Those with their heads in the clouds best be wearing shades this Sunday as a solar eclipse graces the skies over Vancouver — that is, if it’s not raining.
The H.R. MacMillan Space Centre will have experts on hand from 4:45 to 7:30 p.m. tonight to chat with stargazers about the eclipse, the first of 2012, and share tips on safe solar viewing. Admission is by donation.
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The moon is set to block out all but a ring of the sun’s light this evening, an occurrence known as an annular eclipse and visible only to a 240- to 300-kilometre track across the earth’s northern hemisphere.
The May eclipse also finds the moon at its furthest distance in its trajectory from the earth, meaning it will block out the smallest possible section of the sun. That leaves the largest possible ring of light on the outside of the sun.
While British Columbians fall within the viewing area, only a partial eclipse will be visible in western Canada. The sun will resemble more of a crescent than a fully eclipsed ring of light. Observers in the southwestern U.S. will be able to see more of the full eclipse.
This comes just two weeks after Vancouverites were awed by a ‘Supermoon’ in which the moon, at its closest point to the earth, appeared up to 14 per cent larger and 30 per cent brighter.
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