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Protect your eyes and stay safe during solar eclipse

March 28, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

It will be a rare occurrence on April 8, when the moon will pass in front of the sun causing a total solar eclipse across a swath of North America.

The path of the total eclipse will cross Mexico, then Texas, and across the U.S. midwest. As it goes north, it will enter the very southern part of Ontario, including the Niagara Peninsula and Hamilton, continuing east through Quebec, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland, before continuing across the Atlantic Ocean.

The eclipse will be visible in New Tecumseth, but it won’t be a total eclipse. However, the moon will cover around 98 per cent of the sun making for a spectacular sight. There will be only a small sliver of the sun remaining visible when the eclipse peaks at 3:20 p.m.

While this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see an eclipse, watching this phenomenon can be dangerous if you don’t take the proper precautions.

Staring directly at the sun can cause permanent damage to your eyes and vision. While most of the sun will be blocked out during the eclipse, looking at it directly can still do the same damage as staring at the sun on a normal day.

While the sky will look darker during the eclipse, the sun’s ultraviolet rays are just as powerful from behind the moon.

Staring at the eclipse, even briefly, can cause an injury known as solar retinopathy. Once you damage your eyes this way, it is permanent.

If you want to view the eclipse, you should get the special glasses that are designed for it.

Regular sunglasses will not do the trick, even very dark ones.

When you buy the special eclipse glasses, make sure they have an official ISO-12312-2 certification. If they don’t have this designation, they may not be proper glasses and you still may end up with eye damage.

Be especially careful with children during this eclipse. Kids have a tendency to look up at the sun during an eclipse without realizing the dangerous consequences.

The entire eclipse will take around 2 hours and 25 minutes on Monday, April 8.

In New Tecumseth, the moon will start to cover the outer edge of the sun at 2:03 p.m.

Peak coverage, around 99 percent, will occur at 3:20 p.m. when only a tiny sliver of the sun will be visible.

The moon will cross over the sun and move out of its path at 4:30 p.m.

This will be a spectacular experience, but make sure to stay safe and protect your eyes during this once-in-a-lifetime event.

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