Clouds expected to put damper on rare solar eclipse Saturday over Ontario

Western British Columbia will be the best place in Canada to view a rare annular solar eclipse on Saturday, but cloudy skies could obscure the phenomenon for many viewers.

Gurveen Kaur, co-president of the University of B.C. Astronomy Club, said she was saddened, but not defeated, by the forecast. 

“I think everyone’s still hoping that they’ll still get at least a glimpse of the eclipse throughout that hour-and-a-half window,” she said in an interview Friday.

An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and sun, and because it happens when the sun is at its farthest point from Earth, viewers are treated to a bright halo surrounding the black blot of the moon.

Areas of North America that will see the total eclipse and fiery ring include a path from Oregon to Texas, but a statement from the University of B.C. said Metro Vancouver residents will be able to see nearly 75 per cent of the eclipse beginning at 8:08 a.m. Pacific time.

The event will peak 72 minutes later when just a small sliver of the sun will be visible, and the eclipse will end at 10:38 a.m.

Ontario will only get a partial solar eclipse starting at 11:55 a.m. with a maximum eclipse of 27 per cent taking place around 1:09 p.m. However, it’s unlikely to be seen as it is forecasted to be cloudy on Saturday.

“We may see some breaks in the clouds through the north and east ends of the GTA but for the most part I think it’s going to be too cloudy for us to see any significant darkening of the skies,” says CityNews meteorologist Natasha Ramsahai.

The good news, southern Ontario is expected to be in the best position possible for the next solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.