On Apr. 8, there will be a partial solar eclipse visible from Lethbridge, according to Perry Sabey from the Lethbridge Astronomy Society. “About 41 per cent of the Sun will be covered by the Moon.”
“Enough to be visible through solar telescopes and properly-protected eyes. The LAS plans to hold a public observing event that day at the Oldman River Observatory, depending on what the weather looks like,” Sabey adds.
If southern Albertans have proper eclipse viewing equipment, such as solar eclipse glasses or a solar telescope, they will be able to see some of the disc of the Moon covering the Sun, Sabey notes.
Sabey says to view the partial eclipse, there are a few things to be aware of. “Obviously, never look at the sun if you don’t have eye protection because the Sun will blind you very fast.”
“Even things like welding goggles. You have to be very careful with those because they are not ISO-certified. The Sun has a wide-range of frequencies that make it through the atmosphere and solar glasses have protection for all of them. Welding goggles will protect you from optical wavelengths and perhaps ultraviolet light. It doesn’t protect you from infrared light, which is almost half of the radiation that comes from the Sun. That doesn’t provide you adequate protection and your eyes don’t have the ability to perceive pain from infrared light,” Sabey explains. ISO-rated eclipse glasses are available from multiple sources.
Another way to observe a partial eclipse is by viewing it indirectly with pinhole observers. Instructions on how to build them and their use are available online.
After this viewing, Sabey says, there will be a bit of a solar eclipse drought in North America. For southern Albertans, the next totality eclipse through Lethbridge will be in August 2044.
“Eclipses follow several different patterns. There’s a bunch of cycles eclipses go through. At any one time, any one eclipse is probably part of a few different cycles. They move up and down the Earth over the period of a few centuries,” says Sabey. “Over the course of a human lifetime, in one location, you’re not likely to see one unless you travel.”
Sabey says if southern Albertans can’t see the solar eclipse from Lethbridge, “We probably can’t see it from the observatory either.” The observatory will release free tickets for a viewing a week before the event. The local viewing will be weather dependent.
“It should be a lot of fun. It won’t necessarily be quite as intense as the one last October. It’s a chance to see the Moon cover the Sun. Stuff like this is not necessarily common, so it’s fun we have an opportunity to see one again so soon,” says Sabey.
Sabey notes the best time to view the partial eclipse will be from 11:45 a.m. to 1:41 p.m.