Alberta is being treated to a partial solar and a lunar eclipse later this August
Alberta is being treated to not one but two celestial sights this August, with a partial solar and lunar eclipse on the way.
While we cross our fingers for clear conditions during both events, let’s take a look at when we can expect these out-of-this-world moments to take place.
When is the partial solar eclipse in Alberta?
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A partial solar eclipse will be gracing the sky soon, starting in the late morning of Wednesday, Aug. 12.
Areas such as Grande Prairie will see some of the best obscuration according to Time and Date, with that northwestern city seeing it hit 9.1 per cent. Edmonton will see obscuration of 6.5 per cent, while Calgary gets just a sliver with obscuration of 2.09 per cent.
“During a partial solar eclipse, the Moon, the Sun and Earth don’t align in a perfectly straight line, and the Moon casts only the outer part of its shadow, the penumbra, on Earth,” Time and Date outlined.
A little reminder that if you are a space fanatic and don’t want to travel far to witness totality during a solar eclipse, 2044 will be your year if you happen to live in Alberta.
When is the partial lunar eclipse in Alberta?
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The end of this month will be a neat one, with the partial lunar eclipse occurring just before the final weekend of August.
Obscuration will be very high for most of the province, with Time and Date calling for 93.91 per cent for areas like Calgary, Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Camrose, Lethbridge, and Lloydminster.
The partial lunar eclipse will start at 7:23 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 27 and max out at 10:12 p.m., before concluding just after 1 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 28.
“A partial lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth moves between the Sun and Moon, but the three celestial bodies do not form a straight line in space. When that happens, a small part of the Moon’s surface is covered by the darkest, central part of the Earth’s shadow,” Time and Date explained.
Are you hoping to catch a glimpse of the partial lunar and solar eclipse this August? Let us know in the comments.