What you need to know before the solar eclipse

The first solar eclipse of 2024 will be visible all across North America next week with chances to view the event around the city.

"We get a partial eclipse. That's basically where the sun is not completely covered up by the moon. An eclipse happens when the moon gets in front of the sun and blocks it out. Depending on the circumstances, it could cover up part of the sun or the whole sun," Scott Young, Manitoba Musuem's Planetarium Astronomer says.

While there's excitement around the event, Young says that it's not going to be obvious. "Here in Manitoba, we'll see about a 60% partial eclipse. What that means is you won't notice anything unless you go looking for it. It's not going to get dark. The sky isn't going to change in any way. You probably won't even notice." 

For those wanting to take part in watching the eclipse, Young says to make sure to have solar-filtered glasses. "The sun is just too bright to look at at any time. Nobody bothers to look at the sun unless there's an eclipse happening, since there's not much to see. So we want people to know that you can't look at the eclipse unless you have the special eclipse glasses."  

A pair of sunglasses, Young says aren't strong enough to protect your eyes. 

For those that do not have a pair of eclipse glasses, Young says you can still watch the eclipse with some indirect methods listed on their website or a live stream. 

Some indirect methods are a pinhole camera which is a piece of cardboard with a pinhole in it. "You don't look through the pinhole, you just hold the cardboard up towards the sun. The light from the sun hits the cardboard and makes a shadow. In the middle of that shadow, there will be a tiny pinhole which will take on the shape of the sun."