Queen's 2015 Nobel Prize in PhysicsSafety and glasses
No! Regular or polarized sunglasses, no matter how dark or how many pairs, are not safe enough to block out the Sun's light. Therefore, it is not safe to the look at the Sun using sunglasses (on regular day or during an eclipse). For more information, please look at our safety page.
The answer is nuanced, so for more information visit .
Most public libraries and city tourism centres experiencing the April 8th eclipse are offering eclipse glasses and viewers. Please contact them for more information. If you would like to buy your own eclipse glasses, please consult reputable glasses vendor here.
NO. Do not buy eclipse glasses from Amazon as they cannot ensure their products meet the required ISO12312-2 safety standards for solar filters. Please refer to the trusted vendors here to buy your eclipse glasses.
All things eclipse
The duration of totality depends on your specific location, but for Kingstonites totality will last just over 3 minutes. To see how long totality will last at your location, see .
While the Sun's altitude will depend on where you are observing it from, in Kingston the Sun will be at an altitude of 43.1° from the horizon. This is approximately halfway between the horizon and zenith.
This is up to the owners, however please note the following: animals generally have a pretty good instinct not to look at the Sun. There is also no specialized eclipse eyewear designed for pets, and it would be quite difficult to try and modify standard eclipse glasses to best suit our furry friends.
In short, your pets will most likely be fine, but it is at the owner's discretion whether or not to take them out and about on April 8th.
A total solar eclipse occurs somewhere on Earth about once every 18 months. There are many factors that contribute to this calculation, including the following:
Firstly, not only do the Earth, Moon, and Sun need to land in the right order but they also need to be perfectly aligned. This is more difficult than expected since the Moon's orbit around the Earth is at an angle relative to that of the Earth around the Sun.
On top of all this, the path of totality also has a habit of spending the majority of its time over bodies of water (seeing as they make up 71% of the Earth's surface). This means that even if everything lines up just right, totality may not be accessible for us to see on the land.
Solar eclipses have been documented as far back as 1200 BCE, so a very long time!
Depending on the density of the clouds, you may still be able to experience the solar eclipse to varying degrees. For instance, you may still see the outline of the Sun (as it is being eclipsed) through relatively thin clouds, while this would not be possible through much denser clouds. However, in order to observe the solar corona, you need clear skies. Either way, at the very least, the dramatic darkening of the sky during totality can be experienced no matter what. There will also be numerous livestreams available to watch throughout the eclipse. We will list those on our website closer to April 8th.