(Winnipeg, Manitoba: April 3, 2024) – On Monday, April 8, the worlds will align as the Moon will pass in front of the Sun as seen from the Earth, creating a solar eclipse viewable from across North America. Manitobans will see a partial solar eclipse that afternoon. Viewers in a narrow path from Mazatlan, Mexico through Montreal and on through the Maritimes will witness a total solar eclipse, one of nature’s rarest and most amazing spectacles.

To help people view the eclipse, the Manitoba Museum’s Planetarium is joining forces with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada – Winnipeg Centre and the Assiniboine Park Conservancy to host a free solar eclipse viewing party from 12:30 pm to 3:15 pm at The Leaf in Assiniboine Park. Special solar telescopes will be accessible to provide safe views of the eclipse for attendees, and live feeds from other sites across North America will show the view from the path of totality.

“We are excited to welcome our friends from the Manitoba Museum’s Planetarium and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada to Assiniboine Park for this special event,” said Jody Watson, Senior Director of Programming & Education, Assiniboine Park Conservancy. “It will be a fascinating experience to share with Park visitors and a wonderful opportunity to inspire curiosity and learning about the amazing world we live in.”

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes in front of the Sun and casts its shadow onto the Earth. For viewers on the center line of the eclipse, the Moon will completely block out the Sun for up to four minutes, revealing the Sun’s outer atmosphere or corona. Viewers on either side of the center line will see a partial eclipse. From southern Manitoba, the Moon will cover about half of the Sun’s diameter at maximum (less for those farther north or west).

The eclipse will begin at 12:54 pm CDT for Winnipeg when the Moon first begins to cover the Sun (moving in from the bottom right). Over the next two-and-a-half hours the Moon will move across the Sun from right to left, while the Sun moves across the sky from left to right as it does every day. Maximum eclipse occurs at 2:01 pm CDT, and the eclipse ends at 3:08 pm CDT.

“This will be the astronomical event of the year,” says Young. “We’ll see the partial eclipse live from Manitoba and watch totality via live stream from several sites across North America, so we’ll get the best views even if it happens to be cloudy in Winnipeg.”

WARNING: DO NOT LOOK AT THE SUN WITH UNPROTECTED EYES! 

The Sun is always too bright to look at with unprotected eyes – special solar filters are required. Regular sunglasses or other homebuilt options are not enough – a specialized filter material is required to look directly at the Sun.

“When watching an eclipse, safety is important,” says Young. “You can’t just use sunglasses or order some cheap filters online from an unknown source – there are a lot of unsafe fakes out there. Purchase new eclipse glasses from a reputable source, don’t try to save pennies and put your eyesight at risk for life.”

The Manitoba Museum Shop is now sold out of eclipse glasses. If you were not able to get certified eclipse glasses, there are ways to observe the eclipse safely listed on the Manitoba Museum eclipse page.

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Media Inquiries:

Scott Young
Planetarium Astronomer
204-988-0627
ScYoung@ManitobaMuseum.ca

Brandi Hayberg
Manager of Marketing & Communications
204-988-0614
BHayberg@ManitobaMusuem.ca