TORONTO, October 23, 2014 − Today residents of Toronto will experience a partial solar eclipse late in the afternoon when the moon will begin to obscure part of the sun's disk starting at 5:39pm local time (EDT). The maximum amount of obscuration - 44 per cent - will occur around 6:20pm, as the sun is setting. This is the deepest partial solar eclipse Toronto has seen since May 1994, and is a precursor to the total solar eclipse that will be visible in Toronto on Aug. 21, 2017.
The sun is always a dangerous object to look at without appropriate eye protection. This situation does not change even when part of the sun's disk is being covered by the moon. Thus, to safely experience this spectacle, the York University Observatory will be open to the public for viewing starting at 5pm and continuing until sunset. Specially filtered telescopes and solar glasses will be available for people to use for seeing the sun safely during this partial eclipse. Viewing will be from the Life Science Building courtyard, as well as the adjacent observatory domes.
York University physics and astronomy lecturer Paul Delaney is available to answer media questions, including those surrounding the stages of an eclipse, and how it compares to other celestial phenomena.
More information is available by contacting observe@yorku.ca
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Media Contact:
Gloria Suhasini, York University Media Relations, 416 736 2100 ext. 22094, suhasini@yorku.ca
