SUNDRE – Local high school students will get a chance to catch a glimpse of a rare celestial event this afternoon.
Although we’re geographically situated too far west to see the full-on total solar eclipse that has captured the interest and imaginations of many novice and veteran skywatchers around the world, many of whom have flocked to better viewing positions out east, residents in Sundre and Alberta will nevertheless get a chance to see a partial solar eclipse.
“I have set up a single telescope with a solar filter at the southwest entrance of the school,” said Kris Kowaliuk, the school’s science teacher.
Students will throughout their lunch break from 11:55 a.m. to 12:41 p.m. get a chance to peer through the scope, he said.
The sun will be partially obscured in a partial eclipse starting at 11:50 a.m. and reaches its maximum at 12:44 p.m.
Watch a simulation of what the eclipse will look like in the Mountain View County and Red Deer County areas.
Unlike a lunar eclipse that occurs when the moon and the sun are on precisely opposite sides of the Earth, a total solar eclipse happens when the orbit of the moon brings it right in between the Earth and the sun, temporarily blocking out our star’s light from reaching the planet.
Anyone who might be interested in taking a look up to the sky for themselves should be sure to don proper eye protection.
