On Monday, April 8, a Total Solar Eclipse will pass over North America. In Saskatchewan it will be partial eclipse. The time frame in Regina is 11:51 a.m. to 1:56 p.m. with the maximum eclipse at 12:53p.m., according to the Saskatchewan Science Centre which is hosting an event today.

The path of totality will make landfall near Mazatlan, Mexico and travel through Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and New York in the USA. It enters Canada in Ontario, and travels through Quebec, PEI, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland.

The Saskatchewan Science Centre in Regina says, “We are quite far away from the path of totality, but we will still experience a partial solar eclipse. At maximum, the eclipse will cover 41 per cent of the sun reducing its magnitude to 51 per cent. We will see the moon cross the sun from the bottom right to the top left.”

The centre also says, “We are approaching solar maximum so there likely will also be sunspots, plages, flares, prominences, and other features on the sun to see.

At the Saskatchewan Science Centre, which is a non-profit, non-governmental educational facility with the mission of igniting scientific curiosity, plans to have the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada – Regina Centre present with several different type of telescopes and solar glasses.

The centre cautions, “The sun will still be far too bright to look at it directly without specialized eye protection designed for solar viewing. If you are unable to make it to our event, you can safely use an indirect viewing method, such as a pinhole projector.”

Regina’s forecast is mainly sunny. Other areas of the province may see more clouds. Saskatoon, the Kindersley area, Lloydminster and the Battlefords, for example, along with Outlook, Swift Current and Maple Creek may see showers and clouds.

Clear skies are forecast for the Humboldt area, Yorkton, Kamsack, Canora,

Estevan is looking at a mix of sun and cloud as are Weyburn, Carlyle and Assiniboia, which may see some showers.