Solar eclipse to be visible in British Columbia on October 23

A partial solar eclipse will be viewable from much of North America on Thursday, October 23, and Vancouverites will have a front row seat to the rare astronomical event.

The moon will cast a shadow on Earth in the afternoon when it passes in front of the sun. A total eclipse will not be seen at any location on the planet, however, the westernmost and northernmost areas of the continent are the best places to view the phenomenon.

In Metro Vancouver, the eclipse at its peak will reach a maximum coverage of 66 per cent. The event begins in the early afternoon when the sun is still high in the sky.

Of course, the ability to view the spectacle is entirely dependent on weather, but the skies will darken mid-afternoon with or without cloud cover.

Solar eclipse schedule from Vancouver on Thursday, October 23, 2014:

• 1:33 p.m. – Partial solar eclipse begins, with the moon touching the edge of the sun
• 2:58 p.m. – Maximum eclipse reached
• 4:17 p.m. – Partial eclipse ends, with the moon leaving the edge of the sun
• 6:07 p.m. – Sunset

This comes just three weeks after the total lunar eclipse over Vancouver on October 8, the second in a series of four Tetrad lunar eclipse events.

If you miss this solar eclipse, a more spectacular total solar eclipse will be visible from B.C. on August 21, 2017.

Tips for viewing a solar eclipse:

1. Do not look directly at the sun at any point of the event: this can cause permanent eye damage.
2. Do not stack your eyes with multiple sunglasses, this won’t work and you’ll put your eyes at risk.
3. NASA recommends wearing welder’s goggles with a rating of 14 or higher as a way for viewing.
4. Consider building an easy pinhole projection system using materials readily available at home. Here are some helpful instructions.

Rendering of expected maximum partial solar eclipse in Vancouver on October 23, 2014.

 Image: TimeAndDate

Image: Solar Eclipse via Shutterstock

Image: NASA

Solar Eclipse Timelapse from Queensland, Australia (November 2012)

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Feature Image: Matt Hecht via Flickr