 2024 entitled, Teaching About the Total Solar Eclipse. Designed specifically for educators, this engaging hour is a collaboration between LEARN-RÉCIT Provincial Service for the Anglophone Community, Plateau Astro, and MaST Coordinating Committee, and has been recorded so that it can be viewed at your own leisure.
Delivered by Trevor Kjorlien, a seasoned Space Educator from Plateau Astro, this recorded webinar offers an enriching exploration of the upcoming Total Solar Eclipse. Throughout the session, Trevor offers insights and practical suggestions such as:

  • Easy to understand explanations on the fundamental principles of the eclipse, such as the path of totality.
  • Curated recommendations for interactive websites, apps, and videos.
  • Engaging activities that will help deepen students’ understanding of the specifics of the event.

While this post offers information shared during the webinar, we strongly recommend viewing the recording to fully immerse yourself in the essence of this exciting event. Teaching About the Total Solar Eclipse (45 min.)

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

DATE: Monday April 8, 2024

TIME: In Quebec, the entire event will occur between 2:10 PM-4:40 PM. Depending on your location, the eclipse will start, reach totality, and end at different times. Check the table for sample viewing locations or click on Timeanddate.com to find more locations.

 

 

LOCATION in Quebec
from West to East

Partial STARTS

Totality

Duration of Totality

Partial ENDS

Delmont

 2:13 PM 3:25-3:27 PM 2 min 26 sec. 4:36 PM

Salaberry-de-Valleyfield

 2:13 PM 3:25-3:27 PM 1 min. 59 sec.

4:36 PM

Montreal

 2:14 PM 3:26-3:28 PM 1 min. 27 sec.

4:37 PM

Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu

 2:14 PM 3:26-3:29 PM 2 min. 54 sec.

4:37 PM

Granby

 2:15 PM 3:26-3:29 PM 3 min. 2 sec.

4:38 PM

Sherbrooke

 2:17 PM 3:27-3:31 PM 3 min. 26 sec.

4:37 PM

Saint-Georges

 2:18 PM 3:29-3:32 PM 2 min. 35 sec.

4:39 PM

Saint-Camille-de-Lellis

 2:19 PM 3:31-3:32 PM 1 min. 20 sec.

4:39 PM

A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EVENT!

A total solar eclipse is a rare event in which the Moon completely blocks the Sun while it passes between the Sun and the Earth. The last Total Solar Eclipse was in 1932, and after April 8, 2024 the next one will be in 2106. This makes it a real once-in-a-lifetime event!

THE PATH OF TOTALITY

The path of totality is the band on the earth where the eclipse will be visible. The path of totality for this solar eclipse will run through Mexico, the United States and Canada. To find out if you live in the path of totality, visit Timeanddate.com and add your city to the search. It will give you the percentage of obscurity, the time, and duration of totality. Or download Stellarium-web.org, a free app that shows a realistic sky in 3D! In his webinar, Trevor describes the path of totality and provides us with a simple experiment that will help students better understand the concept: Path of Totality (21:58 min.).

WHAT TO EXPECT

  • Darkness during totality.
  • A view of the Sun’s corona (weather permitting).
  • A magnificent 360-degree sunset (weather permitting).
  • A drop in temperature a few minutes before totality.
  • An interesting reaction by the animals to the darkness.
  • A slow but exciting event. Although totality can last only up to 2.5 minutes, the duration of the full event is about 2.5 hours. So, patience is necessary!

HOW DO WE VIEW IT SAFELY?

  • Eclipse glasses certified ISO 12312-2 must be worn for safe viewing.
  • All partial phases of the solar eclipse require eclipse glasses. This means that during a partial eclipse, protection must be worn during the entire eclipse, but during a Total Solar Eclipse, glasses can be taken off  during TOTALITY (but ONLY during totality).

DID YOU KNOW THAT…?

  • Earth is the only planet in the solar system that can have a solar eclipse-for now!
    Watch as Trevor explains (44:11 min.)
  • There are 2 kinds of eclipses: lunar and solar.
    Total Lunar Eclipses occur at night when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, and its shadow covers the Moon. Viewers can see the Moon turn red when the eclipse reaches totality.  The first lunar eclipse of the season occurred on March 25, 2024 @12:53 AM (Montreal). Watch it here. The next Total Lunar Eclipse will occur on March 14, 2025. Watch it here.
    The Total Solar Eclipse occurs during the day when the Earth, Moon and Sun perfectly line up.
    What the Eclipse Will Look Like on April 8.
  • A solar eclipse always occurs about two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse.

ECLIPSE EVENTS in QUEBEC

There are many events taking place around Quebec to help viewers celebrate and understand the Total Solar Eclipse. LEARN-RECIT put together this bilingual document that suggests the best viewing events taking place on April 8, 2024.
Total Solar Eclipse Events in Quebec on April 8, 2024 (bilingual document).

FOR THOSE WHO WANT MORE!

  1. Browse through the LEARN padlet for links to many, many resources about the eclipse.
  2. Try Solar Walk Lite, a free planetarium app 3D. It represents a time-sensitive solar system simulator allowing you to explore planets, stars, satellites, dwarfs, asteroids, comets, and other celestial bodies in real time in outer space.
  3. Introduce the eclipse to your Cycle 3 Intensive ESL students with this Eclipse LES. It will have them excitedly exploring our solar system!
  4. Visit Trevor Kjorlien’s website, plateauastro.com to find out about his school presentations and a mobile planetarium that can be set up in your school gym!
  5. Forward this bilingual Resource Sheet for Parents which will give parents all the information they need about this specail event.

PHOTO CREDITS

Solar Eclipse Corona Photo by Jan Haerer on Unsplash
Phase of Total Solar Eclipse Photo by Abed Ismail on Unsplash
Path of Totality Photo by timeanddate.com
Eclipse glasses Photo by Jason Howell on Unsplash