A short post today, mostly for my educational friends with students! If you’re anywhere along the red/yellow lines on April 8th 2024, you are in the path of totality/partial totality for a solar eclipse viewing. For our Toronto, ON friends, we will technically be partial totality, all things considered, however we’re 99.5 % inside, so it’s gonna be dang near close to a perfect eclipse for us, pending the weather holds out!
Our friends in Buffalo NY, specifically those in Rochester, are going to get a complete sky-darkening eclipse and total solar blockage, with the “solar ring” viewing and everything – here’s to hoping there’s no clouds!
Below is an interactive map for everyone. The red line is total eclipse, the yellow line(s) are the edges of the eclipse, where partial blockage will still occur, and sky darkening will occur, just not as prominent. Those outside the lines, will see darkening and partial blockages, with less blockage happening the farther away you get.
As an example, those in North Bay, Thunder Bay and surrounding areas, will get only 50% blockage, and may not even notice the sky darkening – it will be like a cloud covering the sun on any other day, unfortunately. If it’s completely cloudless though, you will get a nice view.
SAFETY STANDARDS
Viewing
Wear any safety glasses that cover ISO Standard 12312-2
SUNGLASSES, POLARIZED FILTERS, AND WELDING MASKS WILL WORK!
YOU CAN AND WILL GO BLIND IF YOU DON’T USE THE ABOVE STANDARD WHEN VIEWING!
If you want to take photos/videos:
You need solar filters on all cameras and electronic recording equipment, INCLUDING CELL PHONES, or else you will PERMANENTLY damage the CMOS sensor in your device. The CMOS sensor in all cameras, DSLR and cell phones, is responsible for turning the light it sees into a photo. Every image taken after it’s damaged will permanently and forever show this damage on all photos. Film based cameras are protected from this.
If your CMOS sensor gets damaged, it’s generally an entire CMOS Sensor replacement, and in some devices, means a complete camera replacement! Don’t risk it!
For all forms of safe viewing:
For safe viewing for all ages, including camera, phone and video recording, this is recommended for both your eyes and the electronic devices’ “eyes”. You can edit the data in your favorite photo editor afterwards.
Celestron 3 Piece Solar Viewing Kit – For personal viewing
Celestron 25 Pack Eclipse Glasses – For groups/teachers.
You do not need filters or protection if watching a stream or anything broadcast – the filters are already applied
You DO NOT need to protect animals and pets from viewing.
You DO need to protect infants.
For our friends on the west coast of North America, because we have two things floating around out there, you already got the Annular eclipse last year. Here’s a full map of both, provided by the American Astronomical Society.
