At least one Red Deerian plans to witness the total solar eclipse, which will be visible on the central-east side of North America on April 8.
Alice Koning, the astronomy specialist for the Kerry Wood Nature Centre, said she’s making travel plans because she doesn’t want to miss this “transcendent experience… I’m looking at ways to see it in person.”
While excitement is growing for the rare event, Red Deer will not be in the path of the total solar eclipse.
What Red Deerians will see at 11:51 a.m. on April 8 — if they wear eclipse glasses to protect their eyes and reduce glare, said Koning — is a chunk seemingly bitten out of the bottom quarter of the sun.
To observe the total black-hole-sun effect, with halo, you would have to be looking up in parts of Mexico, south-central to north-eastern US., southern Ontario and Quebec, Labrador or Newfoundland.
The best Canadian view, if the sky is clear, will be from Niagara Falls, Ont. That touristy city is making the most of it. Koning found hotel prices in southern Ontario are through the roof and vacancies are already hard to find.
“The eclipse has gotten so much hype that all the hotels have booked up.”
She’s looking into other travel options, as there will be a long wait to see the next solar eclipse over Red Deer. It’s supposed to happen Aug. 22, 2044.
As Koning explains in a video she made earlier this year on the Kerry Wood Nature Centre’s Facebook page, solar eclipses are not rare for the planet — only for people who hope to see it over their heads.
The point where the moon’s path perfectly passes between the sun and the Earth, blocking the glowing orb, actually happens once about every 18 months. But since 70 per cent of the earth is water, there’s usually no easy way for people to see it.
Even when the solar eclipse happens over land, there’s only a slight chance the sun will be completely covered by the moon over the place where you live, said Koning.
There’s usually a lot of exhilaration around these eclipse events, when the sky darkens and the wind picks up.
“It hits humanity on another level… It transcends our daily routines and it unites us all, as humans,” she added. “We get to experience this wondrous thing. You don’t need language to know it’s very special.”
While the view from Red Deer will not be optimum, sky-gazers will still see something a little different, provided there are no clouds.
The Kerry Wood Nature Centre will have a drop-in open house from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m during the April 8 eclipse. Eclipse glasses will be available from now until then at a cost of $2.50 from the shop.
Koning cautions that people should not risk damaging their eyes by peering at the sun without these glasses. The irony is you wouldn’t see anything anyway, because of the obscuring rays, she added.
The eclipse can also be experienced by using a pinhole camera or even a colander to cast a shadow on the ground. Koning believes this will make for a great science lesson for kids.